Millbrae council adopts five‑year Age‑Friendly Action Plan to expand services, safety and outreach for older residents

Millbrae — The City Council unanimously adopted a five‑year Age‑Friendly Action Plan on Tuesday that lays out set of community-informed priorities and potential projects to help older residents age in place and remain engaged.

The plan, prepared by the Center for Age Friendly Excellence (CAFE) with local volunteers and the Millbrae Senior Advisory Committee, synthesizes outreach including three focus-group series, a citywide AARP survey and staff interviews. The plan presents needs, strategies and potential projects organized around the World Health Organization’s eight age-friendly domains — outdoor spaces and buildings; transportation; housing; social participation; communication and information; respect and social inclusion; civic participation and employment; and community support and health services — and a ninth domain added by consultants covering emergency preparedness.

Key recommendations and pilots

Consultants and staff highlighted several near-term projects: a city electronic newsletter and a seniors/disabled registry to help with emergency communication; pedestrian safety audits led by older-adult volunteers to identify sidewalks and crosswalks for improvements; additional targeted lighting at intersections used by seniors; pilot transit options or partnerships to reduce transportation barriers for residents west of the hills; and expanded intergenerational programming to connect the youth advisory and the senior advisory committees.

Cynthia Nakayama of CAFE described the plan as a living roadmap that the city can refine and prioritize. “The action plan is a living document,” she said, noting the plan includes a large appendix of potential projects and an implementation menu for staff and community leaders. Consultants said many recommendations are low-cost or can be phased over several years and emphasized multilingual communications and accessible print materials for non‑English speakers.

Council action and next steps

The council voted 5-0 to adopt the plan. Councilmembers praised the senior advisory committee, City staff and the community volunteers who conducted outreach and called for a follow-up report detailing staffing and budget implications for high-priority items. City staff said they would produce a short fact sheet and begin prioritizing projects with the senior advisory committee and other partners.

Topics: seniors, aging-in-place, public-health, transportation

Speakers: Cynthia Nakayama and Anne O’Brien (Center for Age Friendly Excellence), Hannah Moran (Recreation Director).