This is sure an exciting time for Foster City with all the redevelopment projects on tap.
I had an opportunity to attend a recent planning commission study session and was excited to see the various conceptual drawings for the 11 acres behind City Hall or should I say our future “Downtown Plaza”. Consultants were discussing all the possibilities that will make this a very exciting, and fun place to be.
The drawings helped me to envision what this area will look like and the opportunities it will afford the community. I was virtually connecting all the dots representing the Leo Ryan Park, Recreation Center, Jewish Community Center, and the Civic Center/ Library. In my opinion this area will be the “icing on the cake” for Foster City. In addition to the “downtown” area, the project at Pilgrim & Triton will serve other needs with its multi-family/ commercial mixed use design.
The planning commissioners have a lot on their plates right now as all these developments will subsequently add a new dimension to our community while it benefits our local economic health for the future. The new projects will draw a significant number of non-residents to our City as our downtown area and enlarged business parks will become more of a destination location. Their success will be directly impacted by the ease and accessibility in and out of Foster City by the residents and visitors.
Knowing the potential impact of these projects on our main streets, I anticipate a need for a more serious focus on public transit. A well-coordinated plan must be studied because of the many questions it poses: What are the staffing needs to coordinate such an effort? What are the community’s transportation needs? How do we pay for it?
New development trends within the County are promoting not just mixed use housing but creating housing near and around transit corridors to enable residents to have better connectivity with other cities within the County and around the Bay Area via public transportation. The focus seems to be on the North-South transportation corridor and not the east -west needs of communities like ours.
I am currently working with council members in other cities and will be discussing ideas with our Transportation Authority representative, about how to establish a possible cooperative system with neighboring communities that will benefit all residents. We will be facing traffic challenges just outside our City as San Mateo moves forward with their Bay Meadows project.
I would like to see our communities begin to investigate what can be done jointly to promote better public transportation links to minimize the traffic problems and reduce the carbon emissions that will be generated from the increased number of vehicles.
Of course money is a big issue but I believe that small steps taken early enough in the planning stages, can result in a very successful plan for our communities as these projects come to completion. With the focus on cutting carbon emissions and continuing to monitor better traffic management of our roadways, this drive to substantiate an expanded transit system will be validated.
Encouraging the use of public transit is not as easy, and it may take a citizen’s task force to develop ideas on how to accomplish this. Realistically, to get people out of their cars, public transportation must be more efficient in the eyes of its users.
Good or bad, we have become a faster paced society and would just as soon jump in our cars to get somewhere rather than to wait a few minutes for a bus. Frequency and reliability of buses will invoke a trust by its ridership to use it more often. I am encouraged to see an increased use of our commuter shuttles. Slowly but surly we are making headway in realizing the benefits of using public transportation.
I am excited to be a part of this redevelopment revolution and look forward to working on this public transit effort as well as the environmental policies we will be evaluating to continue to make Foster City “the place to be”.
I welcome comments on this and other issues of interest.
You may email me at lkoelling@fostercity.org.
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