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Final Engagement Summary
Overview
The City of San Mateo initiated the Historic Policy Update Effort, including an updated Historic Preservation Ordinance and new Citywide Historic Context Statement. in response to City Council prioritization and to implement General Plan 2040. To inform this work, the City developed an Outreach and Engagement Strategy focused on multiple entry points for community participation and offering a range of opportunities for residents, organizations, and interested parties to share input and perspectives that inform the update process. Throughout the engagement process, community members shared their views of the future of historic preservation in San Mateo and identified places and themes that hold historical and cultural interest.
The project started in February 2025, with major outreach activities initiated in the summer, and extended through March 2026. Over the course of the project, the project team conducted two City Council Study Sessions, four focus groups, two community workshops, online outreach, and three mobile workshops. The project followed the timeline below, conducting engagement across all phases of the project.
In addition to defined engagement events, the City received numerous emails and comments from community members, demonstrating San Mateo’s interest and investment in shaping the future of historic preservation.
Summary of Participation and Activities
The City implemented a multi-faceted strategy that combined digital communications, printed materials, and in-person events to raise awareness and invite participation in the project. The approach emphasized accessibility and visibility by creating multiple entry points for residents, stakeholders, and organizations to learn about the project and share their input.
Participant Identification and Outreach Methods
Participants were reached through a blend of targeted outreach and citywide communications:
Targeted invitations for workshops and website participation were sent to members of neighborhood associations, local preservation advocates and those cautious about preservation, cultural organizations, and prior participants in planning and preservation efforts.
Broader community participation was encouraged through general City communications including e-blasts, newsletters, and social media posts.
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2 Mobile workshop pop-up locations were strategically selected to engage residents from different parts of the city and to reach people who might not typically participate in formal meetings.
Community Engagement Activities
The City held several opportunities for direct community participation:
Two City Council Study Sessions
Four virtual focus groups with targeted stakeholder audiences. A fifth focus group was scheduled, but the stakeholders did not attend due to unknown reasons. Two virtual community workshops open to all residents
Three in-person mobile workshops held at community events and public spaces A Digital Time Capsule, an online interactive platform to collect stories and historic information from the community
These activities built momentum across engagement phases, beginning with focused discussions among key stakeholders, followed by broader community engagement through workshop events.
Outreach and Communications
To sustain visibility throughout the engagement period, the project team coordinated a range of digital and physical outreach tools, including:
Three project e-blasts distributed through City email lists Three e-blasts announcing the release of draft documents for review and promoting the draft review workshop
Creation of a project webpage on the City’s website
Draft documents uploaded to the project webpage
Two City newsletter features highlighting project milestones Three social media posts through City channels
A project postcard promoting the Digital Time Capsule – provided in English/Chinese/Spanish A project fact sheet summarizing background and goals – provided in English/Chinese/Spanish
A workshop flyer advertising the first community workshop – provided in English/Chinese/Spanish
A workshop flyer advertising the draft review workshop – provided in English/Chinese/Spanish Installation of collateral materials and information boards in four static locations throughout the city, including City Hall, the Main Library, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, and the Senior Center
Distribution of flyers and postcards at the Central Recreation Center and three Movies in the Park events
Project updates provided by City Staff at four neighborhood meetings: San Mateo Park Homeowners Association, Glazenwood Homeowners Association, Baywood Homeowners Association, and Homeowners Association of North Central San Mateo.
Table 1 provides a summary of the events held thus far and the estimated number of participants.
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3 Table 1: Engagement Activity Metrics
Activity Type Date (s) Time Estimated
Participants
Notes (Target
Audience/Method)
City Council Study
Session #1
June 2, 2025 5:30-7pm 171 City Council; introduced
effort
City Council Study
Session #2
January 26, 2026 7-8pm 302 City Council; review of
drafts
Focus Group #1 July 8, 2025 12-1pm 4 Residents cautious of preservation efforts
(including Less Red Tape
members)
Focus Group #2 July 16, 2025 5-6pm 5 Residents supportive of preservation (including San
Mateo Heritage Alliance
members)
Focus Group #3 December 11, 2025 12-1pm 8 Business owners and members of the
development community
Focus Group #4 February 20, 2026 5-6pm 3 Youth Activities Commission members
Focus Group #5 March 3, 2026 12-1pm 03 Underrepresented Residents
Community Workshop
#1: Preservation and
Regulation 101
July 28, 2025 6-8pm 42 Broad community
Community Workshop
#2: Draft Review Session
January 21, 2026 6:30-8:30pm 46 Broad community
Mobile Workshop #1 September 18, 2025 6-8pm 50 September Nights on B Street
Mobile Workshop #2 September 25, 2025 2-4pm 25 Chavez Supermarket Mobile Workshop #3 October 7, 2025 3-6pm 20 Hacienda Farmers Market Total 250
Note: There were overlapping participants in the focus groups and workshops. 1 Number reflects total speakers; additional individuals attended but did not speak. 2 Number reflects total speakers; additional individuals attended but did not speak. 3 RSVPs did not attend; a questionnaire was distributed in lieu of the focus group.
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3 Rincon Consultants
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4 Comparison to Outreach & Engagement Strategy Goals
The Outreach and Engagement Strategy established participation goals of:
Reaching at least 20 attendees per workshop
Collecting 50 Digital Time Capsule contributions
Engaging 8-10 participants per focus group
Expanding email sign up list from a baseline of 36 subscribers by 10% The project exceeded its goals for community workshops, reaching approximately 183 residents through two virtual community workshops and three mobile workshop events. Pivoting from a second traditional workshop to a series of mobile workshops proved effective in diversifying the voices heard in this round of engagement.
The project’s email list grew from 36 to 178 subscribers, far surpassing the growth target and demonstrating strong interest in staying informed as the project advances. To date, the Digital Time Capsule has received 11 community posts and 13 reactions, marking early but meaningful online participation. The first two focus groups were intentionally smaller in scale, providing opportunities for key stakeholder groups, including representatives from Less Red Tape and the San Mateo Heritage Alliance, to share their perspectives directly. The third focus group reached its goal of engaging at least 8 members involved in the business and development community. The fourth focus group engaged with 3 members of the Youth Activities Commission, allowing for in-depth and meaningful conversation with youth from San Mateo. The fifth focus group was intended for members of underrepresented communities. The project team initially connected with these individuals through faith leaders and other community leaders, however, due to unknown reasons, no participants were able to attend.
Following the scheduled session, the project team distributed an adapted questionnaire in English and Spanish to the invited participants; however, no responses have been received as of March 2026.
Activities Overview
The engagement program included a mix of focus groups, community workshops, mobile workshops, and digital engagement. Each activity was designed to gather input on key themes while ensuring that participation opportunities were accessible, inclusive, and interactive.
Focus Groups
The City hosted two virtual focus groups in July 2025 with residents representing different viewpoints and experiences related to historic preservation in San Mateo. The City hosted a third virtual focus group in December 2025 with members of the business and development community. In February 2026, the City hosted a fourth virtual focus group with representatives from the Youth Activities Commission and scheduled a fifth with members of underrepresented communities. Due to lack of attendance at the fifth focus session, the project team transitioned to a survey format that invited participants could complete on their own time. Each virtual focus group session lasted approximately one hour and was facilitated by the consultant team with support from City staff. Discussions were recorded for note-taking purposes only and analyzed thematically to identify shared concerns, priorities, and ideas. The full analysis for each focus group is attached to this report as Appendix A, with summaries provided below.
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5 Focus Group #1: Residents Cautious of Preservation Efforts Participants, primarily from or interested in the Baywood neighborhood, discussed concerns about the fairness and transparency of historic designation processes and their impact on property rights. They Rincon Consultants
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5 emphasized the need for owner consent, clear and objective design standards, and predictable procedures for evaluating historic resources.
While participants expressed frustration with perceived inconsistencies and costs of compliance with historic preservation regulations, they also supported developing a Historic Context Statement so long as it could not be used to justify new designations without consent. The discussion highlighted the importance of education and communication to promote public confidence in the process and ultimate project deliverables.
Key Takeaways:
Desire for transparency, owner consent, and local control Concern about financial and procedural burdens
Conditional support for a context statement focused on education, not regulation Focus Group #2: Residents Supportive of Preservation
This group emphasized the importance of preservation in maintaining San Mateo’s character and identity. Participants called for stronger implementation tools, professional oversight, and clearer design compatibility standards to ensure consistency between planning and building review.
They also encouraged a more inclusive approach to preservation that recognizes cultural and social histories, as well as opportunities to align preservation with housing, sustainability, and equity goals through adaptive reuse and education.
Key Takeaways:
Preservation seen as essential to community identity
Need for stronger tools, standards, and professional oversight Support for inclusive, educational, and adaptive approaches Focus Group #3: Business/Development Community
Participants stressed the need for clear, practical guidance and flexibility in the ordinance to avoid stifling development. They expressed concerns about economic and business viability due to uncertainty and rigid rules that can make projects financially unfeasible.
They also called for updates to plans and surveys to reflect current architectural trends and economic conditions while still honoring historic character. Additionally, participants noted that overlapping planning documents create friction and lack clarity, and they expressed a strong desire for an integrated, unified regulatory framework.
Key Takeaways:
Need for flexibility and clear, practical guidance in the ordinance Preservation of cultural identity while encouraging creative modernization Establish a clear hierarchy among the Historic Preservation Ordinance, Downtown Specific Plan, and other zoning codes
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6 Focus Group #4: Youth
Youth participants framed historic preservation primarily in terms of maintaining neighborhood and community identity, cultural character, and the “spirit” of San Mateo rather than focusing only on architecture. They emphasized the importance of balancing preservation with housing needs, walkability, and access to everyday amenities. Participants generally supported thoughtful, context- sensitive development, while expressing concerns about displacement and fairness to existing homeowners. They also highlighted the importance of ensuring that new development blends with neighborhood character and that historic resources remain meaningful and accessible to the community.
Key Takeaways:
Preservation should protect neighborhood identity, cultural character, and community “spirit” to benefit the whole community
Support for balanced, context-sensitive growth that increases housing and walkability Importance of fairness to homeowners and avoiding displacement Interest in ensuring new development blends with existing neighborhood character Overall Observations
Together, the focus groups reflect a spectrum of perspectives, from those seeking flexibility and property rights protection to those prioritizing stronger safeguards for historic resources and inclusiveness to ensure the context statement reflects San Mateo’s diverse communities. All groups underscored the need for clarity, transparency, and education. This reinforces the City’s goal of developing balanced policies that protect community character while maintaining fairness and trust.
Community Workshops
Preservation and Regulation 101
The first community workshop, Preservation and Regulation 101, introduced residents to the City’s Historic Policy Update process and built a shared foundation for future discussions. The virtual event aimed to educate participants on key preservation concepts, including historic context statements, ordinance structure, and the relationship between preservation and development, while collecting early feedback on community priorities. Spanish interpretation was available during the meeting.
The session combined a presentation on preservation laws and local regulations with three interactive activities designed to encourage reflection and discussion. The activities are summarized below, with compiled contributions available in Appendix B.
Warm Up: I Can’t Imagine San Mateo Without…
Participants began by sharing short reflections on what defines San Mateo’s character and what aspects of the city they most value. Common responses included references to beautiful neighborhoods, Central Park, trees, and the diverse community and historical figures of San Mateo.
Participants highlighted beloved places such as the Japanese Tea Garden, the Benjamin Franklin Hotel, and the Downtown Historic District.
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7 Digital Time Capsule: People, Places, and Events
The next activity invited participants to identify people, places, and events they believe future generations should remember about San Mateo. Submissions highlighted well-known local institutions such as San Mateo’s schools, Talbot’s Toys, and Draeger’s Market, as well as community figures like Claire Mack, Tom Brady, and members of the city’s Japanese community. Participants also highlighted beloved everyday places that hold personal or collective meaning, including the Central Library, Downtown San Mateo Post Office, B Street, and Bay Meadows. The exercise linked historical storytelling with the technical goals of the context statement, which include highlighting patterns of development, centralizing historical information, providing a consistent framework for evaluating a property, and offering a more robust picture of San Mateo’s history -- capturing the city’s lived experience alongside its architectural heritage.
Preservation Priorities Exercise
In small breakout groups, participants discussed four key themes shaping preservation policy:
flexibility for homeowners, protection of historic landmarks, cultural equity and representation, and transparency and predictability. Using a “Preservation Dollars” framework, groups were asked to allocate limited resources across these priorities, sparking discussion about trade-offs and shared values. Most groups emphasized transparency and predictability as their top priority, followed closely by protection of historic landmarks and cultural representation. The activity revealed broad community interest in clearer processes and more inclusive recognition of San Mateo’s heritage.
Participation and Outcomes
Approximately 42 residents attended the workshop, representing a range of neighborhoods and interests. An exit survey was provided via the virtual platform; however, only seven participants provided responses, limiting the usefulness of the results for a broader analysis of representation. The virtual format also presented challenges: some attendees experienced technical difficulties, and several expressed a preference for a more traditional Q&A format rather than the interactive activities used. We incorporated this feedback into our planning for the second workshop, which led us to shift to a series of in-person mobile workshops designed to provide more direct interaction and opportunities for real-time questions and discussion.
Key takeaways included:
Broad recognition of San Mateo’s cultural and architectural diversity Desire for transparent, consistent, and educational preservation processes Support for inclusive storytelling and representation in the Historic Context Statement Interest in balanced policies that protect heritage while allowing reasonable flexibility for property owners
Full results from group activities and whiteboard outputs are included in Appendix B.
Draft Review Session
The second community workshop, which was held online but did not require participants to be as proficient with Zoom features as the prior workshop, provided participants with an overview of the Draft Historic Context Statement and the Draft Historic Preservation Ordinance, along with multiple opportunities to ask a historic preservation professional and City staff questions about the documents.
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8 The workshop aimed to educate participants about historic context statements and ordinance structure while demystifying the draft materials. The session included presentations on both draft Rincon Consultants
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8 documents, three Q&A segments, and five poll questions designed to gauge participant interest, understanding and reactions. Poll results are summarized below, with detailed results available in Appendix B.
Polls
During the workshop, participants responded to five Zoom polls covering historic preservation preferences and demographic information. The first poll asked participants which City District they live in. About half of the participants lived in District 1, while 13 percent came from Districts 2, 3, and 5 respectively. One participant represented District 4, and five respondents indicated they did not live in San Mateo but were interested in the project.
The second poll asked participants what they prefer the local register to be called. 34 percent of participants did not have a preference, followed by 18 percent who favored the term “Listed Resource.” The third poll asked participants about their views on owner consent thresholds. 41 percent of participants indicated that designation of a Historic District should require a supermajority (three- quarters) of owner consent, followed by 26 percent who indicated that designation should require a simple majority (50% +1).
The fourth poll presented a scenario about a homeowner in a Historic District who wanted to re-roof their house and asked whether a Certificate of Appropriateness would be required based on the information provided. 41 percent of participants answered correctly.
The final poll asked participants what incentives homeowners would find most appealing for locally designated historic properties. 48 percent of respondents indicated support for local grant programs to fund rehabilitation projects.
Participation and Outcomes
Approximately 46 people attended the workshop, representing several City districts as well as individuals outside San Mateo who expressed interest in the project. Participants were highly engaged throughout the session, using chat and raise-hand features to ask questions and share feedback. The strong participation suggests that the shift towards a Q&A-focused format was effective for this audience.
Key takeaways included:
Preference for strong owner consent in Historic District designation Interest in understanding how the proposed ordinance would function in practice Questions about potential impacts to property owners
Mobile Workshops
Following the first community workshop, the City shifted from a virtual meeting format to a series of in-person mobile workshops, sometimes referred to as “pop-ups,” designed to reach residents in familiar, everyday settings. This pivot reflected lessons from early engagement. While the virtual workshop successfully built understanding among those already interested and was available to Rincon Consultants
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9 residents who may not feel safe or comfortable attending a gathering in person, broader participation required meeting people where they are.
The mobile format provided more accessible, casual opportunities for conversation and participation, particularly for residents who may not attend formal meetings or have limited time to engage online.
As shown in Table 1, offering touchpoints at varying times of day helped reach residents with differing schedules. Rather than convening another single event, the City opted for multiple small-scale, in- person touchpoints that collectively expanded reach and visibility across the community.
Activities and Content
Each pop-up featured a set of multilingual (English, Chinese, and Spanish), visually oriented displays introducing the two components of the Historic Policy Update, the Historic Context Statement and the Historic Preservation Ordinance, along with printed postcards with QR codes linking to the project website and Digital Time Capsule. Staff and consultants, including bilingual staff, were present to answer questions, collect input, and provide educational context about the project.
Figure 1. Mobile Workshop Photos
The core activity invited participants to respond to the same “people, places, and events” prompts introduced during the virtual workshop. Using sticky notes, attendees shared the names of individuals, landmarks, and local stories that they felt best represented San Mateo’s heritage. This approach allowed the team to continue building the community narrative started online and identify recurring themes across engagement formats.
Outcomes and Observations
The mobile workshops generated meaningful one-on-one conversations about the City’s history, identity, and preservation goals. Many participants used the opportunity to learn about the broader Historic Policy Update effort and how it connects to housing, land use, and community character policies under other City efforts.
The mobile workshop format proved effective in:
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10 Broadening participation and expanding the project interest list to include residents encountered in public spaces rather than through formal events; Reinforcing education on the City’s preservation framework; and Gathering qualitative feedback that complemented earlier workshop and digital engagement results.
These events demonstrated the value of informal, interactive outreach in maintaining visibility for the project and building trust through direct dialogue. The mobile workshop materials and results are available in Appendix C.
Online Engagement
Digital engagement opportunities ensure that residents can participate in the Historic Policy Update at their own pace and through familiar online platforms. The City’s Project Website and Digital Time Capsule served as the primary interactive tools, inviting community members to sign up for updates and share stories, memories, and reflections about the people, places, and events that define San Mateo’s identity.
As of March 2026, the Digital Time Capsule received 11 posts and 13 reactions, representing a small but insightful sample of community input. The content reflects a wide range of input, from neighborhood landmarks and local businesses to historic photos of families and homes, that will inform the Historic Context Statement.
Figure 2. Screenshot of the Digital Time Capsule
Beyond the Time Capsule, the City maintained a consistent online presence to keep residents informed throughout the process. Project updates were shared through the City’s website, email and print newsletters, and social media channels, helping to build awareness and invite continued participation in upcoming project phases. Together, these tools provided accessible entry points for engagement and helped sustain visibility and transparency between live events.
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11 Figure 3. Excerpt from San Mateo’s October 2025 Community Newsletter Written Public Comments
Over the course of the project, we also received dozens of written comments through the project- specific email address, which reflect a range of perspectives on historic preservation policy. Common themes included the need for transparency, meaningful public engagement, and clear consent requirements for historic designations, alongside concerns about costs, permitting complexity, and CEQA impacts. Other commenters expressed strong support for maintaining existing historic districts and emphasized balancing preservation with housing needs and flexible implementation tools.
Key Takeaways
Community input from the focus groups, workshop, mobile pop-ups, and digital engagement activities revealed a consistent set of priorities centered on trust, transparency, and inclusivity in the City’s historic preservation efforts. Participants expressed a strong desire for clear, fair, and predictable processes that balance property owner rights with the shared value of protecting San Mateo’s neighborhood character.
Across all activities, residents emphasized the importance of broadening preservation narratives to include the city’s cultural, social, and architectural diversity. Many encouraged the City to recognize not only landmark properties, but also everyday places that hold community meaning, such as gathering spaces like Central Park, local businesses, and institutions that reflect San Mateo’s evolving identity. Participants also identified the need to align preservation with housing goals. A recurring theme across all engagement formats was the need for education and clear communication to improve public understanding of how historic preservation works and have confidence that the process is fair and objective.
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12 These insights have directly informed the Historic Context Statement and Historic Preservation Ordinance update. Detailed summaries and raw data from all engagement activities are included in the appendices.
Attachment List:
Appendix A: Focus Group Summaries
Appendix B: Workshop Responses
Appendix C: Mobile Workshop Responses
Appendix D: Digital Time Capsule
Appendix E: Public Comments
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12 Appendix A
Focus Group Summaries
Appendix B
Workshop Responses
Appendix C
Mobile Workshop Response
Appendix D
Digital Time Capsule
17 Appendix E
Public Comments