downtown-san-mateo-plan

San Mateo is Undergoing a Huge Makeover That Will Make it The Place to Live In

What can we expect from a more revitalized San Mateo in Northern California? Recent developments led by its city council have been promising, which in turn has kept the residents engaged and interested. While this turn of events might take years before completion, it would be smart to keep an eye on it. San Mateo has always attracted assignees, and a landscape reshaped for the better might keep them coming – or even increase the numbers.

San Mateo, which is located between Downtown San Francisco and Downtown San Jose, is a happy merger between a stress-free suburb and a bustling city. The 100,000 people who live and work in it are highly educated, career driven, and yet infuse enough balance in their lives to make them healthy and enjoy quality time with their families. A temperate climate has made its parks, nature trails, and beaches the go-to areas, while encouraging people to make exercise as one of their lifelong habits. Maybe that’s why healthcare is one of its major industries supporting its economy. The others are baking and finance, retail, and naturally, technology.

But what stands out strong in San Mateo is the community spirit. There is a sense of belongingness or oneness in the city that is hard to find anywhere else. Residents and long-term visitors alike are made to feel that they own the place, and in a good way. They have a stake in it and a hand in its future. If changes come in, they will have a say and a public one at that.

This was recently emphasized in the San Mateo Downtown Specific Plan Project. The community and its local leaders gather regularly to take part in projects that will benefit them as a whole. The latest discussion was about recreating the living spaces to make them more conducive for the San Mateo kind of lifestyle, if that were even more possible. The conversation intended to showcase the city’s crown jewels — the historic institutions and landmarks that its people respect with pride.

Another agenda was how to make mass transit even further accessible to the growing population which is used to a fast and efficient commute time. Finally, another concern was how to keep the streets sustainable, making them livable and safe, and yet flexible enough to continue to make possible the building of attractions like cafes and smart shops.

While the process of engagement is still ongoing, an earlier blueprint for a change of San Mateo might give us an idea of what to expect.  First, the 70-block Downtown will definitely be the center and catalyst for any changes that it will be introduced. It remains the heart and soul of the city, overlooking the key events that have shaped it to what it is today. While new buildings and smart tech might bring Downtown Mateo closer to the 21st century, its sedate spirit and innate respect for the traditions and culture that are the foundation of the city will remain intact and untouched.

While an increase in restaurants and shops is expected as the city booms, Central Park and the Downtown Theatre will remain the fulcrum of activity.

San Mateo residents are a sociable lot, and not all the tablets and internet activity in the world will change that. More pedestrian spaces might be added — and with them, quiet cafes, art galleries, and specialty bookshops that will encourage conversation, exchange of ideas, and strengthening of ties, old and new.

Assignees who visit the place before and after its transformation might notice how residents tend to call the city “My Downtown” or “My Central Park.” It is a mark of the special kind of pride and ownership, coupled with a deep sense of responsibility, that the residents have developed for their home. Should any of your assignees be relocated here, it is a behavior, a mindset, and a value that they would have to adopt as well.

Photo: CityofSanMateo.org