Bay Meadows

“California’s Adventures in Planning” was this year’s annual confab of the American Planning Association’s golden state chapter, and we’re delighted to report that Bay Meadows was presented as a “poster-child” of exemplary development.

City of San Mateo Zoning Administrator/Principal Planner Darcy Forsell took the stage alongside other northern California panelists to provide insight into how San Mateo has been ahead of the curve on critical regional issues.

Long before Bay Area leaders developed the Sustainable Communities Plan to address increased density in the era of climate change, the City embraced the challenge to provide more housing. San Mateo “got it” that the way forward was development along transit hubs. Bay Meadows, with its 83 acres previously dedicated to a “dated, single-use horse racing facility,” noted Forsell, presented a unique opportunity.

Bay Meadows’ compact walkable, bikeable community within less than half a mile from a Caltrain station is the kind of development necessary to reduce greenhouse gases, according to Forsell.

With the process begun in 2002, the city’s engagement with the Bay Meadows vision pre-dates much regional planning that has happened since, making San Mateo among the innovative civic leaders in the Bay Area.

Forsell ticked off Bay Meadows’ benefits and poster-child cred in her presentation:

• Reducing vehicle trips/greenhouse gases by at least 25% compared to typical development projects
• Affordable housing
• Positive interface with train station
• Amenities for residents, including commercial uses and parks
• Creating a compact, walkable and bikeable community
• Providing a balance of housing and jobs near transit to reduce vehicle trips
• “Public Benefits,” such as parks and a school and replacement of lost race track revenue.

We’re delighted to see Bay Meadows touted as a fine example of urban planning, and are pleased to be a part of such a cutting-edge city as San Mateo.

As we develop community, we want to see how you live or play at Bay Meadows. Share your fun lifestyle photos with our community by using #baymeadowslife in our Fame x Frame Photo Contest. You could WIN $50 or our Grand Prize of $500 at the end of 2014 and be featured in a live pop-up photo gallery exhibit. Click here for official rules. Each month, Bay Meadows will select one photo to WIN a $50 gift card at Whole Foods Market San Mateo. Simply hop on instagram or twitter at tag us using #baymeadowslife or submit up to 10 photos per month to photos@BayMeadows.com .

Be sure to follow Bay Meadows on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. We’ll be sharing your Bay Meadows story!