This week's Atherton Online features: 

• Housing Element Updates
• Holbrook Palmer Park Tennis Court Updates
• Fill Sandbags at Holbrook Palmer Park 
• Serve on a Town Committee 
• Take the Holbrook Palmer Park Playground Survey before January 31
• Explore a Cave at the Atherton Library on January 27
• Election News and Information
• Give Input to Shape C/CAG's New Bike and Scooter Share Program 

Housing Element Updates

The Town's Housing Element web pages have undergone an informative refresh! Check out the new design and helpful content, complete with FAQs and information on multi-family housing, ADUs, inclusionary housing and more! 

 Stay up to date with the Town’s next steps towards submitting its Housing Element: 

-? Late January/early February: CEQA analysis of potential multifamily sites available for public comment

- February: City Council to consider inclusionary housing ordinance

- Late February/early March: City Council to determine sites for multifamily housing and vote on adopting the finalized 2023-2031 Housing Element Update 

Visit https://bit.ly/3S4eMWz to learn more about Atherton's Housing Element Update today! 

Plus, join the Town at an upcoming community workshop on Monday, January 29, at 6PM in Council Chambers and held both in person and remote. This workshop builds on the topics identified by community members at previous public meetings and provides an overview of multi-family design and development standards for further consideration. This is an opportunity for community members to provide additional input on concepts and guide further refinement before the Town considers adopting policies at public meetings with the Planning Commission and City Council. Please reach out to Brittany Bendix, Town Planner at bbendix@ci.atherton.ca.us for further information. 

Holbrook Palmer Park Tennis Court Updates

Interested in pickleball? The Town has started a pickleball trial at Holbrook Palmer Park. Court One at the Holbrook Palmer Park tennis courts has been striped to accommodate pickleball and tennis usage. Pickleball reservations are available daily until 12:00 PM (noon) and on Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting at 5:00 PM. Reservations are required and reservable through the online reservation system hosted by Player Capital: https://sites.onlinecourtreservations.com

Important note on accessing the courts for both tennis and pickleball:

• Tennis keys are required to access the courts and to make reservations.
• Current tennis key holders may access the courts and reservation system as usual until February 15.
• The annual lock change is scheduled for February 15. Keys are available for advance purchase beginning January 23, 2024.

Contact:

• For questions regarding key purchases, please call our Administration Department at 650-752-0500.
• For questions regarding court reservations, please contact Player Capital Tennis by emailing admin@playercapital.com or calling 650-275-3027.
• For questions regarding the pickleball trial, please contact Will Burse, Maintenance Manager, at wburse@ci.atherton.ca.us

Fill Sandbags at Holbrook Palmer Park

Sandbags remain available at the self-service sandbag station at Holbrook-Palmer Park, 150 Watkins Avenue, in the rear parking lot—a limit of 5 sandbags per residence.
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For best practices on correctly placing sandbags, handling, proper disposal, and reuse of sandbags, visit the Town's winter weather preparedness website by clicking here.

Serve on a Town Committee 

Your participation is critical to the City Council’s and Town staff’s success in serving the community. A great way to participate is by joining one of the citizen advisory bodies established by our City Council. Currently, we are accepting applications to join the Transportation, Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee and the Parks and Recreation Committee.

Volunteering to serve on one of the Town’s committees is a great opportunity to learn about local government, help influence decisions, and provide recommendations to City leaders. Learn more about the commitment below:

Transportation, Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Committee – 1 Vacancy 

The City Council will appoint one (1) applicant to the committee:

• Meetings are held as needed on the fourth Tuesday of every other month at 4:00 pm.  Special meetings may be called as needed throughout the year.
• Member appointment will be for a term expiring June 2026.  

Parks and Recreation Committee – 1 Vacancy 

The City Council will appoint one (1) applicant to the committee:

• Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 pm.   Special meetings may be called as needed throughout the year;
• Member appointment will be for a term expiring June 2026.  

Applications can be accessed online by clicking here or at Town Hall and submitted in the Office of the City Clerk at 80 Fair Oaks Lane, Atherton, CA 94027. 

The deadline to submit all applications is Friday, February 16, 2024, by 12:00 p.m.

Take the Holbrook Palmer Park Playground Replacement Survey before January 31

We are embarking on a journey to revamp the playground at Holbrook-Palmer Park, and want YOUR input to make it truly extraordinary! We've already heard from many of you and thank you for the great response to our survey so far. If you haven't had the chance to take the survey, please do before January 31, 2024. Together, let's create a playground that sparks joy and laughter for generations to come! Access the survey by clicking here. 

Explore a Cave at the Atherton Library on January 27

Have you ever thought about getting into cave exploration or "spelunking?" Visit our libraries in January for an opportunity to learn about caves and test your careful-explorer skills with CaveSim, an all-in-one portable caving experience! 

Participating library locations, including the Atherton Library, are excited to host this interactive experience where all ages can crawl and climb through CaveSim to learn about caves and test their careful-explorer skills. As you crawl your way through 60 feet of artificial cave passage, you will learn about responsible caving while trying to preserve delicate cave "formations." The event at the Atherton Library will be on January 27 from 10 AM to 5 PM. 

For those of you who'd like to practice climbing skills, experience vertical caving in a 12-foot tower. You'll also get hands-on practice with a cave rescue stretcher, a working cave rescue phone and learn about bat biology. While the cave is not wheelchair accessible, some children who use wheelchairs have explored CaveSim by crawling through the simulation.

Election News and Information

On March 5, 2024 there's a Presidential Primary Election. Voting is open from February 5 - March 5. We'll be featuring important news and information related to the election weekly. If there's information that you don't see here, check out the County's Elections site by clicking here.

Crossover Voting for the Presidential Primary on March 5

All voters can vote in the Presidential Primary Election on March 5, 2024, but voting for a presidential candidate and county central committees depends on the political party you are registered with. Learn more by clicking here. 

• If you are registered to vote with a political party, you will receive a ballot that contains presidential candidates for that party only.  
• If you are registered as a No Party Preference voter, you will receive a nonpartisan ballot, which will not include candidates for U.S. President unless you request a different ballot.  Some parties will allow you to crossover and vote for their presidential candidates.  The American Independent, Democratic and Libertarian parties will allow you to crossover and vote for their presidential candidates. 

Ballot Box Location

There will be a temporary indoor drop box from February 1, 2024 through March 5, 2024 at City Hall, 80 Fair Oaks. Find all vote center and ballot box locations online by clicking here.

Be an Election Worker

The San Mateo County Registration and Elections Division is seeking seasonal Election Workers to assist in the upcoming March 5, 2024 Presidential Primary Election. This is an excellent non-partisan opportunity to be involved in the election process. Learn more and apply by clicking here.