Planning commission recommends rezoning, general‑plan amendment for MidPen water site at 1510 Folger Drive

The Belmont Planning Commission on April 15, 2025 voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council rezone 1510 Folger Drive (APNs 044‑352‑050 and 044‑353‑080) from R1B (single‑family residential) to Public and Semi‑Public (PS) and amend the general plan land‑use designation from Residential Low Density to Public/Community Facilities (PCF). The commission’s two separate recommendations—one for the zoning map and one for the general plan map—both passed 5‑0 and will be forwarded to the City Council for final action.

City staff said the rezone and plan‑map amendment would align the property’s regulatory status with its current and planned use by the local water utility, described in the record as Community Peninsula Water District (also referenced historically as Belmont Water District) or MidPen. Staff explained the action is a legislative, phase‑1 step: it changes land‑use and zoning designations so the utility can later pursue…