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Membership on Woodside’s Citizen Advisory Committee for its Town Center Area Plan has been finalized — one step forward in its progress to update its plan in a year-long process.
During a Town Council meeting on July 8, council members voted to approve the final appointment of 20 members who will serve on the committee.
During a June council meeting, some residents complained after a predetermined list of members for the CAC was presented as a recommendation to the council. The list included current chairs to the Planning Commission, Architectural and Site Review Board, Circulation Committee, Trails Committee and Environment and Open Space Committee.
After various people nominated themselves to the CAC during public comment, the council decided to open applications for property owners to represent the town’s five districts on the CAC. According to the staff report, the town received 18 applications and considered 19 candidates, including one individual who expressed verbal interest.
Woodside is collaborating with a consultant team from Good City Company, a Redwood City-based local government and land use consulting firm. The Good City team will be leading and facilitating the CAC meetings with the town manager and staff in attendance.
The final list of committee members with the addition of eight property owners was approved in a 4-1 vote with Councilmember Dick Brown opposing the list.
The 18 CAC members include a mix of Woodside property owners and current town committee members:
- District 1 – Julie Sequeira and Carly Rivera
- District 2- Vanessa Johnson, Sue Poletti and Steve Lubin
- District 3- Daniel Druker
- District 4- Steve Patrick
- District 5- Caroline New
- Town committee members include Lee Ann Gilbert, Richard Ersted, Patricia Del Gavio, Christine Roberts, Lyle Weaver, Matt Garr, Don Lindsay, Ehsan Farkhondeh, Barry Kuhl and Sue Sweeney.
Next steps for update
The CAC will likely hold its first meeting in mid-August, according to Good City Principal Planner Troy Reinhalter. All committee meetings are open to the public and will be held at Independence Hall. The meeting will push the town forward into phase two of the project.
During this next phase, the community will begin to see an increase in community engagement efforts hosted by Good City. Residents may see the consultant team and town staff at local events, such as farmers markets. Phase two is focused on visioning what Woodside wants to get out of the Town Center, said Reinhalter.
The town will be using these opportunities to connect with the people of Woodside and hear directly from the community about how they can improve Town Center. This segment of the project will be ongoing throughout July through December.
Good City Company will also be hosting formal workshops that invite members of the public to ask questions and provide feedback to the team. These agendized meetings will be facilitated by Good City consultants and town staff and will be held in local community spaces. Residents can expect to receive more information on these workshops closer to the dates they will occur.
“Our team of professional planners and experts come in from the outside, without bias and without attachment,” said Reinhalter. He added that he hopes Good City’s position as a neutral party will help provide unbiased assessments of the Town Center Plan and effectively sift through viable ideas the town can implement.
Woodside previously had a failed attempt at updating the Town Center Area Plan in 2013 after the Town Center Area Plan Task Force presented the council with controversial ideas, including a multi-story parking garage, rearrangement of traffic lanes and housing in Town Center. Since the Task Force was shut down by the council, the town had not initiated an update to the plan until now.
By acknowledging past mistakes, Good City is committed to a more organized and transparent process this time around. Reinhalter said this is why they are focused on increased community engagement opportunities and to involve the town’s residents as much as possible.
For the latest information on the Town Center Area Plan project visit woodsideca.gov/485/Town-Center-Area-Plan-Update.
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