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San Carlos proposes $164M five‑year CIP; sewer capacity, street resurfacing and downtown/Holly‑101 projects top the list
Summary
Staff presented a proposed five‑year Capital Improvement Program totaling about $164 million, led by wastewater capacity and ongoing street resurfacing; council pressed staff on timing, unfunded priorities and grant leverage.
San Carlos staff on April 29 unveiled a proposed five‑year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) that would spend roughly $164 million from FY2025 through FY2030 across sewer, streets, general capital, childcare and parks funds.
Paul Harris, the city’s financial services manager, said the largest single fund planned is the wastewater fund (about $60 million) including ongoing rehabilitation programs, an increased capacity improvement program (now proposed at $12.5 million over five years with $5.5 million needed in the near term) and specific projects such as a Shoreway Road main sewer replacement (new $3 million request for construction). Harris also noted equipment requests tied to operations: a replacement combination sewer truck ($900,000) and a SCADA pump‑station control system refresh ($450,000).
On streets, the gas‑tax fund proposal includes a multi‑year resurfacing program ($39.5 million over five years) intended to raise San Carlos’ Pavement Condition Index (PCI) from about 57 to 65. Staff also recommended boosting annual sidewalk replacement funding from $180,000 to $300,000 to reduce backlog in the city’s sidewalk repair program. Paul Harris said an estimated additional $30 million over five years would be required to bring the city’s streets into an “excellent” PCI bracket.
The general capital fund contains project requests for storm‑drain improvements, Britain Avenue sidewalk work, and a new Safe Routes to School series (Clifford Street, Mariposa/Tierra Linda, Britain Acres, Phelps Road among proposed projects). The transportation program includes a placeholder for Holly Street/US‑101 interchange improvements (staff requested $5 million in both FY26 and FY27 as local match placeholders while pursuing SMCTA/US DOT grants) and a phased traffic signal master plan implementation and fiber project to connect signal controllers.
Staff emphasized that many CIP items will rely on grant leverage and the timing of development receipts. Paul Harris said the city has an unfunded project list of roughly $367 million (citywide backlog after this cycle) and added about $28 million in projects to the unfunded list during this process to preserve a balanced five‑year plan.
Council members and staff discussed several priorities and timing questions. Council asked staff to reconsider the timing of North Crestview Park and to return with options that might preserve that park’s place on the schedule. Belmont‑led multi‑jurisdictional projects, such as the Four Corners intersection improvements, generated repeated questions about whether San Carlos should advance design funds on its own while Belmont completes its part of the design.
Next steps: staff will include council direction when finalizing the CIP for adoption and will return with updated cash‑flow and funding options, detailed grant match plans, and midcycle opportunities to bring unfunded projects forward if revenues or grant awards change.
