THANKS TO ALL OUR BAYWOOD NEIGHBORS FOR COMING OUT TO LAST WEDNESDAY'S BNA ANNUAL MEETING!
The Oak Room at the Library Main Branch was packed with neighbors from all over Baywood!
After two years of virtual meetings, we were so excited to get together in person on Wednesday, February 22 for our annual Baywood Neighborhood Association (BNA) Annual Meeting! Despite some rain and high winds, over 80 people joined us in person (and over 15 on Zoom) in the Oak Room at the Main Library Branch for a wine social to reconnect with friends before the meeting began. We even awarded wine to one of our attendees at the end of the meeting!
We apologize to everyone on Zoom for the Internet issues we had. We recorded most of the meeting and have included the links in this email for you and everyone to enjoy.
We were happy to introduce Area Lt. Glen Teixeira, the San Mateo Police Dept. lead officer charged with public safety for our district. You can see his photo below and listen to him talking about his background at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a03ZMlECSZM. Lt. Teixeira has invited us to hold a future Baywood meeting at the Police HQ so we can better understand how our SMPD works to keep us safe. Yes, please, Lt. Teixeira!
We welcomed a prospective new BNA Board Member, Chris Walsh, at our meeting. You can see Chris below taking his new job very seriously as he helped check in neighbors as they arrived. After the Annual Meeting, the BNA Board voted to approve Chris as a Board Director...congrats and welcome, Chris!
BNA President, Mike Nash, recounted all the BNA programs of the past year...from Home Maintenance and Holiday Lights Awards to monthly Coffee Socials to creating a "Butterfly Island" at one of our Islands to educating Baywood neighbors on priority City programs and actions...and more. Your Membership Dues fund these activities, as well as enable us to make generous donations to Aragon High School, Borel Middle School. Baywood Elementary School and San Mateo Public Library. If you haven't had the chance to pay your dues yet, please consider paying them today. Thank you!
After many years of service as our BNA Treasurer, Roger Dewes has retired from our Board. We couldn't let Roger go without sharing our thoughts about him. Mark Grieco, former BNA President, asked each of us for one word that meant Roger to us. "Gentleman, thoughtful, joyful, selfless, Minister of Fun" were some of the wonderful responses. Mark shared many of the great photos of Roger in action and Mark and Mike Nash presented Roger with a crystal statue saying "Thanks for the many years of service and smiles!" Roger may have retired from the Board, but he always will dance to Dixieland Jazz at our annual Baywood Social...thanks, Roger!
Drew Corbett, San Mateo City Manager, took us behind the scenes of San Mateo's NY's Eve flood and subsequent storms. City staff and neighborhoods worked tirelessly together to fight the overwhelming water that poured through seemingly every part of the City. In Baywood, San Mateo Creek flooded Arroyo Court.
Despite all these heroic efforts, our aged storm drain system and un-dredged Lagoon were no match for a "200-year storm" and many homes suffered damage. The City has hired a consultant to recreate the events and will hold community meetings to get a strong understanding of what residents and businesses went through. Climate change makes it likely that this type of storm will reoccur and we must update our storm drain system and begin to dredge our Lagoon. That will mean residents will be voting in the not too distant future on a fee to fund these infrastructure updates.
Good news: City Council has approved $150,000 for a fund to provide small grants to homeowners who suffered flood damage. This is in addition to the $56,000 raised by the Mayor's flood relief fund. San Mateo County residents also can apply for relief through FEMA.The deadline to apply for FEMA funds is March 16, 2023. Follow the Baywood Bulletin or the City's eNewsletter for details on how to apply for San Mateo funds and share your opinions on this important topic.
Drew Corbett presentation videos (Parts 1 and 2):
Drew also updated us on the Alameda/Parrott intersection. It is ready to move beyond the "pilot" stage into the "semi-permanent" stage. That means the design work has begun and will include more fixed delineators, street painting, planters and lane separators. Work should begin this summer and the end result should be much more attractive and safe than what is there now.
The "permanent" fix, which would include reconstructing the entire intersection and moving the traffic light, is estimated to cost $2 million. It is on the list of "unfunded priorities" but most of the safety enhancements will be achieved through the semi-permanent enhancements. There is no time table as to when the "permanent" fix could be funded.
Richard Brandi, a respected architectural historian, shared top line findings from his Baywood Historic Asset Analysis, a survey of Baywood homes commissioned by the San Mateo Heritage Alliance that determined there are sufficient historic homes to qualify Baywood as an historic district. This designation would enable the neighborhood to maintain its appeal and harmony and allow homeowners to preserve the value of their investments. At the same time, this focus on architectural harmony would only apply to street-facing aspects of Baywood homes and would still allow owners full flexibility in making any interior changes or exterior changes not visible from the street.
Next steps will include a more detailed study and a number of community meetings to understand if neighbors wanted to apply for the historic district designation and the boundaries of such a district. Mr. Brandi's presentation was only the first step. The San Mateo Heritage Alliance welcomes everyone to get involved in this project. All updates will be published in your Baywood Bulletin.
Richard Brandi presentation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2dFQzEm8Wg
Lisa Diaz Nash, San Mateo Deputy Mayor and District 1 Council Member, shared San Mateo City Council's 2023 priorities and progress made so far this year. Given the floods, storms and heavy winds we've experienced so far in 2023 and the increased impact of climate change, one of Council's top priorities is to update our emergency preparedness plans and update our storm drain and Lagoon systems (as discussed above).
Council also has recently approved San Mateo's Housing Element that sets out how the City will zone for residential, retail and commercial growth over the next 8 years. This is part of the San Mateo General Plan 2040 due to be completed this year. Please stay involved in this important community conversation. You can learn everything about the General Plan at www.strivesanmateo.org.
Council also will focus on improving pedestrian/cyclist safety, managing traffic and beginning the design of an online system to improve City services transparency and accountability by letting residents and businesses input their questions/complaints and then track their progress transparently online. This was one of the most repeated requests Lisa heard when she knocked on doors during her campaign.
Finally, our respected City Manager, Drew Corbett, is retiring on June 30th. Finding his replacement will be one of the most important things Council does for the health and prosperity of our wonderful city. So a busy year lies in front of us. Please send Lisa your questions and ideas at ldiaznash@cityofsanmateo.org.
Lisa Diaz Nash presentation and Lisa/Drew Q & A video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2M6XEVaj20&t=1194s
Please consider volunteering to help us with any of our BNA events, or joining our BNA Board. You can reach out to us at baywoodneighborhood@gmail.com and we would be happy to answer your questions.
Your Baywood Neighborhood Association Board is (left to right):
Roger Oser, Vice President
Scott Long, Vice President
Doug Goldberg, Secretary
Chris Walsh, Director
Lisa Diaz Nash, Vice President
Mike Nash, President
Margaret Nieman, Baywood Historian
Mark Grieco, Former President
Teresa Rose, Island Captain
Roger Dewes, Retired but always our "Minister of Fun"
Your Baywood Neighborhood Association Board thanks all our Baywood neighbors for your support, your involvement and your love of our Baywood neighborhood!