Belmont's $46M Stormwater Plan Arrives Without a Funding Source
City Council • BelmontNovember 10, 2026
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Belmont now has a ranked list of about $46 million in drainage fixes, but no dedicated way to pay for them. Staff presented the updated Stormwater Master Plan to the City Council on Nov. 10, 2026, for feedback only and will return for adoption. Residents used public comment to push on flood risk ahead of El Niño season and on what they described as stalled land-use decisions in San Juan Hills.
- $46M stormwater plan unveiled with $7.7M in near-term projects and no dedicated capital funding
- Island Park HOA president warns of tidal flooding and seeks an emergency plan before king tide windows starting Nov. 24
- Two San Juan Hills property owners allege delays and unexplained staff determinations
- Consent calendar passes 5-0, including a $1.35M grant bid for Alameda de las Pulgas safety work
A $46M Drainage Wish List, Few Dollars
The basics: A stormwater master plan inventories a city's drainage system, identifies weak spots and ranks capital projects. Council adopted Belmont's original plan in 2009, authorized this update in 2021 and heard preliminary findings in 2023. The consulting firm Wood Rogers prepared the update.
Why it matters: The system has an estimated $173 million replacement value, and the plan's fixes total about $46 million in 2026 dollars. Staff and residents both pointed to rising flood risk, but the city has no dedicated capital source to cover the work.
Where things stand: The plan covers about 41 miles of pipe, 9 miles of creeks and channels, and more than 3,100 drainage structures. Staff grouped deficiencies into three categories: structural condition, capacity and maintenance. On capacity, the consultant was blunt about parts of the network.
"They can't carry runoff during larger storm events," said Emily Straley, Civil Engineer, Wood Rogers.
Recommended improvements are ranked by cost-benefit ratio and phased:
- Near-term: $7.7M
- Midterm: $4.2M
- Long-term: $34.1M
The plan recommends capacity work in Upper Belmont Creek, O'Neill, West El Camino and East El Camino. The Harbor area is excluded because it is treated as a regional project. When a councilmember asked about Harbor, staff described a bypass concept and a detention basin concept, with the detention basin on hold pending funding.
Councilmember Gina Latimerlo, District 1, pressed on how to read the capital project list. "I just want to triple-check that this is just a listing, correct?" she asked. Staff confirmed that the order does not imply priority.
The money problem: A city official told council that Belmont has no dedicated stormwater capital funding beyond its share of Measure I. That leaves the city relying on that share and on grants. The official said the city may eventually need a community conversation about how to pay for the improvements. Staff also walked through pre-winter storm preparations.
The resident view: Meena Rajani, a public commenter who lives downstream on Coronet Boulevard, described recurring flooding where a drainage path runs near her home. "It floods more of my neighbor's property and ours also," she said. She relayed a neighbor's questions about upstream public drain discharge, easements and capacity, and asked whether the plan covers Coronet Boulevard.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Council took no vote because the item was informational. Neighborhoods in the four capacity-project areas have the most direct stake in how projects are phased. Property owners like those on Coronet Boulevard want to know whether their streets made the list at all. For now, any spending decision depends on Measure I dollars and grant competitions, which limits how fast even the $7.7M near-term tier can move.
What's next: Staff will incorporate council feedback and return for adoption.
"We ask for your feedback as we finalize this plan and before we return to you all for adoption at a future meeting," said Danny Phan, City Engineer and Assistant Public Works Director.
The funding question will likely follow the plan to that meeting.
Island Park: 'This Is a Tidal Flooding Problem'
Why it matters: Doug Beasley, President, California Cottages HOA, said the levees and a pond protecting Island Park are not being maintained. He warned that a breach could flood 52 California Cottages homes.
Where things stand: Beasley spoke on behalf of board members from the California Cottages HOA and the Fairlawn Association. He drew a clear line between this risk and the stormwater plan council would hear later that night. "This is a tidal flooding problem," he said.
He flagged three critical tide windows: Nov. 24-26, Dec. 22-25 and Jan. 20-23. He cited last year's record tide and the current El Niño year. He said his calls to the master-association manager went unanswered.
His request was specific. He asked the city to convene residents, the Manor Association and new owners to replace the existing master agreement, which he called unfair, and to secure an emergency plan.
The other side: Council did not respond to the Island Park request during the meeting. Under California's open meeting rules, councils generally cannot act on items not listed on the agenda. Storm preparation did surface elsewhere in the meeting:
- A councilmember promoted free sandbags and the Adopt-a-Drain program.
- An intergovernmental report relayed a meteorologist's warning that El Niño, atmospheric rivers and king tides can coincide.
- City Manager Afshin Oskoui promoted emergency sign-ups. He said he hoped "that this El Niño season will bypass us."
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The residents who stand to lose the most are California Cottages homeowners, whose protection depends on infrastructure governed by a private master agreement. The HOAs and the Manor Association have competing interests in who maintains the levees and pond. The open question is whether the city will step in as convener before the first tide window.
What's next: No city action was scheduled. The first tide window Beasley cited opens Nov. 24.
San Juan Hills Owners Allege Opacity, Delay
Where things stand: Two public commenters criticized how the city handles San Juan Hills land-use matters. Their claims are allegations and were not addressed by staff during the meeting.
Gerard Kersten, a public commenter, alleged inconsistent determinations, an error in Figure 2 of the San Juan Hills Area Plan and an unexplained certificate-of-compliance requirement. He said "staff either issues decrees with little to no justification" and asked whether the city attorney had advised silence. He said he sold his property at a loss.
Arvind Chandra, a public commenter, said his application, PA2026-0020, was filed June 22, 2026, and has awaited city attorney review for nearly five months. He said the wait "goes far beyond reasonable administrative processing time." He asked the city manager to intervene and set a written deadline.
Why it matters: A certificate of compliance confirms that a parcel was legally created, a threshold step before many owners can sell, finance or build. Long waits can stall those plans.
What's next: No response or timeline was offered at the meeting. Chandra's request for a written deadline remains pending with the city manager.
Minor Items
- Alameda de las Pulgas grant bid: Council approved a $1.35M SMCTA Cycle 8 application with a $150,000 city match. The money would fund design and environmental work for Phase 1 of the multimodal safety project. (Staff Report)
- Consent calendar, 5-0: The vote accepted the Salson Trail culvert replacement project with a final $40,230.78 change order and received the September financial report. For: Mates, Jordan, Latimerlo, Pang-Maganaris, McCune. Against: 0. Absent: 0.
- Library annual report: Library Manager Chris Liu reported 1.8 million visits and 2.5 million items circulated across 13 county libraries, plus 181,700 Belmont visitors. "Our libraries are so much more than just places to check out books," said Mayor Julia Mates.
- Centennial honors: Ray Mueller, County Supervisor, presented a county resolution marking Belmont's 100th anniversary. Councilmember Robin Pang-Maganaris, District 3, offered "a great big appreciation to city staff for putting on two tremendous events a week apart."
- In memoriam: Council adjourned in memory of longtime library advocate Joan Pessimer.
Looking Ahead
Council plans to formally recognize centennial event staff at its next meeting. The Stormwater Master Plan will return for adoption at a future meeting. The city manager urged residents to sign up for emergency alerts ahead of the Nov. 24-26 king tide window.