Belmont City Council Regular Meeting - March 24, 2025
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City of Belmont City Council Regular Meeting - March 24, 2025
Note: The agenda and transcript identify the meeting as Tuesday, March 25, 2025, but the metadata supplied for this summary lists the meeting date as 2025-03-24. This summary uses the supplied date while flagging the discrepancy.
The Belmont City Council met for a regular meeting that included a special police oath ceremony, a 5-0 consent calendar approval, two public hearings on cannabis retail dispensaries, a housing element report, and staff/council announcements. The meeting was extended by 30 minutes.
Special Presentation
- Police Chief Kenneth Stenquist administered the Oath of Office to newly promoted supervisor Michael Paul Stoffer, dispatcher Nicole Rajario, and newly sworn officer Matt [name not fully captured]. Families pinned badges, and the Mayor congratulated them.
Consent Calendar
- Approved 5-0 by one motion: Approval of Minutes; Police Department Military Equipment Use Policy annual review under AB 481; State Legislative Advocacy agreement with California Public Policy Group; Climate Action and Adaptation Plan Update agreement with Rincon Consultants, Inc. ($216,400 plus $25,000 contingency, not to exceed $241,000); 2025 Sewer Rehabilitation Project (plans, specs, advertisement, contract up to $2,330,000 plus $233,000 contingency, and MNS Engineers construction management task order up to $314,340); Revised Master Employee Pay Schedule; MOUs with Belmont Police Officers Association, Mid-Management Confidential Employees Association, and unrepresented confidential employees.
- Councilmember McCune pulled item E only to commend Public Works Director Nisha Patel for coordinating with MidPen Water District on the sewer project.
- Public commenter Juliana Carlini urged more aggressive climate action, noting 25-33% of greenhouse gases come from transport and criticizing the modest mode-shift target.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-agenda comments: Victor Garza, Gerard Kirsten, and Max Reinhardt, property owners in the San Juan Hills/Alhambra Drive area, raised concerns about certificate of compliance requirements, inconsistent staff determinations of improved road frontage, failed lot mergers, and lack of open space planning.
- Cannabis-related comments: Many residents spoke against one or both proposed dispensaries, citing neighborhood character, proximity to homes, negative impacts, and the presence of two stores in a small area. Mary Morrissey Parton, a longtime Belmont business owner, spoke in support, citing economic development benefits. John Heredia, a cannabis attorney, spoke in support of NUG.
Discussion Items
Public Hearing 11A - Canna-Bel, 1397 El Camino Real
- Staff presented four entitlements: rezone to the S-3 Cannabis Overlay District, development agreement, conditional use permit, and design review. Councilmembers discussed the proposed community advisory board and its future accountability; the applicant agreed to develop and submit bylaws.
- Motion approved 5-0 to introduce the rezoning and development agreement ordinances, with amended development agreement language requiring bylaws, and to place the CUP/design review resolution on a future agenda for adoption with the ordinances on April 8, 2025.
Public Hearing 11B - NUG, 1538 El Camino Real
- Staff presented the same four entitlements. The Planning Commission had recommended disapproval 4-2, citing proximity to residences and noticing concerns; the Zoning Administrator recommended approval. NUG described its experience (31 cannabis businesses), security features, e-commerce (30% of sales), local hiring plans, and community benefits (1.5% of gross receipts up to $12 million annually, 2% above that, plus $50,000 one-time parks vehicle).
- Public comment included questions about whether two dispensaries are needed and whether an alternative location might be better.
- Motion to approve the NUG entitlements passed 4-1; Councilmember Laudemerlow voted no, citing the location's proximity to the adjacent neighborhood and a desire for more time for the community to adjust.
General Business 12A - Housing Element Annual Progress Report 2024 and Successor Agency Annual Report FY 2023-24
- Toby Lieberman presented the state-required annual progress report. Highlights for 2024: 24 ADU permits issued; building permit for the 125-unit affordable housing project at 803 Belmont Avenue; approval of the 65-unit Ridge at Ralston project; and the Link Housing project expected to start construction the next month. The successor agency report covered fiscal year 2023-24.
- This was an informational item with no separate vote; council directed staff to transmit the reports to OPR and HCD.
Key Outcomes
- Consent calendar approved 5-0.
- Canna-Bel (1397 El Camino Real) entitlements approved 5-0, with the development agreement amended to require community advisory board bylaws.
- NUG (1538 El Camino Real) entitlements approved 4-1, with Councilmember Laudemerlow dissenting.
- Housing Element Annual Progress Report and Successor Agency Annual Report were received for transmittal to state agencies.
- Meeting extended by 30 minutes and adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
Oh no, no, well sometimes it's okay. Good evening, everyone. Welcome. This is the City of Belmont City Council regular meeting. Today is Tuesday, March twenty fifth, twenty twenty-five. It is seven o'clock PM. And uh before we start, I have a few reminders for folks. If you are wishing to make public comment in the council chamber on any of the items, please present the clerk, who's over there with a request to speak slip found at the table at the rear of the chamber over there where you see someone filling out a slip now. Um if you're participating virtually, use the raise hand feature to request to speak if you are um Zoom, and the uh Zoom link is on our published meeting agenda with the meeting ID. You can also follow the council meetings on Comcast Cable Channel 27 and stream live via the city's website at www.belmont.gov. Again, we're also here in council chambers on the second floor of City Hall. A reminder that all public comments are subject to a three minute time limit unless otherwise determined by the chair. And if you wish to submit written public comment, you may send an email to C Clerk at Belmont.gov before the council considers the item, indicating the agenda item or topic number you wish to comment on in your email subject line. And any public comment regarding agenda items that are received from the council from the time of publication of the agenda and three hours before the start of the meeting will be distributed to the council prior to the meeting and made part of the meeting record. The mayor has the authority to rule any speaker out of order, including speakers during the public comment period. If the subject rate is raised, is not within the subject matter jurisdiction of the city council during a public meeting or a general business item if the speaker is not presenting testimony or evidence relevant to the matter, or if the speaker becomes disruptive to the proceedings and conduct of the meeting. Personal attacks, cursing, and outbursts from the audience in support or opposition to a speaker are not tolerated in order to foster an environment where everyone feels welcome to speak. All right. And with that, we move into our agenda. Item one was called to order, which we did. Item two is roll call, please, Madam Clerk. We have the roll call. Good evening. Councilmember Jordan here. Laudamarlow? Yeah. McKeon. Present. Vice Mayor Pang Manganaris. Present. Mayor Maids. Present. We have a quorum of five. Thank you. Great. Thank you. Item three is closed session. We did not have a closed session this evening, so we'll move to item four, which is study session, and we did not have uh study session either. Um the next item is five, Pledge of Allegiance, and we have our Belmont police department on our guard who will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance this evening. All rise if you're able, please. One nation under God in this hall with justice role. Order. Ready? Two detail. Thank you. Right. Item six is report from closed session. City attorney, do we have a report from closed session? Good evening, Madam Mayor. We did not have a closed session tonight, so we have no report.
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