Comments on Complete Streets Study

April 4, 2023

City of San Mateo
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403

Mayor Lee and Members of the City Council
Chair Williams and Members of San Mateo Planning Commission
Chair Narita and Members of the Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission
Via Email: citycouncil@cityofsanmateo.org, PlanningCommission@cityofsanmateo.org,
SandICommission@cityofsanmateo.org

Subject: Complete Streets Study

Dear Mayor Lee and Members of the San Mateo City Council, Planning Commission, and Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission,

The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter's Sustainable Land Use Committee (SLU) advocates on land use issues in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.

We recently read in the Daily Journal that San Mateo is embarking on a Complete Streets Plan including Green Infrastructure. Given climate change, the recent extreme weather, flooding and extreme heat, as well as the Climate Action Plan goals to reduce Greenhouse Gases, this is extremely timely, and we look forward to participating.

We would like to remind you that the city did a very extensive Sustainable Streets Plan (https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/63263) in 2015 that addressed many of the issues you now seem to be revisiting.
 
Our Committee also created in 2021 Guidelines for Master Planning a Sustainable Green Street Network (https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/default/files/sceauthors/u4142/Green%20Streets%20Presentation%20-%201-20-21%20DC.pdf) that includes recommendations for how a city (specifically San Mateo) can transition to a safer, healthier, Green Street network.
 

You may want to review these two documents as part of the process. The San Mateo Sustainable Streets Plan is an excellent plan and we expect that much that was included in that Plan is still relevant today.


Respectfully yours,

Gita Dev, FAIA, Co-Chair
Sustainable Land Use Committee
Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter

Cc: James Eggers, Executive Director, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter
Gladwyn d’Souza, Conservation Chair, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter