San Mateo City Council
February 23, 2026

Draft Community Engagement and
Outreach Plan
San Mateo Zoning Code Update

City of San Mateo
February 2026

Prepared by:

City of San Mateo
330 West 20th Avenue
San Mateo, California 94403
Contact: Sung H. Kwon,
Deputy Community Development Director
650.522.7212
[email protected]
www.cityofsanmateo.org
With assistance from:

PlaceWorks
2040 Bancroft Way, Suite 400
Berkeley, California 94704
510.848.3815
www.placeworks.com

SAN MATEO ZONING CODE UPDATE

CITY OF SAN MATEO

DRAFT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH PLAN
1 A. Introduction
This Community Engagement and Outreach Plan (the Outreach Plan) describes tools and strategies to solicit input from the San Mateo community on updates to the Zoning Code.

Strive San Mateo continues its transformative work with a comprehensive update to the City’s Zoning Code (Title 27). The update will align the Zoning Code with the long-term vision in the adopted General Plan 2040, creating a clearer, more intuitive framework to support mixed-use development, economic development, environmental justice, and sustainability.

General Plan 2040 guides decisions about zoning, development, and other land use or regulatory matters, and is built around goals, policies, and actions that must be implemented to achieve the community’s vision for the future. Preparation of the General Plan included extensive community outreach and engagement. The City of San Mateo (City) held or participated in over 80 community meetings to discuss the General Plan with residents, community advocates, stakeholders, and public officials. Input and direction from the public and City Council were incorporated into each component of the General Plan. Community input also resulted in changes needed to the Zoning Code to reflect the updated General Plan Land Use Map and other policy directions. Implementing General Plan 2040 is a significant focus of the comprehensive Zoning Code update.

This Outreach Plan serves as a guide for engaging key stakeholders, community, the Planning Commission, and the City Council as part of the Zoning Code update. Table 1 provides an overview of the outreach approach, with the steps that comprise the Zoning Code update process and specific outreach objectives, activities, and target groups for each step. A brief discussion of engagement for the main target groups follows the table. The Outreach Plan is a “living document” that may be modified over the course of the work program.

SAN MATEO ZONI N G CODE UPDATE

CITY OF SAN MATEO

DRAFT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH PLAN
2 TABLE 1: ZONING CODE UPDATE PROCESS AND OUTREACH TIMELINE

PHASE ZONING CODE ASSESSMENT AND EARLY

AMENDMENTS

DRAFTING ZONING CODE PUBLIC REVIEW ADOPTION
TIMING QUARTER 3 2025 TO QUARTER 4 2025 QUARTER 1 2026 TO QUARTER 3 2026 QUARTER 3 2026 QUARTER 1 2027 Steps  Adoption of high-density zoning district amendments  Zoning Code analysis and assessment of existing Title 27  Prepare Administrative Draft Zoning Code
 Prepare Public Draft Zoning Code
 Public review of Zoning Code updates  Zoning Code adoption Focus of Outreach  Raise awareness of Zoning Code update process, purpose, and progress
 Seek feedback from key stakeholders on key issues for Zoning Code update
 Seek initial community input on key issues for the
Zoning Code update
 Publicize opportunities for public involvement and
input
 Educate on proposed significant changes to Zoning
Code
 Solicit substantive comments on draft Zoning Code
 Communicate how comments were incorporated
 Facilitate adoption of final Zoning Code
Outreach Activities  StriveSanMateo.org updates (QR code to this website available at every outreach event)
 Article in City newsletter
 Informational flyer and posting at City facilities
(coordinated with Historic Policy outreach)
 Eblast announcement(s)
 Social media posts
 Editorial meetings (Daily Journal, Business Times)*
 A-Frame (Caltrain Stations, Ped-mall, Hillsdale)*
 Banners (movie theater, El Camino)*
 Media calendar/press release*
 Stakeholder input
o 1:1 interviews
o Small-group meetings (including chambers)
o Online surveys (2)
 Preparation of Materials for Planning Commission and
City Council hearings on high-density zoning district
amendments including a survey slide for City Clerk to
share before PC and Council meeting.
 Planning Commission hearing on high-density zoning
district amendments (1)
 City Council adoption hearing for high-density zoning district amendments (1)
 StriveSanMateo.org updates(QR code to this
website available at every outreach event)
 Article in City newsletter
 Informational flyer and posting at City facilities
(coordinated with Historic Policy outreach)
 Eblast announcement(s)
 Social media posts
 Editorial meetings (Daily Journal, Business Times)*
 A-Frame (Caltrain Stations, Ped-mall, Hillsdale)*
 Banners (movie theater, El Camino)*
 Media calendar/press release*
 Stakeholder input
o 1:1 interviews
o Small-group meetings (including chambers)
o Online surveys (2)
 Virtual Town Hall – introduction of ZO Update, key
issues (high-density zoning standards), schedules,
and General Plan consistency
 Public noticing to property owners with proposed
Zoning Code changes*
 Planning Commission Study Session (2)
 City Council Study Session (1)
 StriveSanMateo.org updates (QR code to this
website available at every outreach event)
 Citywide Mailer
 Outreach flyer and posting at City facilities
(coordinated with Historic Policy outreach)
 Eblast announcement(s)
 Social media posts
 Editorial meetings (Daily Journal, Business Times)*
 A-Frame (Caltrain Stations, Ped-mall, Hillsdale)*
 Banners (movie theater, El Camino)*
 Media calendar/press release*
 Online Survey(1) - Create a survey slide for City
Clerk to share before PC and Council meeting
 Hybrid neighborhood meetings – draft zoning
ordinances (key active neighborhoods)
 Planning Commission Study Session (1)
 City Council Study Session (1)
 StriveSanMateo.org updates (QR code to this
website available at every outreach event)
 Eblast announcement(s)
 Social media posts
 Editorial meetings (Daily Journal, Business Times)*
 A-Frame (Caltrain Stations, Ped-mall, Hillsdale)*
Banners (movie theater, El Camino)*
 Outreach flyer and posting at City facilities
 Planning Commission hearing(s) (up to 2)
 City Council adoption hearing(s) (up to 3)
Target Groups
Public ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Key Stakeholders ✔ ✔ ✔
Property Owners with
Proposed Zoning Changes ✔ ✔ ✔
Planning Commission ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
City Council ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Note: Quarters are defined as: Quarter 1 = January through March; Quarter 2 = April through June; Quarter 3 = July through September; Quarter 4 = October through December. *An asterisk indicates potential City led outreach items that staff may pursue depending on timing and needs of the project.

SAN MATEO ZONI N G CODE UPDATE

CITY OF SAN MATEO

DRAFT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH PLAN
3 B. Target Groups
San Mateo Community
Engagement with the public will include up to two community meetings held virtually and two in-person community meetings to facilitate participation from residents and other members of the public. The focus of the meeting is educating the public on what is regulated in the Zoning Code, the proposed significant changes to the Zoning Code, with information provided on how the changes reflect planning priorities the public identified during the General Plan update process.

The project team will publish the virtual community meeting and other opportunities for public involvement and input via eblast announcements, StriveSanMateo.org updates, social media, flyers, eblasts, and notification through a citywide mailer.

Key Stakeholders
The Zoning Code is a very detailed and technical document. Some important changes will be nuanced and complex to discuss. One outreach channel will focus on key stakeholders who are frequent users of the current code, informed about its challenges, and have worked with other codes in other jurisdictions.

Potential key stakeholders include:
 “Expert Users” (e.g., applicants and property owners familiar with the c ode and the City’s regulations and processes)
 Chamber of Commerce
 Affordable Housing Developers
 Market-Rate Housing Developers
 Commercial, Office, and/or Mixed-Use Developers
 Housing Advocates
 Industrial Users (?)
 Real Estate Agents
 Business Owners
 Other community-based organization representatives
 Property owners particularly in key areas of change for the zoning map  Residents in areas where a zoning code policy change could have a particular effect

SAN MATEO ZONI N G CODE UPDATE

CITY OF SAN MATEO

DRAFT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH PLAN
4 Engagement with key stakeholders could include targeted discussions regarding development standards (e.g., residential development standards), allowed land uses and standards for certain uses, and permit processing requirements. Some stakeholder input may be most effectively gathered in one-on-one interviews. Developers, for example, are likely to be more forthcoming on a one-on-one basis rather than in a room with their competitors. However, there will be opportunities to provide updates to the development community at the City’s quarterly developer round table meetings.

Online surveys or email questionnaires may be used as initial contact to help narrow the topics or options for discussion, or as follow-up to refine or clarify content that has already been discussed.

It is expected the stakeholder meetings and interviews will be by invitation and not open to the public to provide a venue for candid input on certain topics in a focused setting.

PlaceWorks will prepare the following material:
 Draft email invitations for City staff to send to invitees  Meeting agendas
 Discussion questions
PlaceWorks will facilitate the small group meetings and conduct the one-on-one interviews which may use the same discussion questions as the small group meetings. City staff are welcome to attend these meetings. The scope of work includes a total of 12 stakeholder meetings and/or one-on-one interviews. PlaceWorks anticipates these meetings will occur during the Zoning Code Assessment and Drafting Zoning Code phases as shown in Table 1.

Property Owners with Proposed Zoning Changes
General Plan 2040 changed land use designations on many parcels in the 10 study areas.

This will result in the need for zoning changes to bring zoning designations into consistency with the General Plan. The Zoning Code update team is currently completing an analysis to identify specific parcels that will need zoning changes and the appropriate new zoning designation. Once that analysis is completed, the team will consider the most effective way to contact all property owners affected by zoning designation updates. In addition, targeted focus groups with certain areas where there are more property owners impacted by the proposed changes for consistency are an option for outreach surrounding the proposed zoning changes.

SAN MATEO ZONI N G CODE UPDATE

CITY OF SAN MATEO

DRAFT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH PLAN
5 Planning Commission and City Council
Engagement with the Planning Commission and City Council could include one-on-one briefings conducted by City staff and public study sessions. The scope of work includes five total Planning Commission or City Council study sessions.

For the first City Council study session, the project team will provide a project overview and present the proposed outreach plan, general organization of the new Zoning Code, and approach to Specific Plans. Potential topics for subsequent meetings are listed below.

All Planning Commission and City Council discussions will lead with explanations of how the City is implementing the Zoning Code in the adopted General Plan 2040 and responding to the input received during the General Plan update process.

POTENTIAL ENGAGEMENT TOPICS
 Initial input on the key issues the code update should tackle  Findings from best practices tasks
o Best practice/key issue “deep dives” into six to eight particularly complex or challenging topics, such as building height, shared and unbundled parking, use classifications for current and future uses, or bird-safe regulations. o Metropolitan Transportation Commission Transit-Oriented Communities Policy compliance
 Proposed changes to the structure/organization of Title 27  Input on the Public Draft Zoning Code
 Report on input received from stakeholders and the public at each study session