City Manager’s Update
Brian Dossey, City Manager
At the April 13th and 27th Council meetings, staff presented the Town’s FY2022-23 operating budget and proposed FY2022-23 Capital Improvement budget (CIP) to the City Council and received positive feedback and recommended changes for the next study session on the budget. Staff will bring the budget back to the City Council for further study on May 11, 2022, and we would like to hear your input and feedback on the budget. Please join us at the May 11, 2022 City Council meeting as staff presents the third budget study session which will include Council’s feedback and recommendations from the April budget meetings. The Town will have the Fiscal Year 2022-23 Budget Public Hearing at the June 8th meeting where the Council will consider the Budget for adoption.
We also hope to see you at our first Israeli Flag raising event celebrating Israel’s independence on Thursday, May 5 at 10:00am at the Colma Community Center, 1520 Hillside Blvd. Colma. Light refreshments will be served.
Also, since spring is here and summer is just around the corner, it is time to start thinking about cleaning out those garages and closets, removing old Household Hazardous Waste products. Household hazardous waste are items such as paints, chemical cleaners, fertilizers or pesticides, and automotive supplies like oil and fluids. San Mateo County hosts FREE household hazardous waste drop off events all over the County each month. All drop off events require appointments, for more information on how to dispose of household hazardous waste or make an appointment, please visit smchealth.org/hhw or call 650-372-6200.
Lastly, we would like to wish all the moms in Colma a Happy Mother’s Day!
Planning Department Update
Farhad Mortazavi, City Planner
The Planning Department is currently working on the following projects. If you have any questions, contact the Planning Department at (650) 757-8888.
Colma’s Current Planning Section Projects Update
The Current Planning Section processes all residential, commercial, and cemetery-related proposals. To exemplify a few, the following projects are currently in process or have been completed: the Cadillac dealership is near completion as it is permitted for occupancy and the site is filled with new cars inventory; Kia dealership moved into Colma in December 2021, and façade and roof modifications are currently taking place; and staff is working on the replacement for Acura Dealership.
Colma Adopts Organic Disposal Reduction Ordinance
The subject ordinance was reviewed and adopted by the City Council on October 13, 2021, amending Colma’s Municipal Code by adding the ordinance mandated by State of California. The purpose of the ordinance is to reduce, reuse, and recycle (including composting) solid waste that is generated in Colma. The Town’s sustainability planner is continuously putting effort, including collaboration with Town’s cemeteries for the distribution of the compost for landscaping purposes.
Town’s General Plan Update
Colma’s General Plan Update (GPU) and its associated Environmental Impact Report were processed by the Planning Department. The City Council approved and adopted the GPU on March 23, 2022. You can view the documents by visiting https://www.colma.ca.gov/general-plan-update/.
Town’s Housing Element Update
Town’s Planning Department is putting more efforts into the Housing Element Update (HEU) since the General Plan Update was completed, and major efforts have been made to include the public outreach by providing a survey, and participating in three different community events. The Town presented the housing inventory to the State Housing and Community Development Agency (HCD) on April 22 2022, and will forward the first draft of the HEU to HCD in June 2022 for their 90-days review of the document, after the review by the City Council. The HEU is scheduled to be finalized and the final HEU is to be forwarded to HCD by January 2023.