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Former Woodside Council member Chris Shaw has achieved many milestones throughout his nine-year tenure. As Shaw’s term came to an end in December, he reflected on the challenges he faced with the housing element, his dedication to the town and his proudest accomplishments.
Shaw was elected onto the council in 2015 as the second write-in candidate in Woodside history to win a seat. He served as mayor in 2018 and 2023.
While he went on to serve for nearly a decade, Shaw was initially a “reluctant candidate” and “really had no interest,” he said. He entered the race 10 days before the election and won by 78 votes against former Architectural and Site Review Board member Nancy Reyering.
Shaw said he had no idea how much he would enjoy being on the council.
Forming relationships with local residents
Early in his term, Shaw dedicated hours to talking to people of different backgrounds within Woodside to learn more from residents and dive deep into the town’s history. Shaw had his phone lines and schedule open to meet with residents, hear their perspectives and actively seek out opinions different from his own. This allowed him to make more informed decisions and arguments as a council member and mayor, he said.
“I think governing from the middle in a small town is really important. These are your neighbors. These are your friends,” said Shaw.
He said he is very proud of his dedication to keeping an open ear for both sides of an argument and being critical when approaching contentious topics.
As a council member for a small town of about 5,000 people, Shaw and the council were making decisions that would impact people they would see at the grocery store or post office. “You’re making decisions on people that you’re going to see and you can’t afford to ignore them,” he said.
Housing element
In August 2024, the council approved four multifamily housing sites for its housing element despite public outcry. The town’s housing element has been out of compliance since 2023 and continues to be a struggle in the face of pressure from the state to get it certified.
The housing element is required by the state for all local governments. It is meant to develop a plan to meet housing demands across California every eight years. The town of Woodside is required to develop 328 new housing units between 2023 and 2031.
Shaw admits the housing element has troubled him, but there are state mandates that the council can’t control. “We got to an imperfect solution and it’s not one that I support,” he said.
The housing element process is “flawed and imperfect,” he added.
Shaw told The Almanac that he disagrees with the “one-size-fits-all mandate” that treats every municipality in the state the same, whether it’s a city as large as Los Angeles or a town as small as Woodside and Portola Valley. The state’s requirements don’t consider infrastructure, natural resources or topography, he said.
The current Regional Housing Needs Allocation cycle requires Woodside to build five times as many housing units as the 62 units it allocated for 2015-2023. The town previously achieved state numbers by building accessory dwelling units and single-family homes. If the town’s housing element remains out of compliance, the state can impose penalties up to $100,000 per month.
“I think that the communities across California are going to pay the price for a flawed RHNA cycle six. Even in a perfect world, you’re not going to hit those numbers,” said Shaw.
The contentious housing element has led to hours of heated public comments, including calls for the council to fight against the state. As a fiduciary, Shaw said that would put the town at risk.
Residents accused the Town Council of not exploring enough multi-family housing sites but Shaw clarified that the council looked at “every corner of town, private properties, undeveloped properties and more.”
As a private citizen, he hopes to still be involved in finding alternative sites.
Changes in goals and future challenges
When Shaw joined the council he had goals to improve Safe Routes to School, improve trails and to replace bridges, but what he quickly realized was how limited the town was on time, resources and staff to complete these “pet projects.”
Shaw said when he took his seat on the council his priorities changed after being exposed to the different priorities that the community had outside of his personal concerns.
He believes that the biggest challenges the next council will face will come out of the housing element. Building sewer lines for multifamily homes will be expensive but necessary if the town plans to build 328 units.
Woodside also struggles with narrow roads, the lack of Town Center parking and traffic congestion. When the town population increases in the near future, these problems will get worse, Shaw said. He looks forward to seeing how the Town Center plan will progress in the next two years.
Building more houses will also add more fuel to a town that is already at high risk of wildfires, he added.
Balancing family, work and Town Council
In addition to spending a dozen hours in preparation for council meetings, Shaw also had to balance his time as a husband, father and a career in health care technology. Now on the other side of the dais, he said “I realize just how much time and energy that I put into the job.”
The weekend served as work days for all things Town Council.
“Sunday just became a grind day,” said Shaw, who would watch football with his wife on the couch while working on his laptop. He’s glad to get a lot of this time back now that his term has ended but he truly enjoyed being on the council, he said.
As a father, Shaw saw how his role as a council member influenced his daughters’ view of the world, encouraging them to look at situations more critically just as he did on town matters.
“The impression that my service to the town has made on my kids is immeasurable,” he said in a speech during a special meeting on Dec. 11. He gave a special shoutout to his youngest daughter who frequently joined the meetings online and in person.
Shaw said he’s going to miss the involvement and engagement he had with the community, the county and the state.
“Once you become an elected official, now you’re talking to new families, older families, people who’ve been in town for 50 years and you’re touching every aspect of community life,” Shaw said. “If you’re doing it right, you’re learning a lot, helping solve problems and it’s fun.”
Shaw’s decision to not seek re-election was partly influenced by the town’s transition into a “by-district” system in 2022. As the Town Council shrank from seven to five members, “it made sense for me to roll off,” he said.
I don’t live in woodside, but a very proud of Chris Shaw leadership.He has always been outfront with his dismay about the latest RHNA cycle and the housing element. It has been absurd for Woodside and other similar communities. I’m impressed by his outreach and listening to neighbors.This gives residents trust. Without trust it’s hard to make headway in a close community. I hope you can sail into the sunset…..but Woodside may still need you,