With an eye on traffic mitigation and child care, San Mateo officials Monday allocated $400,000 promised to the city by the developer of the mixed-use Hillsdale Terrace project.
Councilmembers favored bicycle and pedestrian improvements to the project’s immediate surroundings, which are near the site of the future relocated Caltrain station, when they voted 3-1 to allocate $300,000 of the funds to street and safety improvements and $100,000 toward the city’s child care fund. Councilwoman Maureen Freschet voted against the motion and Mayor David Lim was absent.
For Deputy Mayor Rick Bonilla, funding traffic mitigation measures that neighbors of the project have been asking for and child care, a much-needed resource across the Peninsula, made the most sense of the three projects up for review by the council Monday. Councilmembers also considered funding median improvements, crosswalks and landscaping between 27th Avenue and 28th Avenue along the southern portion of El Camino Real, just outside the project.
“We have a huge shortage of child care sites — we have some money but not enough as the city to do it — but we’re also asking other developers to add child care to their facilities,” he said, according to a video of the meeting.
Planned for a block of El Camino Real at 28th Avenue, the five-story building with ground-floor retail and underground parking is slated to provide 68 condominiums, six of which will be offered at below-market rates. When the project was approved Feb. 6, the developer agreed to contribute $400,000 to the city as a community benefit because the project exceeded the zone’s height limits.
Lisa Taner, president of the Beresford Hillsdale Neighborhood Association, encouraged the council to dedicate the entirety of the funds to mitigating effects of the uptick in traffic expected to accompany the project. She said Beresford Hillsdale neighborhood residents and business owners have long expressed interest in projects improving safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and children attending nearby schools. Instead of requesting specific projects on behalf of the neighborhood, she advocated for councilmembers, city staff and residents to discuss what street improvements made the most sense.
“The [Beresford Hillsdale Neighborhood Association] board urges that all these monies be dedicated toward vehicle traffic mitigation in and around the immediate vicinity of the project,” she said.
Councilwoman Diane Papan emphasized the need to identify the specific areas where traffic mitigation would be focused. Papan wasn’t sure she had enough information to weigh resident concerns about how the Hillsdale Terrace project and improvements to the relocated Caltrain station would affect traffic in nearby neighborhoods against the benefits of smoothing routes from the Caltrain station to the project itself, which she felt like was a focus of the options the council was reviewing Monday.
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“I don’t think I have enough information in terms of how we could lessen the impact on the neighborhood,” she said.
Freschet advocated for the city’s Public Works Department to meet with residents of the nearby neighborhoods to develop a vision for what the neighborhood would become with all the changes planned. Though she acknowledged the need for child care, Freschet said she favored using the funds toward projects directly benefiting neighbors of the project.
“I think the funds for this personally should be used for the public benefit of the neighborhoods surrounding Hillsdale Terrace,” she said.
Brad Underwood, the city’s Public Works director, said the site has long been pegged for future study and said the city is hoping to build on ongoing work with residents to put traffic improvements into place in time for the project’s opening.
“I think that’s going to be one of the significant areas of town that’s going to be affected differently than it is currently,” he said.
This money is used as a joke for the developers to pay special interest groups, but I don't see that going to benefit the local residents or improve the quality of life. Money doesn't buy trust in our community, it's mostly used to bribe the city council to approve their eyesore housing project. I'm tired of these boneheaded decisions that giving money to special interest groups get approval from the local government. This is just bribery, not a neighborhood or community benefit.
Who asked for child care? WHO? Residents have overwhelmingly been asking for traffic relief, which benefits EVERYONE. Also, if the city planning committee really thinks everyone is just instantly going to give up their cars, they are living in a fantasy land. Moving toward a lower carbon footprint with more options for public transit and safety for peds/bikes is great, but cars are not going anywhere anytime soon and they need to get with reality on this.
Let's set the record straight. Bonilla went straight to green-light the $100k for childcare, and seemed completely disinterested in vehicle traffic mitigation, which was what the resident speakers were begging for. In addition, I did not speak about 'interest in projects improving safety for pedestrians' and bicyclists, as this article notes. With great disappointment, I saw the few options set forth for the Council that evening which were narrowed by Plan Bay Area confines (to which our city follows to its detriment). These confines limit us to safety/bike and pedestrian improvements (because it is the Plan that everyone will get out of their cars), so there was no reason I would need to additionally advocate for them. I was speaking mainly of vehicle traffic mitigation because it is a top priority for residents, but we seem to need to keep delivering that message to get any funds for it. Huge thanks to Councilwoman Freschet who asked if vehicle traffic couldn't fall under the confines of the 'safety' aspect of the few options they could consider. Seems like a no-brainer, but it wasn't going to be included until she said the words. Goethals tells me one of his top two priorities is to "address the serious traffic issues in San Mateo." He could have helped us out that night, but does tell me now, "I agree that traffic is primary. Measure S and Safe Routes to School Grant Funds are both sources of funding I will look to for the neighborhood projects identified by BHNA. I have a meeting with our Washington lobbyist this week to discuss potential federal grant funding as well. It will take more than $400k to mitigate traffic." It's going to take a whole lot more. We need to stop playing games, and stop filling Planning Commission meetings with special interest groups, and take care of the top concerns residents have. They pay their taxes. They deserve better.
“I don’t think I have enough information in terms of how we could lessen the impact on the neighborhood,” she (Papan) said....WOW...so why didn't you bring up the fact that you didn't have enough information about such a key part of this development's impacts BEFORE the project was approved by the council?
"Freschet said she favored using the funds toward projects directly benefiting neighbors of the project...." Thank you councilwoman Freschet...it's a shame the rest of the council didn't show the same concern for the existing neighbors that will now have to live with all the impacts of this short of parking, overwhelmingly market rate monster.
Why not just put the $400k in a dumpster, and light it on fire? What a joke. These elected "officials" have such disregard for the residents and taxpayers of this city. Shame on them.
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(5) comments
This money is used as a joke for the developers to pay special interest groups, but I don't see that going to benefit the local residents or improve the quality of life. Money doesn't buy trust in our community, it's mostly used to bribe the city council to approve their eyesore housing project. I'm tired of these boneheaded decisions that giving money to special interest groups get approval from the local government. This is just bribery, not a neighborhood or community benefit.
Who asked for child care? WHO? Residents have overwhelmingly been asking for traffic relief, which benefits EVERYONE.
Also, if the city planning committee really thinks everyone is just instantly going to give up their cars, they are living in a fantasy land. Moving toward a lower carbon footprint with more options for public transit and safety for peds/bikes is great, but cars are not going anywhere anytime soon and they need to get with reality on this.
Let's set the record straight. Bonilla went straight to green-light the $100k for childcare, and seemed completely disinterested in vehicle traffic mitigation, which was what the resident speakers were begging for. In addition, I did not speak about 'interest in projects improving safety for pedestrians' and bicyclists, as this article notes. With great disappointment, I saw the few options set forth for the Council that evening which were narrowed by Plan Bay Area confines (to which our city follows to its detriment). These confines limit us to safety/bike and pedestrian improvements (because it is the Plan that everyone will get out of their cars), so there was no reason I would need to additionally advocate for them. I was speaking mainly of vehicle traffic mitigation because it is a top priority for residents, but we seem to need to keep delivering that message to get any funds for it. Huge thanks to Councilwoman Freschet who asked if vehicle traffic couldn't fall under the confines of the 'safety' aspect of the few options they could consider. Seems like a no-brainer, but it wasn't going to be included until she said the words. Goethals tells me one of his top two priorities is to "address the serious traffic issues in San Mateo." He could have helped us out that night, but does tell me now, "I agree that traffic is primary. Measure S and Safe Routes to School Grant Funds are both sources of funding I will look to for the neighborhood projects identified by BHNA. I have a meeting with our Washington lobbyist this week to discuss potential federal grant funding as well. It will take more than $400k to mitigate traffic." It's going to take a whole lot more. We need to stop playing games, and stop filling Planning Commission meetings with special interest groups, and take care of the top concerns residents have. They pay their taxes. They deserve better.
“I don’t think I have enough information in terms of how we could lessen the impact on the neighborhood,” she (Papan) said....WOW...so why didn't you bring up the fact that you didn't have enough information about such a key part of this development's impacts BEFORE the project was approved by the council?
"Freschet said she favored using the funds toward projects directly benefiting neighbors of the project...." Thank you councilwoman Freschet...it's a shame the rest of the council didn't show the same concern for the existing neighbors that will now have to live with all the impacts of this short of parking, overwhelmingly market rate monster.
Why not just put the $400k in a dumpster, and light it on fire? What a joke. These elected "officials" have such disregard for the residents and taxpayers of this city. Shame on them.
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