San Mateo County outlines options, funding and March 19 deadline for Park Road and Eighteenth Avenue reconstruction

County of San Mateo Department of Public Works staff on the Park Road and Eighteenth Avenue project described reconstruction options, drainage design constraints, funding limits and the property-owner survey process during a public meeting for North Fair Oaks residents.

Carter Choi, principal civil engineer, said property owners received mailed surveys and reminded residents that surveys are due back to the county by Wednesday, March 19. "If none of the option receives at least 50% of the votes, the default option will be option to reconstruct 33 feet of pavement with 2 foot wide curb and gutters," Choi said for Park Road; he said the default for Eighteenth Avenue would be the 18-foot pavement with 6-inch concrete band option if no choice reaches 50%.

Why it matters: The chosen options affect curb/valley-gutter widths, driveway transitions and who must pay for work behind new curbs. The county said its available funds (SB 1 and roadway mitigation funds) cover roadway reconstruction and minor concrete but not landscaping, shoulder or private driveway work. Residents raised concerns that similar-sized options split votes and could produce an outcome that neither majority prefers.

Project scope and choices Park Road (Area 2) owners were offered three options: maintain as-is; reconstruct with 33 feet of pavement and 2-foot curb and gutters (option 2); or reconstruct with 37 feet of pavement and 2-foot curb and gutters (option 3). Choi explained the county pays for the minimum roadway and curb-and-gutter improvements; "property owners are responsible for the cost of driveway construction that is beyond the back of curb." He also said the typical existing curb-to-curb width on Park Road is approximately 38 to 40 feet.

Eighteenth Avenue (Area 1) owners were offered five options: maintain as-is; repair and resurface; reconstruct with an 18-foot pavement plus a 6-inch concrete band (option 3); or reconstruct with an 18-foot pavement plus 2-foot or 3-foot valley gutters (options 4 and 5). The county said surveys are tallied by front footage from assessor maps and that a missing survey is counted as a vote to maintain as-is.

Drainage and green infrastructure County staff said neither road has a complete underground storm drain system and that localized ponding occurs at low shoulder points. For reconstruction options that include curb or valley gutters, designs would generally include subsurface infiltration galleries where feasible. Choi and staff noted these systems "are intended to treat a small storm" and "should not be expected to fix all the drainage issues in the area," but they help convey and infiltrate runoff.

Funding, utilities and timing Choi said the county will use SB 1 and roadway mitigation funds for roadway reconstruction, curb/valley gutters and minor concrete work, and that these funds cannot be used for landscaping, shoulder work or private driveway reconstruction. He told homeowners to coordinate sanitary sewer lateral work ahead of construction, because the county will impose a two-year moratorium on non-emergency utility permits after construction: "there will be a 2 year moratorium in place. So that means no utility work will be approved unless it's, considered an emergency." The county expects to review survey results in March, complete design in spring, advertise and bid in summer, and begin construction in late summer or fall, subject to weather and utility coordination.

Resident concerns and county response Residents asked whether corner parcels receive multiple surveys, how vacant parcels are counted, whether ballots can be changed after submission, and what happens when neighboring property owners split between similar options. Alex Zhang, senior civil engineer, said a small section of Fair Oaks will be handled as a default valley-gutter treatment "similar to what we did on, near Sixteenth Avenue." Anne Stillman, director of public works, said, "the surveys were sent sent to the property owners of record. So whether a parcel is developed or not, the property owners would have received a survey. So I mean, and that that is our process." Several residents urged follow-up if tallies come close but no option reaches 50%; Marla said the current method may produce results that do not reflect a block's combined preference: "we could end up with a situation where ... we'll end up with the default option because neither hits the 50% threshold." County staff recommended neighbors discuss preferences and return surveys by the March 19 deadline; staff also said they can address individual requests on a case-by-case basis before the deadline.

What remains unresolved Residents seeking a runoff, ranked-choice ballots or retroactive changes said the mailed survey process can leave some blocks split despite clear combined preferences. Staff said they will tally ballots after March 19 and notify residents of results in a few weeks and that issues raised individually can be addressed by emailing the project team before the deadline.

Ending The county said the presentation and meeting recording will be posted on the project web page and encouraged property owners to review field markings in person, talk with neighbors and submit surveys by March 19 to record their frontage-weighted preference.