Foster City is 50 this year

Let’s go back to the very beginning in 1958 when developer T. Jack Foster, who had been semiretired, and his partner, Richard Grant, purchased what was then Brewer’s Island, roughly 2,600 acres of boggy, reclaimed tidal marshland and salt ponds.

Foster, who eventually bought out Grant, had a vision of a planned community there on the vast property east of San Mateo. There were plenty of drawbacks.

First and foremost, the land, which had been diked off via a makeshift levee system and then drained late in the 19th century, had to be firmed up, raised and prepared for development.

It was determined to create an artificial lagoon system, controlled by massive pumps, that would act as a catch basin for rainwater during storms. The lagoon setup also provided the plan with a novel and enticing aquatic feature that would prove to be a lure for homebuyers.

Foster, according to reports at the time, spent close to $5 million and five laborious years bringing those considerable efforts to fruition.

A special district was created to help facilitate the project. Bonds were sold. As the years went by, finances became a serious problem.

At one point, money to pay interest on the bonds was raised by floating new bonds. It was a very controversial (and quite rare) solution and required assistance from local and state politicians. In all, close to $86 million worth of bonds were eventually sold.

New homeowners could purchase a comfortable house for as little as $22,000 in the early days of the development. But those residents were stuck with the highest property taxes in San Mateo County, a result of the costly bonds. As you might imagine, that became a significant flashpoint.

Since Foster and his family controlled almost all key aspects of the growing community via the special district, they became the targets of what amounted to a citizen revolt. It got ugly. The discord was unrelenting.

It took several years but, eventually, the residents, led by attorney Wayne McFadden, managed to win control. The new city was officially incorporated on April 27, 1971. By that time, the Fosters had sold out their interests to a Texas firm.

But the strife didn’t end there. In fact, it was just beginning. There was almost nonstop political wrangling throughout the 1970s.

There were lawsuits and recall elections. There were 13 different city managers between 1971 and 1977. There were a lot of hard feelings. Some especially raucous public meetings lasted until 2 or 3 in the morning. There were dueling weekly newspapers, the Progress and the Islander (still in business).

A major bone of contention involved public education. There weren’t enough schools in Foster City. In particular, there was no high school.

The town was (is) served by two public school districts, San Mateo City Elementary (renamed San Mateo-Foster City Elementary) and San Mateo Union High. Relations between the city and those two entities became fraught. There were abortive moves to create a separate unified public school district for Foster City only.

To this day, some tensions remain, especially when it comes to secondary education. Home builders and their promoters had promised buyers that a high school (Marina High) would be constructed. Attractive renderings of the school were made and distributed. But it wasn’t to be. That continues to rankle among some in the community.

A half-century since its incorporation, Foster City has become a stable suburban community of some 34,000 residents.

It has survived its early years of fiscal and political tumult, weathered a major earthquake in 1989, begun a complete renovation of its extensive levee system and become home to a number of major business enterprises. Its dwelling units have soared in value along with those in the rest of the county.

In the end, Foster’s big gamble has paid off. It was a rough ride but worth it.

Happy birthday to one and all.

You can get in touch with John Horgan by email at johnhorganmedia@gmail.com.