Political Philosophy for Matt Grocott

Candidate for
Council Member; City of San Carlos

€ QUALITY GROWTH---well managed and well designed.

We need to revisit the West Side Plan (Master Plan) for the downtown area. I propose a height limit of three to three and a half stories (30 to 35 feet) for the mixed use district (residential/office/retail).

Below grade parking of half story maximum to allow natural light at all levels.

Daylight planes in the mixed use district or increased set-backs as building stories go up.

Environmental Impact Reports include traffic studies. We need to slow the growth of new density and live with the grade separation to know honestly how much traffic the new configuration can manage.

Tax base from apartment and home owners is supplemented by revenue from the retail and commercial districts to pay for city services: fire, police, parks and recreation, public works. My priority for the El Camino corridor, therefore, is development of low-rise office/retail with an emphasis on courting high-tech start ups. The corridor also needs to see additional parking and tree-scaping.

€ MAINTAIN SAN CARLOS HERITAGE

We have few structures left in the city of historical architectural value: Garden Hacienda, Drake Building, Train Depot and the Burton Park Adobe. Care in planning must be taken to keep these structures. Consultants are available to advise the City on how to not only save these structures, but to keep their economic viability alive.

As new development and remodeling of existing structures occurs, the City could do well by building on the good examples of existing architecture, especially the Spanish Eclectic style.

€ REPRESENT the RESIDENTS of SAN CARLOS

Many neighborhoods are experiencing traffic problems because of growth. As we grow, solving these problems needs to be a priority. "Gated" entrances, round-abouts, additional stop signs are all viable solutions.

As I worked in my neighborhood to prevent GTE from putting a communication tower near our homes, I will work with neighborhood groups throughout the city to maintain their quality of life as well.