San Mateo County moves from building to upgrades, refurbishing 

In the plan, outlined for fiscal years 2025-30, there are 268 projects identified that are valued at approximately $975 million that will be spent over the five years. 

“Capital improvement projects are great to look at because they’re a direct reflection of not just policy but how you spend the money,” Supervisor Ray Mueller said. “How you spend the money is actually the truth of your policy work.”

Featured projects of note include the Pescadero High School water line extension project, inclusive parks throughout the county and telephone access. 

The Pescadero High School CSA 11 Water Line Extension Project will extend water supply to serve both the Pescadero Middle/High School and the future County Fire Station No. 59. This will include installing over a mile of a water main, the construction of seven fire hydrants, connecting the school and future fire station to the water main. 

Construction for the water line project began in August 2025, and is slated to be complete in March 2026, according to a staff report. It is funded through a state grant. 

Mueller, whose district includes Pescadero, thanked the county for its work on this project so far. 

The related Pescadero Fire Station No. 59 relocation will establish a four-bay fire station adjacent to the high school. The new facility is still being designed, and is expected to go out to bid this winter. It will not likely be completed until the end of 2027. The fire station will cost approximately $23 million over the course of the next five years. 

The county is also committing to create inclusive playgrounds, starting off with one at Flood Park in Menlo Park and on at Coyote Point in San Mateo. The former is slated to be open to the public in early 2026. Design for the park at the Coyote Point Recreation Area are underway, and construction will hopefully begin mid-2026, according to a staff report. 

Both of the inclusive park projects are funded through a combination of Measure K funds and other revenue sources. 

Supervisor Noelia Corzo noted the impact creating inclusive playgrounds will have on families. 

“Parents go a long way to find a playground that is suitable for their kids if they have different abilities and I think it’s a beautiful thing that we’re investing in that in our community,” Corzo said. 

The county’s project development unit worked to construct various brand-new facilities from 2019 and 2023, including the Peninsula Humane Society animal shelter, the Navigation Center in Redwood City, and the public safety communication’s regional operations center. 

Ongoing projects led by the PDU include the Cordilleras Renovation Project, which includes a new 100,000-square-foot and 121-bed health campus, which will serve as a mental health recovery center. This project is estimated to be completed by the end of this year. 

The San Mateo Medical Center is also slated to be completed by the end of the year, a long-awaited end to a complex, multiphase project. This capital improvement project included demolition of out-of-date buildings, construction of a new administration building, renovation of more than 35,000 square feet of the existing hospital, and major aesthetic upgrades. 

Another major project includes the completion of the North County Wellness Center, which broke ground in August 2024. This new building will bring services of San Mateo County Health to residents who live in the north part of the county, and will house a medical clinic and human services agency. The project will cost more than $95 million over the next five years, with the majority of those costs expected to be made by Fiscal Year 2026-27.