San Mateo Invites Residents to Tour City's New 'Sustainable Grounds' at City Hall

By Rebecca Zito, City of San Mateo:

San Mateo City Hall is situated in the center of town and has an understated presence. Its new landscaping and decorative wall creates a welcoming entry to an approachable facility that fully complements its location within the community.

On Monday, July 18th the City of San Mateo will formally recognize the completion of the new City Hall Landscaping Project. The new landscaping creates a serene environment and the recently constructed entry feature identifies the building as a civic facility in the neighborhood. The ceremony takes place at 6:15 pm outside of City Hall at 20th Avenue and O’Farrell Street. Mayor Joe Goethals and San Mateo City Manager, Larry Patterson will welcome the community, acknowledge city staff that led and contributed to the project and recognize the benefits it brings to the community and the environment. The event includes a tour of the new sustainable grounds.

“It’s a tremendous improvement from what used to be here,” stated Larry Patterson, San Mateo City Manager. “The wall facing 20th Avenue lets visitors know they’ve arrived at City Hall, and the new landscaping is a complete transformation of the grounds. City staff designed and installed the landscaping and city staff also designed the wall. I’m proud of the attention and ingenuity given to the project. They’ve done a remarkable job.”

The idea to replace the landscaping at city hall originated with Councilmember Rick Bonilla during a regularly scheduled Council meeting. He suggested that “the city lead by example, tear out the lawn and install a drought tolerant garden.” From there the idea blossomed.

The landscaping features an environmentally sound collection of Mediterranean and California native plants. Special attention was given to the selection of each plant, regarding their ecological functions and their architectural design. “The plantings were selected to thrive together,” says Elga Perez-Rubio, Senior Parks and Landscape Maintenance Worker. Gardens and landscapes are expected to be resource efficient and use reduced amounts of water, fertilizer, pesticides, labor and energy. “All of these elements were taken into consideration, and the landscaping is having less of an impact on the environment,” Perez-Rubio stated.

The new landscaping is a serene habitat and is creating an ecological system that is inviting to a variety of wildlife such as bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, sparrows, lady bugs, and earthworms. The selection of landscaping was made with this in mind. Everything from the colors of the plants to their scent and flower production attracts and retains them.

“Think of the new landscaping as a lab,” says Parks and Recreation Director, Sheila Canzian. “Many of these plants are easy to incorporate into home gardens and the community is welcome to visit the grounds to learn about the varieties planted.”

In total 1,500 plants were placed throughout the grounds of city hall ranging from non-fruit bearing olive trees, coastal Redwoods, and Maples. Lavender, rosemary, carpet roses and an assortment of salvia, sage, star jasmine and California poppies provide an array of color ranging from white to yellow, orange, blue and purple. Hydrangeas and leaf foliage in shade zones were added for interest.

The majority of the plants require moderate amounts of water to thrive, and an upgraded irrigation system helps to meet State and local water efficiency goals and mandates. A drip tubing irrigation system called Netafim, developed in Israel, was installed to apply water at the root zone where it is most needed; smart controllers adjust the irrigation amounts, and mulch throughout the grounds retains soil moisture in the roots. The three components of the irrigation system successfully conserve water and manage its usage.

The wall feature was designed by Public Works staff with the intent that the wall would “grow” out of the landscape and flow around the building to become a soft transition from the natural landscape to the hard form of the building. The wall is capped with a natural flagstone selected to blend the elements together. It provides an appealing transition from the building to the landscape with its subtle curves and complementary colors. The wall on the east side gives a predominant place for the friendship olive tree from Toyonaka, the Sister City of San Mateo. Signage on the walls is an updated version of the city’s sign designs and is extremely legible with the contrast between the deep red tone of the walls and the stainless steel letters.

City staff designed the wall, landscaping and irrigation components of the project. The ability to complete the project using internal resources saved money, and the total project cost was $167,000.

The new landscaping and entry feature create a stronger sense of place and enhances City Hall’s presence in the neighborhood. “The grounds are beautiful, and City Hall is such an inviting place to visit,” says Mayor Goethals. “I encourage community members to visit City Hall and wander the grounds. It’s peaceful and relaxing, and this project represents one small fraction of all San Mateo is doing to create a more sustainable environment.”

The regularly scheduled City Council meeting will follow the ceremony starting at 7:00 pm. Council will present a proclamation to recognize July as Parks and Recreation Month and will acknowledge Parks employees that worked on this project. For more information about upcoming Council meetings, please visit cityofsanmateo.org.

(Image via Shutterstock)