The City of Belmont has had a fulfilling year marked by several significant milestones. These accomplishments reflect our collective efforts to enhance Belmont for all who live, work, and visit here.

View our 2024 Year in Review Magazine to learn more! 

Infrastructure & Mobility

Our very own Public Works department received accreditation from the American Public Works Association! This truly is an accomplishment to celebrate! Accreditation promotes excellence in the operation and management of a public works agency, its programs, and its employees. Accreditation is designed to assist the agency in the continuous improvement of operations and management and in providing a valid and objective evaluation of agency programs as a service to the public and the profession. Belmont Public Works is the eighteenth agency in the State of California to receive this prestigious accreditation.     

Belmont’s Public Works Department has been hard at work improving the city’s roads and infrastructure through several impactful projects. Key initiatives include the 2023 Pavement Project, which laid 3,770 tons of asphalt, and the 2024 Slurry Seal Project, which laid 700 tons of slurry seal. After the completion of these projects our Pavement Condition Index went up by 7.9% with a PCI of 68. 

The Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan or PROS plan was adopted by the City Council in March. The Belmont PROS Plan provides both a long-term vision for the City's park, recreation, and open space system, as well as specific policies and recommendations to direct day-to-day decisions and prioritize park improvements. It sets forth a framework that allows the City to respond to new opportunities as they arise and to ensure that the parks, outdoor recreation facilities, and open space areas meet the needs of the City's present and future residents, employees, and visitors. 

This year, the City continued vital fuel reduction and vegetation management efforts in partnership with CalFire and FireSafe San Mateo County to enhance safety and reduce wildfire risks. Our commitment to preserving Belmont’s natural beauty is also evident in the tree permits issued to maintain healthy urban forestry and our recognition as a Tree City USA for the 17th consecutive year.  

The Community Center has supported diverse community uses for 73 years, serving as the backdrop for countless collective memories. We held 16 Community Conversations this year with the public to continue our work to explore options for a sustainable solution to tackle this aging facility and to continue to house its many uses and create a resource in case of public emergencies. 

Housing and Economic Development

The City is making great strides in expanding our housing stock and meeting our State-mandated housing production requirements. We had a total of 442 units completed this past year, including 65 affordable housing units across three projects: Artisan Crossing, the Hayden, and Village Walk.  

In addition, we have two 100% affordable housing projects that are under construction or will soon be breaking ground. The Belmont Family Apartments, which started construction this past spring, will have 125 units, and the Hill and El Camino project will have 37 units.  

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) officially certified Belmont's Housing Element for 2023-2031 in October of this year. The Housing Element outlines the City's goals, policies, and programs to promote the development of a diverse range of housing options. It includes both affordable and market-rate housing to meet the needs of all community members while supporting inclusive and sustainable growth.  

The Permit Center has been working tirelessly to support our residents and businesses through their home renovations, expansions, and supporting the new development in our community. This year, they finalized 1,073 building permits and completed 5,308 building inspections, ensuring safety and quality in Belmont’s ongoing building renewal and renaissance. 

Fiscal and Organizational Sustainability

In November, our community demonstrated strong support for Measure DD, modernizing a business license tax structure originally established in 1976. Starting January 1, 2025, this updated program will be simpler and more balanced, ensuring fair contributions while supporting local businesses and the community.  

Our Finance Department’s excellence was also recognized this year with prestigious awards, including the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, and the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. These achievements reflect our commitment to fiscal responsibility and transparency, strengthening Belmont’s financial foundation for the future.  

At Team Belmont, we are committed to recruiting highly skilled and talented individuals who embody our dedication to excellence. This year, we welcomed 31 new full-time employees and 70 part-time employees to support our summer programs and community events.

Public Safety

This year, the Belmont Police Department successfully completed its 4th Annual Community Police Academy, strengthening connections with residents and enhancing community engagement. The department also secured valuable grant funding from the Office of Traffic Safety. Additionally, they maintained a strong commitment to outreach and transparency through prioritizing public information and community events like National Night Out, the School Leadership Luncheon, Pizza with the Police, Disaster Preparedness Day. 

We are deeply grateful for the Belmont Police Department's service and dedication to keeping our Belmont community safe. This year, they responded to over 17,400 calls, made 454 arrests, and completed 7,500 hours of training, exemplifying their commitment to professionalism and a steadfast excellence in public safety. Their efforts often go unseen, but their impact is felt every day, ensuring Belmont remains a safe and secure place to live and work.  

Beyond emergency response, SMC Fire plays a vital role in community risk reduction and fire prevention. This year, their efforts included inspections, plan reviews, and planning application assessments to ensure safety and preparedness across Belmont.  

Earlier this year, our firefighters stepped up to provide mutual aid, deploying 19 personnel who contributed an incredible 22,029 hours to support neighboring communities. We are deeply grateful for their unwavering commitment, courage, and readiness to serve here in Belmont and beyond our community.  

Quality of Life

This year, the City introduced the MyBelmont 311 app, a simple and accessible way for residents, businesses, and visitors to connect with us. The app makes it easier to report non-emergency issues like potholes, graffiti, or downed trees and to access city information—all from the convenience of a mobile device. 

We hosted a variety of engaging community events this year, with record-high attendance, including our annual Egg Hunt, the Pride Flag raising, the Veterans Day Ceremony, the Belmont Trunk or Treat Bash, and many more!  We also continued to host cultural events, such as the Lunar New Year and the Diwali Celebration, to honor and appreciate the diverse cultures that enrich our community. These events provide a platform for learning, unity, and celebration. 

This year, Parks and Recreation created opportunities for connection, learning, and joy across all age groups. With thousands of children enrolled in programs, hundreds of rentals hosting tens of thousands of attendees, and dedicated services for our seniors, their impact is felt throughout the community. 

Inclusivity is an essential value for us here at the City of Belmont and it is at the heart of our community values. This year we made great strides in creating accessible and welcoming recreation opportunities. We expanded our adaptive recreation offerings and ensured they were accessible and enjoyable for all participants. This year, we’ve expanded our inclusion camp and introduced new opportunities for individuals with disabilities, including Sensory Santa at the Firehouse, a sensory space available at all events, and a new Superstar Dance for young adults with disabilities.

We remain committed to building a city where everyone can thrive and look forward to another year of growth and accomplishments to celebrate ahead. 

View the complete 2024 Year in Review in any of these formats:
Presentation Recording
Presentation PDF 

Belmont Re-Opens for the Community

As 2023 comes to an end, it’s a great time to reflect on the events that shaped our year. This is an exciting time to be a part of the Belmont community, with so many major initiatives occurring simultaneously. We continue to work together with our community to meet the challenges and benefits that come as our city evolves, creates, and achieves a shared vision. Who can forget the 2023 winter storms, and we thank the response by multiple City departments for those December, January, and March storm events.

This year we utilized the “Your Voice, Your Belmont” platform to expand the dialogue with the community on City service needs and priorities. These priorities were captured through a community survey and incorporated into the budget process, including the city services plan and five-year Capital Improvement Project (CIP) plan.

Overall, our budget and resources have reflected the City Council and community priorities in the following Strategic Focus Areas

• Infrastructure and Mobility
• Economic Development and Housing• Fiscal and Organizational Sustainability
• Public Safety
• Quality of Life

Despite the unpredictability of the past three years, our organization has remained ready and resilient. Balancing short-term response with long-term investment will remain a priority. With aging infrastructure, we face hundreds of millions of dollars in street and storm drain infrastructure needs alone, in addition to the maintenance needs of our parks and facilities. That is why we continue to make long-term investments in our capital needs. The CIP plan for Fiscal Year 2023-24 totals $20.6 million and continues to provide significant funding towards improvements to streets, sewer and storm drainage systems, technology, facilities, and parks and open space.  

With projects such as the Alameda de Las Pulgas and Ralston Ave mobility improvements, we continue to improve safety and mobility for all users of our street network. Additionally, our investment in pavement work has increased the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) from 56 in 2014 to 68 in 2022/23, delivering on promises the City Council made when the taxpayers supported the passage of Measure I in 2016. Meanwhile, we are making strides to address future climate and the resiliency of our utilities systems with improvements related to the Twin Pines Belmont Creek and Detention Basin Projects.

We thank the staff for their continued stewardship in maintaining and delivering essential maintenance and capital improvements to enhance the Belmont community’s quality of life and are proud of our maintenance team for delivering on the perpetual list of jobs that often go unnoticed. If you ever see our staff out there working, please take a moment to say “thanks.”

We are advancing a safe, accessible, and sustainable built environment while balancing much-needed housing and future employment centers. We conducted a robust housing inventory, community engagement, and CEQA analysis for the next cycle of meeting our State-mandated housing allocation needs. We are proud of our Council for supporting the Firehouse Square project, a 66-unit 100% affordable development which was completed this past year and is now fully occupied.

We continue to see great interest in housing and commercial development with 930 housing units, including 327 affordable units, currently under construction or in the pipeline and nearly 2.8 million sq. ft. of commercial/life science development proposed. We are also working with Stanford to evaluate their proposed conceptual development plans for the NDNU campus.

These developments balance a vibrant economic base, support transit development, and amplify our quality-of-life initiatives. To ensure that development activities pay their fair share for the additional demands placed on City services, this year we adopted General Plan Amendments and Local Goals and Policies laying the groundwork for the future formation of a Community Facilities District to help mitigate the fiscal impacts of new development.

Additionally, the Harbor Industrial Area (HIA), most of which is currently unincorporated, has been gaining interest with development activities that would have annexation implications. We continue to conduct robust community engagement and encourage the community to get involved as we develop our strategy and vision for this area of importance to the City.

We continue to focus on supporting local small businesses by connecting them with important information and resources. With our local Chamber joining forces with Chamber San Mateo County, we anticipate an energized partnership. We also joined the Silicon Valley Economic Development Alliance (SVEDA) to coordinate economic development initiatives and share best practices with other San Mateo and Santa Clara County cities and adopted a policy framework allowing for future retail cannabis along the southern portion of El Camino Real. Finally, we updated the City’s Minimum Wage Ordinance to ensure ongoing consistency with surrounding cities.

Belmont has long been fiscally responsible with a focus on long-term sustainability. We continue to respond to the fiscal impacts of the pandemic while maximizing existing revenue sources, seeking to diversify revenue sources, and securing ongoing funding for essential public services and infrastructure.

We are once again the proud recipient of the Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for our Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for FY 2020-21, and the GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.

Our Police Department continues the tradition of community OUTREACH, COORDINATION, and ASSISTANCE with many events and activities throughout the year. They work with businesses, external agencies, and other City departments to address areas of concern and the City’s public safety needs.

We continue partnering with the community by holding emergency preparedness engagements and improving community safety initiatives such as offering the Firewise Workshop and San Mateo Consolidated Fire providing Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training for members of the community.

Our Parks and Recreation Department offers community members of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds unique opportunities to experience physical, emotional, and intellectual growth. In 2022, we were awarded the Age-Friendly City designation by the World Health Organization (WHO), and we continue our commitment to welcoming people of all ages by providing quality programming and services for all. Examples this year include:

• Implementing senior tech support
• Celebrating our inaugural Dr. MLK, Jr. Essay and Poetry contest with a culminating event
• Hosting Lunar New Year and Diwali community events
• Delivering successful summer day camps and aquatics
• Offering a variety of programs and events providing opportunities for residents and their guests to actively participate in our community
• Supporting the Celebrate the Music and Waterdog Run community events
• Hosting new citywide events for the Halloween and winter holiday seasons
• Hosting multiple "Belmont Talks" presentations on a variety of topics

None of these accomplishments would have been possible without our dedicated staff and community support. On behalf of the City Council, I like to share our appreciation and thanks for your service and engagement in making Belmont a more welcoming place for all. I look forward to continuing to work together to build a thriving and inclusive city.

Year in Review 2023 Presentation

View the complete 2023 Year in Review in any of these formats:

Presentation Recorded Video (begins at 21:00)
Presentation PDF
Presentation Video (No notes or narration, slow-motion ends at 3:17)

2022 What an exciting time it is for our City.

If you’re one of the many Belmont residents watching our public meetings, you already know that we have a number of major initiatives occurring simultaneously. To recap, we have 928 housing units under construction or in the pipeline, a Housing Element update underway that will allocate 1,785 housing units in the next eight-year cycle. We also have 1.1 million square feet of life science development currently in the pipeline, and the City is forecasting an additional 1.1 million square feet to be developed. The Harbor Industrial Area (HIA), most of which is currently unincorporated, has been gaining interest with development activities that would have annexation implications for the City.

Capital Improvement Plan & Fiscal Achievements

This year we also utilized the “Your Voice, Your Belmont” platform to expand the dialogue on city service needs and priorities. Along with the community survey, these priorities were incorporated through the budget process and reflected in the five-year CIP plan. The Capital Improvement Program for FY 2023 totals $19.3 million and continues to provide significant funding towards improvements relating to streets, sewer system, storm drainage system, technology, facilities, and parks and open space. With aging infrastructure, Belmont faces hundreds of millions of dollars in street and storm drain infrastructure needs alone in addition to maintenance needs for the City’s facilities and parks. That is why we continue to make long-term investments in our capital needs.

Belmont has long been fiscally responsible with a focus on long-term sustainability. The City continues to respond to the fiscal impacts of the pandemic, while simultaneously working to maximizing existing revenue sources, identifying ways to diversify revenues, and securing ongoing funding for critical public services and infrastructure.

Belmont is once again the proud recipient of the Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, and the GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.

A City for All

Our City’s Parks and Recreation Department offers Belmont community of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds unique opportunities to experience physical, emotional, and intellectual growth. Earlier this fall, Belmont was designated as an Age-Friendly City by the World Health Organization (WHO) for its commitment to being a welcoming community for people of all ages.

We had a successful return to our summer camps, aquatics and a year of delivering events and providing opportunities for our residents and their guests to actively participate in their community.

Public Safety

Our Police Department continues the tradition of community OUTREACH, COORDINATION, and ASSISTANCE with many events and activities throughout the year. We continue our partnership with community by holding emergency preparedness engagements with the community such as the Firewise workshop and SMC Fire providing CERT Training of nine new members of our community.

In the link below, we encourage you to learn more about our accomplishments in 2022.

City Council & Award Winners

Speaking of you, thank you Belmont voters for participating in our district voting for the first time and we welcome our newest councilmembers: Gina Latimerlo and Robin Pang-Maganaris to four-year terms. Our Mayor Julia Mates made Belmont history this year, becoming the first ELECTED female mayor, and congratulations to Davina Hurt for being selected as our City’s Vice Mayor. Thank you also to voters for their approval of the hotel tax ballot measure adjusting the TOT rate from 12 percent to 14 percent to provide essential City services.

Congratulations to our 2022 Community Service Award winners Ardythe Andrews, Adele Carney, Lois Peterson and a special thank you to Bill and Diane Piedemonte. Our 2022 Beautiful Belmont winners we applaud you: MidPen Housing’s Firehouse Square, Ladera Garden and Gifts, and our homeowners at 1221 Irwin Street, 1706 Pine Knoll Drive, and 801 Holly Road, you all make Belmont a beautiful and welcoming place to call home.

Serving Belmont

I also like to thank and acknowledge the City of Belmont staff members who dedicate their time and efforts to make Belmont a special place. Despite the challenges of the last three years, Belmont has been ready and resilient. Balancing short-term response and long-term investment will remain a priority for our organization through 2023 and beyond.

This is our final Enews of the year and as our staff prepares for our offices to close from Dec. 26 to Jan. 2, our year’s story wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t thank those who joined us at community events this year. We loved getting to know you again at our Lunar New Year, National Night Out, Summer Concert Series, Halloween and Holiday events, and of course, as last night’s dazzling Santa Parade. Your smiling faces and welcoming good nature keeps us motivated all year long.

I wish you a wonderful, warm, and joy-filled holiday season. See you next year.

Afshin Oskoui
City Manager

Year in Review 2022 Presentation

View the complete 2022 Year in Review in any of these formats:

Presentation Recorded Video
Presentation PDF with Notes
Presentation Video (No notes or narration)

2021 Onward: Our Path to Resilience

2021 was another extraordinarily challenging year, which started with a cautious reemergence into a world still churning from the effects of a pandemic. Despite the uncertainty and changes of living with COVID-19, the Belmont community continued to rise to the challenge in 2021.  As the City wraps up this noteworthy year, it’s an ideal time to review and assess our many accomplishments and progress.  

Under the City Council's continued calm and deliberate leadership to move “Onward”, Belmont worked to manage the effects of the pandemic on our community, and all the while addressing our strategic plan focus areas: infrastructure and mobility, economic development and housing, fiscal and organizational stability, public safety, and quality of life. City of Belmont staff and the community never wavered as we all continued to navigate many of the same challenges from 2020 and other obstacles. I could not be more proud of Belmont.

Despite these challenging times, the Council affirmed its belief in the power of shared knowledge with information sharing and community engagement as a priority. Over 700 residents participated in “Your Voice, Your Belmont” survey with feedback that has been vital to our priority setting in maintaining  the City’s financial stability and essential services. The community told us that they value the quality of life that the City of Belmont provides and that maintaining the current level of public works, public safety, and other essential City services is important to them. We are listening and will continue to work to maintain the quality of life you expect and deserve.

What will 2022 bring? Only time will tell but suffice it to say that 2021 was an active and interesting year by any measurable standard. The City continued to serve Belmont residents, and each other with grace and distinction while valuing our diversity.  For that, I am eternally grateful and excited to share this look back at what we accomplished together in 2021. We thank the City Council, Belmont community, and City staff for the continued support to provide the best services possible!  Please take a moment to see some highlights of the amazing work accomplished by #TeamBelmont in and around our community over the course of 2021. 

Year in Review

2020 A Year Like No Other

The City of Belmont is proud to highlight the 2020 Year in Review, a year like no other. A glance that offers a snapshot of the City’s accomplishments and accolades for the year.  

Under the City Council's calm and deliberate leadership, the City has been working hard to manage the effects of the pandemic on our community, and all the while addressing our housing, critical infrastructure, economic recovery, and quality of life needs of the community.  

As part of annual planning process, on March 11, 2020, the Council met with staff to collaborative and create a strategic plan to address Belmont’s critical issues which generated five Strategic Focus Areas to build on our continued momentum and success. A unified vision for the future uses the City’s vision and the following City Council focus areas as its roadmap for action. Some highlights in these focus areas are as follows.  

Forward progress is never easy, but #TeamBelmontGetsitDone. We thank the City Council, community, and staff for their support!  Watch the 2020 highlights below. 

Year in Review PPT

2019 at a Glance

The City of Belmont is proud to highlight the 2019 Year in Review, a glance that offers a snapshot of the City’s accomplishments and accolades for the year. Our focus has been to preserve our past while planning for tomorrow.

A printable version of the Year in Review is available here. 

During 2019, the City took strides and received recognition for its efforts in, sound financial reporting, public safety, LGBTQ inclusion, technology, housing, city planning, community preparedness, sustainability, and economic development.

The following are just a few of the City’s major accomplishments in 2019:

• Council Adopted Economic Development Implementation Action Plan and approved a dedicated Economic Development and Housing Manager position.
• In 2019 Three affordable housing projects in Belmont were awarded San Mateo County Affordable Housing Fund, totaling $8,050,000.
• Over 100 residential condos and 15000 sf of commercial space were brought on line with the completion of the Ashton and Belmino developments on El Camino Real.
• The Artisan Crossing broke ground in November, adding an additional 250 residential apartments, and 2,000 sq. feet of community use flex space.
• The Firehouse Square Project was entitled/approved in October– adding 81 new housing units, and 3700 sf commercial space, a signature downtown development (Anticipated Construction Start Fall 2020).
• Over $19 million in pavement, drainage, sewer, and transportation projects were under construction in 2019, investing in our quality of life by building and maintaining the foundation of our City.
• Focused on quality recreation and park improvements by:
  • Completing the O’Donnell Park Playground improvements, and first ever Twin Pines Park Masterplan.
  • Advanced community engagement by completing the conceptual design for a new Belmont Community Center at Barrett; and
  • Completed the plans and financing to begin construction of the sports fields improvements at Belmont Sports Complex.

We thank the City Council, Belmont Community, and staff for their support!