OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Belmont City Council Regular Meeting – April 22, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, April 22, 2025
BodyBelmont, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, April 22, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:17:55

Transcript — Verbatim
2:04

Good evening.

2:05

This is the City of Belmont City Council meeting.

2:08

It is April 22nd.

2:10

We are in the City Council chambers at City Hall One Twin Pines Lane.

2:14

It is 6:30, and we have no closed session, but we do have a study session.

2:20

And we're going to also have public comment on the item, which is Belmont's centennial celebration discussion.

2:28

So when we call for public comment, please feel free to raise your hand.

2:34

Great.

2:34

We have our public parks and recreation director, Bridge Shearer with us.

2:40

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

2:42

I'm here to talk about Belmont's 100th birthday coming at us in 2026.

2:48

So it's never too soon to start planning these things.

2:50

So I want to let you uh and the community know where we are in our planning process.

2:55

So without further ado, here we go.

2:59

So a failure to plan is a plan to fail.

3:04

So we are uh doing our planning now.

3:06

We've got a steering committee of um uh myself, Josie and Elizabeth Um Sacris, our communications director, and um another um city event staff that uh that is supporting that, and uh, we are meeting on a regular basis to talk about the planning.

3:24

Uh we have also um finalized our branding for to celebrate the hundredth.

3:30

Um you can see that in the uh in the graphic over here on the right that celebrates the hundred and does sort of a play on the Belmont logo and the Belmont color.

3:42

So you'll be seeing that theme all over town in 2026.

3:47

Um, as far as reaching out to the community, that's also going to be an ongoing effort.

3:51

Uh, we have a public survey um that we've done.

3:54

We've had some uh one-on-one meetings with um uh with some folks that have uh been longtime Belmont residents and are invested in um helping us make this celebration a success.

4:07

We've also uh put together a website, Belmont.gov slash 100 years, and that's where we've put some historical information, and that's where we're that's going to be our um channel to continue to update the community on what events are forthcoming and how they can get involved.

4:25

So just to talk a little further about the logo, these are the um, these are some of the images that you're gonna see.

4:31

You'll see them on um uh maybe on our letterhead, we'll have pins, um, we'll have banners on Ralston Avenue, um, all sorts of things.

4:40

So get used to this look.

4:43

So it's a nice play on on our natural beauty and some of our historical buildings in town.

4:49

Um we are we have a list of proposed events and um and signage.

4:55

Oh, I already talked about the branding a little bit.

4:57

So um, some proposed events.

5:00

Um we're talking about one signature event in fall of 2026.

5:03

So the 100th birthday is actually on uh October 26th of 2026.

5:09

So that's the date we're looking at.

5:10

We want to make sure that we're not going to be conflicting with Halloween and and that sort of thing.

5:14

So exactly what that event is gonna look like is still to be determined.

5:18

Um it might be an outdoor picnic or it might be an indoor venue.

5:22

Some of that's gonna depend on what's happening here in City Hall campus with the detention basin project.

5:28

So we've got a couple of variables still up in the air before we can pin that down.

5:34

We're also gonna be um sharing the branding, like the images that I've uh that I just showed you at all of our existing city events that we have that we hold annually, whether that's Earth Day, the egg hunt, Belmont Trunk or Treat Bash, that might be something that gets combined with the birthday.

5:50

We still don't quite know what that's gonna look like in October.

5:53

Movie night, Santa Parade, and cultural celebrations.

5:56

Again, we'll kind of put the centennial stamp on our outreach to a lot of those events.

6:02

Uh we're also gonna be tabling at co-sponsored or community events throughout the city.

6:07

Um is gonna be national night out.

6:10

Uh, one idea that we had was to at each location where a neighborhood is hosting an event, we bring a birthday cake with this uh with this um image on it and um let everybody celebrate uh Belmont's birthday.

6:24

Obviously, also um doing the kind of outreach that we always do at celebrate the music, the water dog run, um the Belmont Park Booster Summer Concert Series and that sort of thing.

6:34

So we expect to be present at a lot of uh events that people are already coming to.

6:40

And again, as I mentioned, we'll have citywide branding on the light pole banners, something across Ralston when we figure out what our signature events are gonna be, that sort of thing.

6:51

Um and then we also want to obviously celebrate the history of Belmont as we're doing this and um and the um diverse cultural um uh uh fabric that makes up our wonderful city.

7:04

So a couple ways we're gonna do that is to honor our history through some historic articles and maybe tours of uh of parts of town, whether that's the downtown area or certain neighborhoods where people want to highlight a unique history.

7:18

We obviously have a lot of information at our fingertips at the Belmont Historical Society and articles that have already been written and videos that have already been created, all those things we're gonna collect together and sort of curate on our website for the community to see.

7:34

We're also gonna be uh working on an um uh land acknowledgement for the indigenous peoples and their presence here in Twin Pines Park.

7:43

We hope to do that in conjunction with the detention basin project, but if the detention basin project doesn't move forward, we will still work on some kind of a land acknowledgement feature, whether that's a celebration or an art piece or an educational piece, all still to be determined.

7:59

That's something we're gonna be working through this summer with the help of a college intern.

8:04

Um so stay tuned for more information about that.

8:07

And then some other creative projects that we're planning are a time capsule that again might be something that we install at our signature event.

8:17

Storytelling by residents.

8:19

Um we have a lot of longtime residents here in Belmont.

8:22

Some of them have been around for you know, the maybe even the full hundred years, and um, and so we want to hear from them.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use Planning██████████████████18%
Transportation Safety███████████████15%
Community Engagement████████████12%
Procedural████████████12%
Environmental Protection██████████10%
Youth Programs█████5%
Traffic Safety█████5%
Parks and Recreation████4%
Public Safety████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Belmont City Council Regular Meeting – April 22, 2025

The City Council convened at 6:30 PM for a study session on the Centennial Celebration planning, followed by the regular meeting at 7:00 PM. Councilmembers Jordan, McCune, Vice Mayor Pang-Maganaris, and Mayor Mates were present; Councilmember Latimerlo was absent. The meeting included special presentations, public comments, consent calendar approval, and two major discussion items: the annual transportation and mobility update and proposed amendments to the Regional Commercial (RC) Zoning District.

Study Session: Centennial Celebration Discussion

  • Parks and Recreation Director Brigitte Shearer presented plans for Belmont's 100th birthday in 2026. Key elements include a signature event in fall 2026 (actual date October 26), branding using a special logo, community engagement through a website (Belmont.gov/100years), surveys, and a steering committee. Proposed events include a time capsule, storytelling, community art projects, and repainting fire hydrants.
  • Funding would come from a $10,000 city budget marker plus sponsorships at tiers: $1,000 (Emmett), $2,500 (Cipriani), $5,000 (Ralston), and $10,000 (Centennial level), along with a community-led grant process.
  • Council discussion suggested early engagement with the school district, use of digital and physical archives (e.g., a then-and-now photo book), and outreach to local colleges for history student involvement.

Special Presentations

  • Mental Health Awareness Month (May 2025): Proclamation accepted by Patricia Player Maxwell of Belmont Redwood Shores Rotary Club, highlighting a June 27 event and an August 23 event focused on mental health for seniors and children.
  • Earth Day (April 22, 2025): Proclamation recognizing the 55th anniversary and the theme "Our Power, Our Planet."
  • Arbor Day (April 25, 2025): Proclamation noting 44 trees planted in Belmont, 18 consecutive years as a Tree City USA, and a fall tree giveaway.
  • National Arab American Heritage Month (May 2025): Proclamation celebrating contributions of Arab Americans.
  • Celebrate the Music Festival: Alan Sarver announced the 21st annual event on Sunday, April 27, 2025, at Twin Pines Park, featuring student performances, a battle of the bands between UC Davis and Carlmont High School, and community activities. Councilmember McCune requested a larger stage for the West Bay Community Band in future years.

Public Comments on Items Not on Agenda

  • Tiffany Obayashi urged installation of a pedestrian railing along Ralston Avenue near the middle school, citing safety risks from high-speed traffic. She reported 904 signatures on a Change.org petition and requested the topic be placed on a future agenda.
  • Eric Dentler spoke about the Belmont History Museum's role in counterculture music history (e.g., the In Room venue, Grateful Dead connections) and asked for council support to increase public awareness and visitation.

Consent Calendar

All seven items were approved unanimously by roll call (4-0).

  • 8A: Approval of minutes from March 25, 2025.
  • 8B: Service agreement with Bay Area Tree Specialists for vegetation management and fuel reduction, not to exceed $207,000.
  • 8C: Resolution approving winter holiday closures for FY 2025-26 through 2027-28.
  • 8D: Resolution accepting a $500,000 Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) grant for a multi-jurisdictional inclusionary housing and commercial linkage fee study; funds deposited into the Affordable Housing Fund.
  • 8E: Ordinance regulating indemnity requirements for permits, encroachments, and right-of-way maintenance.
  • 8F: Agreement with San Mateo County for minimum wage enforcement services at $10,000 annually, with renewal options.
  • 8G: Permanent encroachment agreement for a retaining wall at 1041 Hill Street.
  • Councilmember McCune acknowledged staff efforts for securing the multi-jurisdictional TOC grant.

Discussion Items

  • Annual Transportation and Mobility Update:
    • Daniel Matthews, with contributions from Police Chief Clyde Hussey and Fire Captain Melinda Martin, presented the "three E's" approach: Engineering, Education, Enforcement.
    • Engineering highlights: Completed 2024 slurry seal (6 center-line miles), progress on Hawk crossing and bike/pedestrian projects, and updated traffic calming policy.
    • Education and enforcement: PD conducted 2,000 traffic stops, 330 directed enforcement details, issued 600 moving citations and over 120 written warnings, plus 1,000 verbal warnings. Focus on AB 413 (daylighting law) education rather than citations.
    • Parking and Traffic Safety Committee (PTSC): Received 32 requests in 2024 (18% increase), took action on 11, including implementing a bike box at Ralston and South Road.
    • Future Transportation Master Plan is being scoped; funding sought.
    • Public Comment: Juliana Carlini criticized lack of investment in cycling infrastructure, noting that only paint and signs are used, and called for dedicating 5-10% of the transportation budget to non-car modes.
  • Amendments to Regional Commercial (RC) Zoning District:
    • Deputy Community Development Director Laura Russell proposed creating two zoning tiers: RC1 (retaining existing standards, FAR 1.8, height 55 ft) and RC2 (higher intensity, up to 225 ft height, FAR to be determined, with community benefits negotiated per project).
    • Biosafety levels: BSL1 and BSL2 permitted by right in both districts; BSL3 allowed in RC2 with a new administrative permit; BSL4 prohibited.
    • Recommended a city-initiated Program Environmental Impact Report (EIR) costing ~$200,000, funded from the General Plan Maintenance Fund, with future applicants paying fair-share reimbursement.
    • Council direction: Support for proceeding with code amendments, the Program EIR, and contract development for CEQA consultants. Councilmembers emphasized flexibility for other commercial uses beyond biotech and appreciated the thoughtful analysis of height limits (225 ft based on local precedents and airport compatibility).

Key Outcomes

  • Consent calendar approved 4-0.
  • Council directed staff to proceed with amendments to the RC Zoning District, including drafting the two-tier structure, biosafety regulations, and initiating a Program EIR. Staff will return for contract approval.
  • Transportation update was informational; no action taken. Council directed future emphasis on safe routes to schools and mode shift.
  • Verbal reports from councilmembers (Audit Committee, Supervisor Corzo cafecito) and City Manager (May 12 HIA community workshop, summer construction, website survey).
  • Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. This is the City of Belmont City Council meeting. It is April 22nd. We are in the City Council chambers at City Hall One Twin Pines Lane. It is 6:30, and we have no closed session, but we do have a study session. And we're going to also have public comment on the item, which is Belmont's centennial celebration discussion. So when we call for public comment, please feel free to raise your hand. Great. We have our public parks and recreation director, Bridge Shearer with us. Good evening, Mayor and Council. I'm here to talk about Belmont's 100th birthday coming at us in 2026. So it's never too soon to start planning these things. So I want to let you uh and the community know where we are in our planning process. So without further ado, here we go. So a failure to plan is a plan to fail. So we are uh doing our planning now. We've got a steering committee of um uh myself, Josie and Elizabeth Um Sacris, our communications director, and um another um city event staff that uh that is supporting that, and uh, we are meeting on a regular basis to talk about the planning. Uh we have also um finalized our branding for to celebrate the hundredth. Um you can see that in the uh in the graphic over here on the right that celebrates the hundred and does sort of a play on the Belmont logo and the Belmont color. So you'll be seeing that theme all over town in 2026. Um, as far as reaching out to the community, that's also going to be an ongoing effort. Uh, we have a public survey um that we've done. We've had some uh one-on-one meetings with um uh with some folks that have uh been longtime Belmont residents and are invested in um helping us make this celebration a success. We've also uh put together a website, Belmont.gov slash 100 years, and that's where we've put some historical information, and that's where we're that's going to be our um channel to continue to update the community on what events are forthcoming and how they can get involved. So just to talk a little further about the logo, these are the um, these are some of the images that you're gonna see. You'll see them on um uh maybe on our letterhead, we'll have pins, um, we'll have banners on Ralston Avenue, um, all sorts of things. So get used to this look. So it's a nice play on on our natural beauty and some of our historical buildings in town. Um we are we have a list of proposed events and um and signage. Oh, I already talked about the branding a little bit. So um, some proposed events. Um we're talking about one signature event in fall of 2026. So the 100th birthday is actually on uh October 26th of 2026. So that's the date we're looking at. We want to make sure that we're not going to be conflicting with Halloween and and that sort of thing. So exactly what that event is gonna look like is still to be determined. Um it might be an outdoor picnic or it might be an indoor venue. Some of that's gonna depend on what's happening here in City Hall campus with the detention basin project. So we've got a couple of variables still up in the air before we can pin that down. We're also gonna be um sharing the branding, like the images that I've uh that I just showed you at all of our existing city events that we have that we hold annually, whether that's Earth Day, the egg hunt, Belmont Trunk or Treat Bash, that might be something that gets combined with the birthday. We still don't quite know what that's gonna look like in October. Movie night, Santa Parade, and cultural celebrations. Again, we'll kind of put the centennial stamp on our outreach to a lot of those events. Uh we're also gonna be tabling at co-sponsored or community events throughout the city. Um is gonna be national night out. Uh, one idea that we had was to at each location where a neighborhood is hosting an event, we bring a birthday cake with this uh with this um image on it and um let everybody celebrate uh Belmont's birthday. Obviously, also um doing the kind of outreach that we always do at celebrate the music, the water dog run, um the Belmont Park Booster Summer Concert Series and that sort of thing. So we expect to be present at a lot of uh events that people are already coming to. And again, as I mentioned, we'll have citywide branding on the light pole banners, something across Ralston when we figure out what our signature events are gonna be, that sort of thing. Um and then we also want to obviously celebrate the history of Belmont as we're doing this and um and the um diverse cultural um uh uh fabric that makes up our wonderful city.

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