1. At an October 2nd meeting at the Hillsdale Methodist Church, the developer said the proposed development would improve traffic in San Mateo. How can that happen?
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2. Will there be any schools in the proposed development? If not, where will children attend school?
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3. The developer also said horse racing in California is dead and can’t compete with racetracks in other states. Is that true?
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4. How did Bay Meadows do in 2005? The consultant hired by the City of San Mateo said Bay Meadows has not been doing well for at least five years.
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5. Don’t we need the Bay Meadows land to build housing for our children and new residents?
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6. But aren’t we getting much-needed parks from this project?
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7. How much of the housing will be affordable to our young people and our teachers?
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8. The developer has said this project will be built without taxing San Mateo residents. Is this true?
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9. I heard there were over 50 community meetings held on the Bay Meadows project but I never heard anything about them. Where and when were they held?
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10. Did this committee study alternatives to tearing down Bay Meadows or other possible uses of that property that might save Bay Meadows?
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11. I have never seen an illustration of what this project would look like from El Camino. The developer said the train tracks will be raised and they will add underpasses at 28th and 31st Avenues. That means there will be four-lane underpasses about every three blocks, at Hillsdale, 31st, 28th, and 25th. What is that going to look like?
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12. The city says this project will be built out over 20 years. What happens when Measure P expires in 14 years? Will the developer be able to add another million square feet of office space? As I recall, their original plan was to have more than 2 million square feet of office space.
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13. I've heard money is available for traffic calming. Will that be used on the streets that will experience the most traffic increases?
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14. What happens to the people now working at Bay Meadows?
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15. How can they tear down Bay Meadows when it is has been here for 70 or more years? Isn’t it an historic site?
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16. Tanforan Racetrack was torn down and the shopping center has a statue of Seabiscuit. If Bay Meadows is torn down, what will the developer or city do to recognize our own landmark?
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17. Does the Bay Meadows Land Company donate to local politicians?
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18. Couldn't either the City of San Mateo or the County purchase Bay Meadows?
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A. The proposed development will put several thousand more cars onto San Mateo streets, and unlike the current Bay Meadows racetrack, auto usage will be during commute time. Because of the proposed underpasses at 28th and 31st Avenues, traffic on East Hillsdale Boulevard is projected to drop from the current 25,000 cars a day. Other areas of the city and our highways, however, will see massive increases. Also, once Hillsdale Mall adds a third level of shops and further development along the Transportation Corridor occurs, East Hillsdale will be as congested as ever.

Further, the Environmental Impact Report on the proposed project says there will be “severe” traffic impacts that cannot be mitigated at numerous locations, including:
- US Highway 101
- CA Highway 92
- El Camino Real
- Ralston Avenue

2. Will there be any schools in the proposed development? If not, where will children attend school?

A. No schools will be built in either the practice track area or the Bay Meadows racetrack area. There are no plans for buses to take children to school. Children in the proposed development who go to George Hill Elementary School would need to cross eight lanes of traffic (four lanes of Franklin Parkway and four lanes of East Hillsdale Boulevard) to walk to school.

3. The developer also said horse racing in California is dead and can’t compete with racetracks in other states. Is that true?

A. Horse racing in California is far from dead and tracks in the state are successful if they are properly run. The Del Mar racetrack near San Diego is owned by San Diego County and has had record crowds and there are no casinos or slot machines at Del Mar.
According to the tracks’ press release, “Del Mar Thoroughbred Club concluded its 66th summer season … by establishing a new record for total pari mutuel handle of more than $608 million during the 43-day meeting.

Combining wagering on- and off-track, out-of-state …and estimated uncommingled betting, the total handle from all sources was $608,168,297 for a daily average of $14,143,449, representing an increase of 4.8%from 2004 when the previous high standard was set.

On-track handle totaled $108,907,839 for a daily average of $2,532,740, up 6.5 % from a year ago.

On-track attendance totaled 731,287 for a daily average of 17,007, down only 0.3% compared to the 2004 attendance which was the highest since the introduction of inter-track wagering in 1988.”

Bay Meadows has had record crowds this past Labor Day as well as Memorial Day of 2004. In fact, 2004 attendance was up 9% over 2003. If Bay Meadows were run by people committed to horse racing, as opposed to people who simply want to develop the land, the racetrack would be even more successful. Also, our city’s web site allows people to buy movie tickets on line but does not even mention its historic Bay Meadows racetrack.

4. How did Bay Meadows do in 2005? The consultant hired by the City of San Mateo said Bay Meadows has not been doing well for at least five years.

In June, 2004, the San Mateo County Times reported, "Bay Meadows … had a 9 percent increase in attendance over last year." The 2004 article quotes Bay Meadows general manager, Bernie Thurman, as saying, "To be up 9 percent is phenomenal."
Source: San Mateo County Times June 10, 2004

If 2004 attendance was great, 2005 attendance was better still. According to the Thoroughbred Times, "Bay Meadows concluded its 2005 fall meet ... with average daily increases in both handle and attendance over the 2004 fall meet ...On-track increases were particularly strong, with average daily attendance increasing 37.7% to 3,665 compared with 2,662 last year." Also, Bay Meadows “average daily handle increased by 14.1% to $724,152 compared with $634,830 in 2004.

Off-track sites in Northern California showed increases of 13.3% in average daily attendance---3,700 compared with 3,265 last year and 16.2% in average daily handle, which rose to $1,369,879 compared with $1,178,928.”
Source: Thoroughbred Times.com 10/27/2005

If Bay Meadows were run by people committed to horse racing, as opposed to people who simply want to develop the land, the racetrack would be even more successful. Also, our city’s web site allows people to buy movie tickets on line but does not even mention its historic Bay Meadows racetrack.

5. Don’t we need the Bay Meadows land to build housing for our children and new residents?

No. San Mateo has just rezoned 607 acres of land between the Hayward Park station and the Belmont border for redevelopment into high-density housing and office space. This 83.5-acre site is not needed. San Mateo currently has countless housing projects that have either been approved or likely will be approved which will add considerably to the city’s housing stock. Examples: Fountainglen apartments, Rotary Floritas Senior housing, teacher housing at CSM, Verona Ridge homes, Palm Avenue condos, Second Avenue town homes, Grant Street Condos, Summerhill Homes development of VISA offices, Stradbally Court. The Versailles, Baywood Place, Norfolk Townhomes.

6. But aren’t we getting much-needed parks from this project?

The proposed project would have a 12-acre public park as well as two small parks (1.5 acres each). The 12-acre park will have a 1-acre storage pond to take the place of the pond in the Bay Meadows infield.. This reduces the park size to 11 acres - and the storage pond will have expansion capability to 4 acres during heavy rains. Compare this with some other neighborhood and community parks:

7. How much of the housing will be affordable to our young people and our teachers?

A. The developer sent a memo to the San Mateo Planning Commission stating the average price for the new units would be $600,000. That price seems very low given that condominiums near Whole Foods have been selling for about $800,000. For a first time buyer with little or no down payment, a $600,000 unit would require an annual salary of about $150,000. At least 10% of the units would be sold at “below market rate.” Even so, these units would not be “affordable” for new San Mateo-Foster City teachers whose starting salaries are in the $38,000/year range. Rental apartments in Phase I (the developed practice track area) range from $1685/mo for a 651 sq.ft. apartment to $3230/mo. for a 1384 sq. ft. 3 bedroom unit. Existing rental units cost less in other parts of San Mateo.

8. The developer has said this project will be built without taxing San Mateo residents. Is this true?

A. Costs for the four-lane underpasses at 28th and 31st Avenues will be paid largely from Measure A sales taxes, i.e., we are paying for them. Much of the cost of the project’s infrastructure will be financed through Mello-Roos bonds, so property owners in the developed area will pick up those bills. San Mateo residents will have to pay for developing and maintaining the 15 acres of park space within the project, including the storm water collection pond.

9. I heard there were over 50 community meetings held on the Bay Meadows project but I never heard anything about them. Where and when were they held?

A. The San Mateo City Council handpicked 17 people to form a “Citizens Advisory Committee” to study the Bay Meadows plan. Seven of the 17 people, or 40+%, did not live in San Mateo. Meetings were held at various locations but most often at the Poplar Creek Country Club and started at 6 pm. Very few members of the general public attended any of these meetings. Those on the CAC included:

10. Did this committee study alternatives to tearing down Bay Meadows or other possible uses of that property that might save Bay Meadows?

A. No. The Environmental Impact Report for the project does have a “no build” or status-quo scenario as a point of comparison against the effects of the proposed development. However, alternative uses of the Bay Meadows land were not explored. For example, local residents. Art and Alice Weiner, were denied an opportunity to present their plan to have San Mateo County purchase and operate Bay Meadows. One member of the Citizens Advisory Committee said the group was "on our way to looking like a 'rubber stamp' of what the developer is wanting …" A legitimate concern.

11. I have never seen an illustration of what this project would look like from El Camino. The developer said the train tracks will be raised and they will add underpasses at 28th and 31st Avenues. That means there will be four-lane underpasses about every three blocks, at Hillsdale, 31st, 28th, and 25th. What is that going to look like?

A. No one knows. A request to the Planning Commission to have such an illustration provided was denied.

12. The city says this project will be built out over 20 years. What happens when Measure P expires in 14 years? Will the developer be able to add another million square feet of office space? As I recall, their original plan was to have more than 2 million square feet of office space.

A. We have no information on whether that would be allowed.

13. I’ve heard money is available for traffic calming. Will that be used on the streets that will experience the most traffic increases?

A. Traffic calming is expensive; San Mateo/Glendale Village traffic calming alone cost about $250,000. Some areas in the City are already on a “wait” list for traffic calming. Any street designated as a “collector” or “arterial” is automatically ineligible for traffic calming. This includes streets such as Hillsdale Boulevard, Delaware, Palm Avenue, Pacific Boulevard, 20th, 28th and 31st Avenues, and Barneson.

14. What happens to the people now working at Bay Meadows?

A. There are approximately 900 people working at Bay Meadows. The current pari-mutuel clerks may be able to continue working because off-track betting facilities will be built at the Expo Center. Others will simply lose their jobs or be forced to relocate to other racetracks in the state, provided jobs are available for these highly specialized occupations. Some employees have worked their entire lives at Bay Meadows and may not be able to find new employment.

15. How can they tear down Bay Meadows when it is has been here for 70 or more years? Isn’t it an historic site?

A. Linda Schinkel, Ph.D., and founder of the grass-roots group Keep Bay Meadows, nominated Bay Meadows to the historical registry. That nomination has been fought by the Bay Meadows Land Company, developers Wilson, Meany, and Sullivan and the City of San Mateo. The State of California’s Office of Historic Preservation has not reached a decision.

Several people in the community objected to the poor scholarship and serious mistakes in the historical analysis conducted by Ward Hill.

However, the City of San Mateo’s position is that Bay Meadows is not historic. Even if it were found to be historic, the City believes the benefits to developing Bay Meadows outweigh its historic significance to the community.

16. Tanforan Racetrack was torn down and the shopping center has a statue of Seabiscuit. If Bay Meadows is torn down, what will the developer or city do to recognize our own landmark?

A. It isn’t clear what, if anything, will be done to memorialize Bay Meadows, although the San Mateo County Historic Association will weigh in on this matter. Per the City’s staff report:

The San Mateo Historic Association will be contacted to develop recommendations for permanent recognition of Bay Meadows Race track upon its redevelopment and the City Council shall prove (approve?) the form of recognition. The contribution by the applicant (i.e., developer) of $100,000 towards that effort is addressed in the development agreement. * Italicized notations added.

However, the final Development Agreement for the Bay Meadows project has zero funds dedicated to any type of memorial.

17. Does the Bay Meadows Land Company donate to local politicians?

A. To our knowledge, the BMLC has not contributed to the campaigns of anyone on the San Mateo City Council. They have, however, contributed to local Democrats such as San Mateo County Supervisors Mike Nevin and Mark Church and to Gene Mullin and Jackie Speier. BMLC has also recently donated $10,000 dollars to the California Republican Party and $44,000 to the California Democratic Party. These umbrella groups can then disburse funds to candidates as needed. See BMLC Contributions PDF.

A. Yes. However, both the County and the City refused to consider such an option.

Twenty-five years ago, when Marriott wanted to tear down Great America and replace it with offices, retail, and housing, the forward-thinking Santa Clara City Council decided the city should buy the property. They did and Great America has been a tremendous asset for their community.

There is absolutely no reason the City or County of San Mateo should refuse to explore such an option for Bay Meadows. San Mateo’s General Plan considers Bay Meadows to be an important part of this community but one would never know that based on the way the City of San Mateo has treated Bay Meadows for the past 10 years.