San Carlos takes a look at whip-its

Nitrous oxide — used medically as a short-acting sedative — can be huffed and used recreationally to get high, which has become increasingly popular due to its sale at smoke shops around the county. The Board of Supervisors banned its sale and distribution within unincorporated San Mateo County. The San Carlos City Council will possibly consider at a future date doing the same thing within city limits. 

At the same meeting, Monday, Sept. 22, the council is slated to approve spending $300,000 more to prepare an environmental impact report for the relocation of a rare plant species found at North Crestview Park, which threw a wrench in plans to update the site. 

A new master plan for North Crestview Park was identified as a council goal in 2023, and a preferred updated design proposal was chosen in  June 2024. The goal was to redesign the 3-acre open space at the highest point in the city into an amenity filled park. 

However, once consultants visited the site, a plant on the California Rare Plant Rank list was identified presenting a hurdle to jump as the city plans to move forward. The costly design process will only grow with further study, and the city currently does not have the funds to move forward with construction any time soon, according to a staff report. 

Removing the plant would be considered a significant environmental impact and due to the rarity of the tarplant, “mitigation through relocation and other means is not guaranteed to reduce impacts to a less than significant level,” according to a staff report. 

Moving forward with the environmental impact review process and continued design services will increase the cost to between $1 million and $1.2 million to complete the master plan process and prepare bid-ready documents. The approved design would cost $8 million to $10 million to construct, according to a staff report. 

The park’s improvement cost is “nearly double what the industry is currently budgeting for other neighborhood park projects,” the staff report reads. 

The San Carlos City Council will also present the 100th State of the City, thematically titled as “celebrating our past and embracing our future” in honor of the city’s centennial, and its regular meeting will follow.

The State of the City address is slated to begin at 6 p.m. and routine City Council matters will begin at 7 p.m. The meeting will be at City Hall, 600 Elm St.