Foster City Islander Article - 07-25-2007
|
Charter Public |
Phyllis Moore, President, Foster City High School Foundation |
|
Value of Integrating Ed Center into Civic Center
Last week the City Council selected a developer for part of the Civic Center site. Congratulations to the City Council, the City staff, the Sares Regis Group and its Senior Vice President John Igoe, a long-time Foster City resident. Sares Regis is already working with the City on redevelopment of the Pilgrim-Triton area.
Three groups competed for the Civic Center project. The Foundation discussed the high school plans with each of them before they submitted their preliminary concepts to the City. We strongly encouraged each developer to creatively integrate the education facility into the overall development, reflecting the major national trend of building “community schools” that, “¼fully integrate their educational programs, as well as their architecture, with the neighborhood” (quoted from New Schools–Better Neighborhoods, www.nsbn.org; see Schools as Centers of Community: A Citizen’s Guide to Planning and Design,www.edfacilities.org/pubs/scc_publication.pdf). Urban planners refer to such structures as “mixed-use” buildings.
Foster City is already considering mixed-use designs as part of its Pilgrim-Triton redevelopment project. The current proposal integrates commercial, housing, and retail uses. “It's the kind of neighborhood you read about in planning journals these days,” according to Community Development Director Rick Marks (quoted from a Redwood City Daily News article,www.redwoodcitydailynews.com/article/2007-1-3-fc-pilgrim).
Mixed-use structures make the most sense because they make the most efficient use of scarce and valuable urban land. For our Civic Center development, mixed-use buildings will translate into more tax revenue for Foster City, greater profits for Sares Regis, and significant cost savings in the construction of the Community Educational Center/High School.
The Foundation and Envision Schools look forward to working on this project with Sares Regis and the City.
Contact me at phyllismoore1@comcast.net or 650-349-5676
