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Entering his seventh year on the Woodside Town Council, 2025 Mayor Brian Dombkowski said his experiences have given him an understanding of how to “chart a balanced course that is well-reasoned and well-informed.” This will be a year of change for the town as it inches closer to a certified housing element, develops a long-term vision for the Town Center and brings on a new town manager.
This will be Dombkowski’s second term as the mayor of Woodside and in 2025, he hopes to make positive impacts on the community while focusing on transparency, town engagement and helping the town evolve.
Housing element
In July, the Woodside Town Council voted to approve four multifamily housing sites on High Road, Raymundo Drive, 773 Cañada Road and at Cañada College to fulfill its state mandated requirements to develop 328 new housing units between 2023 and 2031, five times as many required during the previous cycle.
There were contentious comments from residents during multiple council meetings in which the council discussed the potential sites for housing in the plan. Residents called for council members to explore other locations and to preserve the rural nature of the town.
“[Change] is a reality that we just have to accept. It’s a new day in that for 70 years, Woodside’s population has not grown and now it is mandated to grow,” said Dombkowski. “We’re not going to go back to 1956, when Woodside was incorporated to stop development and we’re not going to make the town a developer’s paradise.”
Although some of the townspeople fear Woodside will be urbanized, Dombkowski said that there is a way to balance both preservation and mandated growth.
The town is currently reviewing the proposed housing site on 773 Cañada Road which could satisfy 12% of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment cycle’s total housing requirements as well as additional dwelling unit programs, including preapproved ADU designs for residents, he added.
“In a town with limited sewer infrastructure, very high fire zones and one that was literally established to preserve its rural character, the RHNA cycle at five times the level of housing required than any other prior cycle, has been a tall order and perhaps not surprisingly, there weren’t a lot of folks who were interested in development,” said Dombkowski.
As private property owners were not willing to build housing, the town had to concentrate its remaining housing needs into its town-owned sites on High Road and Raymundo Drive.
Dombkowski said it wasn’t the original plan to push the housing density into just these two sites, but during the iterative council process, two of the original four town-owned sites were dropped. He is working on finding better ways to address the needs of impacted neighbors, exploring other sites, specifying owner occupancy and incorporating language on ingress and egress requirements.
“I believe Woodside is on track to meet its halfway [RHNA] cycle goals with HCD, and I think we will be one of the few communities in the state of California that actually makes it over that high bar,” said Dombkowski.
Town Center Plan, traffic issues, lack of parking
Woodside is looking to update its Town Center Area Plan, which was originally adopted in 1970 and most recently amended in 1988. The town issued a request for proposals in December 2024 seeking an urban planning firm to conduct an update to the plan.
While focusing on the current RHNA Cycle 6 of the housing element, the town also needs to be proactive about Cycle 7, said Dombkowski. With an expectation that the cycle between 2031-39 will continue to demand higher housing density, the town will be exploring “growing from the center out” rather than continuing with targeted density approaches in select neighborhoods.
“We also want a vibrant Town Center that addresses the evolving needs of the community’s commercial center, as well as addressing the need for adequate parking and circulation in the community,” said Dombkowski. “We need to do that with the broad support of the property owners and community, by providing a long-term vision for the future of Woodside.”
The town will be looking at how they can build housing along Woodside’s commercial corridor. Dombkowski adds that this plan is getting the town ready for the next decade of growth and demand in housing.
The Town Center also struggles with a lack of parking and traffic at Cañada Corners. With the approval of the Cañada Corners project in early December 2024, Dombkowski believes these issues will be resolved and improve safety and access for residents as well.
“It’ll move the town forward in a way that honors the spirit of the citizen-led ballot [Measure A] as well as ultimately supports a small but vibrant and healthy business community,” he added.
Merge with Portola Valley?
As the neighboring town of Portola Valley works its way through a financial crisis and staffing shortage, Woodside is surprised to see a town so similar going through such a difficult time.
Both towns share the Woodside Fire Protection District’s services, San Mateo County Sheriff’s coverage, waste management, equestrian culture and ethos on preserving open space.
“I know the idea to merge Portola Valley is a concept that’s been put out there by many but without significant financial incentives from the county and the state, I can’t imagine the citizens of either town being too enthusiastic about all the economic efficiencies and benefits relative to the perception of their lost identity as a separate community, said Dombkowski.
If residents are able to overcome the initial reaction about a merger and see the strength that both communities can bring to get more services for less cost, Dombkowski said it might be worth exploring a merger between the two towns.
Challenges in the new year
2025 is going to be busy as the town faces big transitions, but with “council engagement and the support of the community,” Domkowski believes that Woodside will make significant progress moving forward.
Seeing the results of the devastating fires in Southern California, Dombkowski pointed out that fire resiliency and home insurance are primary concerns in towns like Woodside.
He encourages residents to participate in the towns’ Defensible Space Program which reimburses residents up to 50% of any costs to create defensible space and home hardening, up to a maximum of $3,000.
“We’re all in this together, and those are the happiest checks that we write every month at Town Hall on the fire prevention front,” Dombkowski said.
The town also is continuously working toward addressing traffic, safety, infrastructure and supporting its equestrian heritage, he added.
