CITY OF SAN MATEO
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CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 1 Section Name: OLD BUSINESS Account Number: 25-3112 File ID: 26-11579 TO: City Council
FROM: Alex Khojikian, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Community Development Department
MEETING DATE: September 08, 2026
SUBJECT:
Historic Policy Update – Budget Appropriation and Amendment RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt a Resolution to appropriate $168,687 (Option 1) or $140,584 (Option 2) from the Advance Planning Fund to the Historic Policy Update project; approve Amendment No. 1 to the agreement with Rincon Consultants, Inc. to expand the scope of work and increase the agreement to a total not to exceed amount of $497,430 (Option 1) or $469,327 (Option 2) to complete additional tasks related to an update of the 1989 Historic Building Survey; extend the term of the agreement through December 31, 2028; and authorize the City Manager to execute the amendment in substantially the form presented.
BACKGROUND:
Historic Policy Update
On January 21, 2025, the City Council voted to appropriate funding ($328,743) to complete the Historic Policy Update effort and to approve a professional services agreement with Rincon Consultants to support this historic policy work. Over the next 16 months, the historic team (staff and Rincon Consultants) worked to prepare a Citywide Historic Context Statement, updated Historic Preservation Ordinance and other associated historic policies. On May 4, 2026, the City Council held a public hearing to consider the updated historic policies and ordinances. As part of the Council action to adopt the updated Historic Preservation Ordinance, a provision that allowed Council to nominate properties listed on the 1989 Historic Survey for addition to the San Mateo Historic Resources Inventory was included. However, since the Survey contained information and documentation that was over 37 years old, it would need to be updated before it could be used to support a potential landmark designation of any of the identified properties. Thus, Council directed staff to prioritize updating the Survey and to bring back a scope of work for their consideration.
The San Mateo Historic Building Survey Report was published in September 1989 and is included as Attachment 3.
Preparation of this Survey Report was a collaboration between the City of San Mateo and the California State Office of Historic Preservation and was intended to provide a basis for future City-led historic preservation and policy efforts. The Survey identified buildings and properties around the City that were already listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and those that were potentially eligible for historic designation at the Federal or local level. Following the preparation of the Survey, the City formally recognized and designated the Downtown Historic District and updated the Historic Preservation Ordinance.
1989 Historic Building Survey Update Work Plan
The work plan to complete this additional work to update the 1989 Historic Building Survey includes four tasks and is anticipated to take approximately seven months to complete. The proposed tasks are as follows, with additional details included in the Scope of Work and Cost Estimate (Exhibit A-1 to Attachment 2):
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•Task 1: Kick-off and Project Management
•Task 2: Historic Resources Survey Update
oIncludes data collection, survey work and form updates for properties listed in the 1989 Survey. ▪Option 1 - Assessment of up to 124 properties (survey rating of 3, 3D, 4 and 5) 1. ▪Option 2 - Assessment of up to 91 properties (survey rating of 3, 3D and 5). •Task 3: Historic Resource Survey Report
•Task 4: Community Outreach Plan
oIncludes property owner engagement throughout this process, a community meeting and two City Council public hearings.
Overall, this scope of work would focus on updating the historic property evaluations contained in the 1989 Historic Building Survey to determine how many continue to be eligible historic resources. The Survey included an assessment of 133 properties that were not already listed on the National Register and not within the Downtown Historic District or the Glazenwood Historic District. Of the 133 properties, 91 properties were identified as being individually eligible as historical resources at the national or local level, 33 properties were evaluated but required additional research to determine eligibility, and nine were evaluated and noted as being ineligible. Under Option 1, up to 124 properties would be reviewed and evaluated, and under Option 2, only the 91 properties previously identified as being individually eligible resources would be reviewed and evaluated. Following assessment of the properties, an updated historic building survey report would be prepared and then presented to City Council at a public hearing. Consistent with the City’s updated Historic Preservation Ordinance (Zoning Code Chapter 27.66), the Council could use this updated survey report to nominate listed properties for designation as local Landmarks and inclusion on the City’s Historic Resources Inventory.
In addition to the work to update the 1989 Historic Building Survey, the scope of work includes community outreach to ensure that all property owners identified in the Survey receive advanced notification and are able to share information about their properties and engage with the historic team to ask questions and learn more about the process.
Once the Survey update is complete, additional property owner notification will occur, and a community meeting will be scheduled to present the findings and answer questions in advance of the City Council public hearing. This work is anticipated to take approximately seven months to complete, with the updated report returning to the City Council in spring 2027.
City Council Action
Based on the scope of work outlined above, the City Council should take one of the following actions:
•Option 1 - Adopt a Resolution to appropriate an additional $168,687 from the Advance Planning Fund to the Historic Policy Update project; approve an amendment to the agreement with Rincon Consultants to survey up to 124 properties listed in the 1989 Historic Building Survey; and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement in substantially the form presented.
•Option 2 - Adopt a Resolution to appropriate an additional $140,584 from the Advance Planning Fund to the Historic Policy Update project; approve an amendment to the agreement with Rincon Consultants to survey up to 91 properties listed in the 1989 Historic Building Survey; and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement in substantially the form presented.
•Option 3 - Do not adopt a Resolution approving an appropriation or amendment to the agreement with Rincon Consultants and vote to not proceed with an update to the 1989 Historic Building Survey at this time.
BUDGET IMPACT:
The budget appropriation of $168,687 for Option 1 or $140,584 for Option 2 (Attachment 1) would be funded by the 1 A description of the rating system used in the 1989 Survey can be found on pages 9-10 of the Survey Report (Attachment 3).
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Advance Planning Fund (Fund 225) and would not have an impact on the City's General Fund. As of July 1, 2026, the Advance Planning Fund had an estimated fund balance of approximately $6.39 million. In addition to the consultant services, it is anticipated that the staff time and resources to support this policy work from the Community Development Department, City Attorney's Office and City Manager's Office will cost between $30,000 and $60,000. These staff costs do not require additional budget appropriation, as they would be covered by each Department's current operating budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
The appropriation of funds and agreement approval is not a project subject to CEQA, because it is an organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5).)
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This project supports the Land Use initiative.
NOTICE PROVIDED:
All meeting noticing requirements were met. In addition, notification of this meeting was sent to the Historic Policy interested parties list, included in the City’s eNews, and mailed via postcard to each address identified in the City’s 1989 Historic Resources Survey to provide notice of this item and meeting.
ATTACHMENTS
Att 1 – Proposed Resolution
Att 2 – Amendment No. 1 to Agreement with Rincon Consultants Exhibit A-1 – Scope of Work and Cost Estimate
Att 3 – 1989 Historic Building Survey
Att 4 – Public Comment
STAFF CONTACT
Zachary Dahl, Director Community Development
[email protected]
(650) 522-7207