Train Noise and Vibration
Alex Khojikian, San Mateo’s City Manager, recently had a meeting with Michelle Bouchard, Executive Director of Caltrain. City Manager Khojikian shared San Mateans’ frustration with the increased volume and frequency of horns and bells on Caltrain’s new electric trains and the impact on the lives of Hayward Park neighbors along the train tracks. He asked Caltrain to change its practices asap. While San Mateo welcomes the electric trains, Caltrain also needs to respect the lives of nearby residents.
Caltrain acknowledged the negative impact that had occurred during the transition to electric trains and promised to correct this. They detailed changes they had made, or will make, regarding train horn noises; timing of horns and bells; extension of the sound wall and screening; and implementation of vibration monitoring by year end to reduce the negative impact on neighbors along the train tracks.
Breaking News: Caltrain has confirmed that all of their electric train horns had been adjusted and now were in compliance with Federal Standards!
Read the full email from Caltrain on these changes.
This is good progress, made possible by engaged neighbors who spoke up to me and City staff about their concerns. We will stay on Caltrain until all issues have been resolved. Please continue to keep me updated on any train noise or vibration-related issues, and if the changes are improving your quality of life.
Separately, San Mateo is working with the Federal government to meet the strict safety standards required to qualify as a “Quiet Zone” city. This would greatly reduce the horn noise made by all trains passing through San Mateo 24/7. Stay tuned for further developments on this.
Small Cell Tower Draft Ordinance
A new draft small cell tower ordinance was presented to City Council and approved on November 18th. The ordinance greatly increases the restrictions under which small cell towers can be installed in San Mateo, as well as the financial and repair requirements placed upon installers. Council will vote on the ordinance on December 9th. If approved, it will go into effect 30 days later.
This is the third iteration of San Mateo’s small cell ordinance, first introduced in 2018 and updated in 2021. Growing applications for small cell tower installation, especially in residential areas, raised concerns among San Mateo residents. These residents organized into Don’t Cell Out San Mateo and advocated for changes to the City’s existing small cell ordinance.
Over the past year, Don’t Cell Out and City staff have worked to identify issues, as well as effective small cell ordinances in other California cities. City staff developed the latest draft ordinance based on these discussions, talks with the small cell carriers and tower implementers, and the experiences of other California cities.
Click here to read the entire draft small cell ordinance.
Wet Weather Updates
Public Works staff presented all they have done to prepare San Mateo for expected winter rainstorms and the increased impacts of climate change. Since the NY’s Eve floods of 2022/23, the City has used $3 million of its Rainy Day Reserves (no pun intended!) to ensure all its stormwater infrastructure is prepared for heavy winter rains. City property owners also voted for an average $9/month fee on all properties to establish a dedicated stormwater fund of ~$4 million/year. This will be used to expand our wet weather preparations as well as to plan how to dredge our Marina Lagoon, where 3 out of San Mateo’s 5 creeks flow en route to the Bay.
You can watch the entire November 18th meeting by going to "Archived Agendas" on the City's website.
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