June 1, 2013 Supporters for keeping the San Mateo rink open
Updates:
WE WON!!!! BRIDGEPOINTE ICE RINK TO BE RENAMED NAZARETH ICE RINK-SAN MATEO!
SOFT OPENING SEPTEMBER 2017
FORMAL OPENING SUNDAY OCTOBER 1 AT 3:00 PM.
EVERYONE IS WELCOME. INVITE YOUR FRIENDS!
RIBBON CUTTING, GIVE AWAYS, FOOD AND OF COURSE FREESKATE!
MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW!!! SEE YOU ON THE ICE!
WE WON! AFTER FOUR LONG YEARS, WE SAVED OUR RINK!
DAVID CAN BEAT GOLIATH, AND WE DID!
SPI OFFER OF 8 MILLION TURNED DOWN BY PLANNING COMMISSION
PLEASE READ ABOUT OUR NEXT STEPS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP.
THANK YOU.
This week the San Mateo planning commission recommended to deny the developer's request to demolish the rink for 8 million dollars (3-2 vote) and that recommendation now goes to the City Council who we believe will likely take the money. This meeting is set for March 20th.
There is an effort towards the building of A Mid-Peninsula Regional Ice Center in Burlingame, and although we support that effort, we are also not giving up on saving the Bridgepointe Ice Rink.
Important Ways You can Help:
PLEASE ATTEND THESE MEETINGS:
1. NEXT TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST, SAN MATEO CITY HALL, 220 West 20th Avenue 6:30-9:00
Council is reviewing their top priorities and Building a Regional Rink is one of Joe Goethals Top Priorities for this year.
San Mateo residents, please come and speak for 3 minutes on the importance of having a rink in San Mateo County.
Joe is working hard in trying to get the Mid-Peninsula Regional Ice Center off the ground (possibly built in Burlingame).
Please speak to the importance of the rink. This meeting is not related to the final decision of whether or not the council will accept the 8 million dollars.
2. Tuesday, March 20th 7:00 PM San Mateo City Hall, 220 West 20th Avenue,
The Big Decision...will they take the money and demolish the rink? We need everyone to speak on the importance of the rink.
Prepare for a long evening and bring your friends. We need huge attendance at this meeting.
3. Wednesday, March 21st, 7:00 PM, Burlingame City Hall. 501 Primrose Road, Burlingame 6:30 PM
Burlingame City Council will consider the Mid-Peninsula Regional Ice Rink Proposal.
Please write letters to San Mateo City Council and the newspapers and let them know how you feel...whether you support taking the money or not...and that if they decide to take the money all of it should go to a new ice rink. If it weren't for our combined efforts, the dollar amount could very likely be at a million dollars (toilet in the park and synthetic turf). We've all worked hard fighting the good fight, and the ice rink community should benefit from all of our hard work.
Please take some time to write a letter to the council and newspapers:
EMAIL ADDRESSES OF CITY COUNCILMEMBERS: (email them all at once)
PlanningCommission@cityofsanmateo.org
_____________________________________
CONTACT INFO FOR LOCAL PAPERS:
OK to email same letter to all three papers. (email them one at a time)
Submit letters and opinions!
SAN MATEO DAILY JOURNAL
Email: letters@smdailyjournal.com
Mail: 800 S. Claremont St. Ste. 210, San Mateo, CA 94402
Letters to the Editor should be no longer that 250 words. Perspective columns should be no longer than 750 words. Illegibly written and anonymous letters will not be accepted. Please include a daytime phone number where we can reach you.
PALO ALTO DAILY POST
Email: letters@padailypost.com
Please limit letters to 250 words or less. Shorter letters are printed first and edited least. Include your first and last name along with your address and phone number. Of course, your address and phone number will not be printed.
MERCURY NEWS
E-mail: letters@mercurynews.com
Requirements: 150 words or less; no attachments; include your name, address and daytime phone. Letters will be edited for length and clarity. Street addresses and phone numbers are not published. The Mercury News reserves the right to publish and republish your submission in any form or medium.
Please email us with any ideas or suggestions. The team working on this is looking for corporate donors to help with the development of the Mid-Peninsula Regional Ice Rink. Our email address is: savesanmateorink@gmail.com.
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NEW MEETING DATE! MONDAY NOVEMBER 7th, 7:00 PM SAN MATEO CITY HALL, 330 W 20th Avenue, San Mateo
On Monday night, November 7th, 2016 (evening before election) the San Mateo City Council will consider whether or not to allow SPI to submit a new proposal and waive the one-year waiting period.
At this meeting on November 7th meeting, the only decision that will be made is whether or not to allow the developer to present his new offer and waive his 1 year waiting period requirement. (Please keep in mind that there will be other things on the agenda so this item may be later in the meeting. Agenda has not yet been posted.)
If the council votes yes at this meeting, Dennis Wong and SPI will be allowed to propose a new offer and we will need a big turnout at the future Planning Commission and City Council meetings in early 2017.
Our position is simple: We want the Bridgepointe Ice Rink to reopen. If the city decides to accept any money from SPI, we ask the council to allocate 100% of those funds accepted by the city in exchange for the demolishment of the rink, to go towards the building of a new regional rink which will cost over 15 million without the land.
We hope to see many of you at the November 7th Meeting. City Hall: 330 West 20th Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94403
The Save the Rink Committee
__________________
MORE INFORMATION FROM THE CITY'S WEBSITE:
Project Update:
Bridgepointe Master Plan Amendment - Request from SPI Holdings LLC, to Waive One-Year (1-Year) Limitation on Reapplication for a Previously Denied Project and Waiver of Pre-Application Planning Process.
On September 15, 2016, SPI Holdings LLC (SPI) submitted a letter requesting that the City Council:
Waive the one-year (1-year) limitation on reapplication for a previously denied project pursuant to Municipal Code Section 27.08.060(b), and permit SPI to reapply for approval of the Project; and
Waive the requirement for a preliminary neighborhood meeting and Planning Commission study session whenever the one-year (1-year) limitation has been waived.
This matter is scheduled for a City Council hearing on Monday, November 7, 2016 in the City Hall Council Chambers, 330 West 20th Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94403.
Additional information regarding this hearing:
Materials for this meeting will be posted on the Public Meeting Portal by 5:00 p.m. the Friday before the meeting.
The applicant has also provided information indicating what would be included in this reapplication in a letter dated October 17, 2016. However, the City Council meeting on November 7 will NOTpertain to the merits of this proposal, but will only address the ability of SPI to submit the proposal within the normal one-year (1 year) time limitation.
September 6, 2016 UPDATE
No new news at this time. We continue to seek ways to bring more ice to the peninsula. In the meantime, however, we ask everyone to once again start writing letters to the local papers to let them know how important it is that we have an ice rink in our community. Share your stories. Please email or mail your letters to the following addresses and let the papers know how important it is that we have places for our kids to go, especially an ice rink!!
SAN MATEO DAILY JOURNAL
Email: letters@smdailyjournal.com
Mail: 800 S. Claremont St. Ste. 210, San Mateo, CA 94402
Letters to the Editor should be no longer that 250 words. Perspective columns should be no longer than 750 words. Illegibly written and anonymous letters will not be accepted. Please include a daytime phone number where we can reach you.
MERCURY NEWS
E-mail: letters@mercurynews.com
Requirements: 150 words or less; no attachments; include your name, address and daytime phone. Letters will be edited for length and clarity. Street addresses and phone numbers are not published. The Mercury News reserves the right to publish and republish your submission in any form or medium.
PALO ALTO DAILY POST
Email: letters@padailypost.com
Please limit letters to 250 words or less. Shorter letters are printed first and edited least. Include your first and last name along with your address and phone number. Of course your address and phone number will not be printed.
Thank you! We need your ongoing help with this. Thank you for helping us continue to fight the good fight!
July 23, 2016 UPDATE
There is no new news on our efforts to reopen the rink. We anticipate that the developer will propose an alternative recreational use to replace the rink. As you know, he is not allowed to put in retail shops. If and when that happens, we will need everyone to attend the Planning Commission meeting and let the commissioners know that this is unacceptable. The Bridgepointe Ice Rink was the promise to the community and the only reason that the language "alternative recreational uses" was added to one of the documents was if the developer could not find an operator. This is not the case! We know of several operators who are ready to operate the rink. We will continue to work on all of our options and leave no stone left unturned.
Please email us with questions or ideas: savesanmateorink@gmail.com. Thank you.
PLEASE HELP US BY DONATING TO THE FUNDRAISER TO HELP WITH LEGAL EXPENSES!
Please consider a donation of any amount to help us keep our land use attorney, Camas Steinmetz.
Although we have two outstanding pro bono attorneys, Andrea Gothing and Li Zhu of the law firm
Robins Kaplan, we still need the specific expertise required of an attorney who understands the city process and
the law surrounding complicated land use issues. We won round 1. We need your help so we can win round 2 and get this rink up and running. Please help us. Thank you!
Three Ways to Donate:
2. Paypal: Go to http://www.savesanmateorink.com/ Click Donate on top of page and make your donation using PayPal.
3. Donate by Check: Send donations of any amount to:
Save San Mateo Rink
205 De Anza Blvd, #287
San Mateo, CA 94402-3989
WE WON! THE LAND USE OF ICE RINK ONLY REMAINS UNCHANGED!
OUR BATTLE CONTINUES TO GET THE ICE RINK REOPENED.
The City Attorney of San Mateo has told developer he doesn't have to operate it due to the word "operating" missing from a legal document of the 90's.
Our next battle: Reopen the Rink! The fight continues!
SPI OFFERS ADDITIONAL MILLION TO PAL
Ice rink site owner ups cash offer:
San Mateo’s Bridgepointe seeks retail instead of recreational use
San Mateo Daily Journal 4/16/18
PAL is a great organization. However, this one time offer doesn't replace the ongoing recreational benefit to the community that SPI has taken away by forcing the closure of the rink. We are counting on the city council to do the right thing and deny the request.
CITY STAFF RECOMMENDS CITY COUNCIL DENY REQUEST! San Mateo Daily Journal 4/15/18
The Planning Commission voted 5-0 in December to deny the request.
The city must use the Planning Commission's recommendation.
Council advised to deny rink replacement plan: San Mateo staff recommends siding with Planning Commission on Bridgepointe plan
The Real Bridgepointe Solution 3:
The Future is On Ice.
Shopping Centers are dying. They need something unique and special to attract people to them like an ice rink.
NEWEST VIDEO!
THE BRIDGEPOINTE SOLUTION 2: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
Watch the important parts of the December 8th Planning Commission meeting where all 5 Planning Commissioners VOTED NO on the developer's request to demolish the rink! The future of the ice rink now goes to The City Council on
Monday, April 18th 7:00 PM, San Mateo City Hall:
330 West 20th Avenue in San Mateo.
We need a huge public turnout!
Please join us for an hour or two!
Thank you!
SPI HOLDINGS HAS PUT OUT A MISLEADING VIDEO.
THIS IS OUR VIDEO RESPONSE WITH THE FACTS.
PLEASE WATCH!
SAVE THE DATE! MONDAY, APRIL 18TH 7:00 PM IMPORTANT CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MONDAY, APRIL 18TH 7:00 PM
San Mateo City Hall, 330 West 20th Avenue, City Council Chambers in San Mateo
DECISION TIME!!!
We need everyone there and for San Mateo residents and ice rink supporters to speak! Please plan on attending!
Questions? Email us at savesanmateorink@gmail.com
Please print flyer and handout to friends and supporters! Post this on bulletinboards, leave in waiting rooms, etc. Help us spread the word about the important meeting!
SAVE THE RINK ACTION CHECKLIST!
1. Sign the petition: Link Below
2. Join our facebook group: Save Bridgepoint Ice Rink, San Mateo, CA
3. Join our email list: email us at savesanmateorink@gmail.com and write "join" in subject.
4. Donate to our fundraiser: Please donate what you can to help us with our legal expense fund. Donate tab top left
5. Print Flyer on APRIL 18TH MEETING (note change of date!) date and tell everyone you know who cares about this rink to show up for this very important City Council meeting.
PLEASE ATTEND MEETING!
6. Write letters to all of the local newspapers on why this rink is important to keep for our growing community. Email addresses are under "How You Can Help." Also, email the City Councilmembers and let them know why keeping this rink is important to you!
7. Visit our YouTube Channel to watch our story: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkqkYdeiq_nmeUHUPg4_9Nw
_________
EMAIL ADDRESSES OF CITY COUNCILMEMBERS: (email them all at once)
jgoethals@cityofsanmateo.org
dlim@cityofsanmateo.org
mfreschet@cityofsanmateo.org
rbonilla@cityofsanmateo.org
Dpapan@cityofsanmateo.org
PlanningCommission@cityofsanmateo.org
_____________________________________
CONTACT INFO FOR LOCAL PAPERS:
OK to email same letter to all three papers. (email them one at a time)
Submit letters and opinions!
SAN MATEO DAILY JOURNAL
Email: letters@smdailyjournal.com
Mail: 800 S. Claremont St. Ste. 210, San Mateo, CA 94402
Letters to the Editor should be no longer that 250 words. Perspective columns should be no longer than 750 words. Illegibly written and anonymous letters will not be accepted. Please include a daytime phone number where we can reach you.
MERCURY NEWS
E-mail: letters@mercurynews.com
Requirements: 150 words or less; no attachments; include your name, address and daytime phone. Letters will be edited for length and clarity. Street addresses and phone numbers are not published. The Mercury News reserves the right to publish and republish your submission in any form or medium.
PALO ALTO DAILY POST
Email: letters@padailypost.com
Please limit letters to 250 words or less. Shorter letters are printed first and edited least. Include your first and last name along with your address and phone number. Of course your address and phone number will not be printed.
Thank you!
WE WON ROUND ONE!!!
DECEMBER 8TH PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING: ALL FIVE PLANNING COMMISSIONERS VOTE NO ON CHANGING THE LAND USE TO RETAIL!
VOTE 5-0 TO KEEP THE ICE RINK LAND USE DESIGNATION.
RECOMMENDATION GOES ON TO CITY COUNCIL FOR FINAL VOTE
DATE TBD SAN MATEO CITY HALL.
PLEASE HELP US WITH OUR FUNDRAISER! WE'VE RETAINED AN EXCELLENT LAND USE ATTORNEY AND NEED HER EXPERTISE TO HELP US WIN! PLEASE DONATE WHAT YOU CAN TO HELP US COVER OUR EXPENSES:
https://www.tilt.com/tilts/save-the-bridgepointe-ice-rink
San Jose Mercury News Internal Affairs Blog, Aaron Kinney
May 15, 2015
"Singer Associates rep Adam Alberti insisted that the rink has been vacant since May 2013 because the operator, Ice Center Enterprises, couldn’t make the business work and walked away. This is more or less equivalent to calling the earth flat."
Full article will be in next Sunday's Mercury News (May 24th).
Please leave comments on line.
We have a guest perspective in today's Daily Journal written by Julie McAuliffe.
May 4, 2015
Please read the article and add your comments in support of the rink!
SPIs Proposal to Tear Down Rink on City Planning Website
April 3, 2015
SPI has submitted additional information to their Proposal since Wednesday, which includes architectural drawings of the "new" building, photos of the old building, a storm water report, a title report, and a few other things.
We will continue to post updates here as new information is added to the planning website.
You can also subscribe via the San Mateo City Notification system to receive updates directly from the city.
URGENT ACTION: SPI Submits New Proposal to Tear Down Rink
WE NEED YOU!
TO POST COMMENTS SHOWING YOUR SUPPORT OF THE RINK TO THIS ARTICLE!
BREAKING NEWS! from the San Jose Mercury News :
San Mateo Developer Resubmits Controversial Plan to Tear Down Ice Rink
April 1, 2015 - this is NO APRIL FOOLS joke!
According to Aaron Kinney's article:
"The owner of Bridgepointe Shopping Center has submitted a new application to replace a beloved ice-skating rink with one or more retail stores, despite the San Mateo Planning Commission's rejection last year of a nearly identical plan."
Read and comment on today's (April 2, 2015) article in the Daily Journal:
Sandhill Properties Understand the Value of an Ice Rink
March 26, 2015
San Jose Mercury News
Cupertino: Vallco Mall's New Owners Begin Long Journey to Revitalizing Property.
The Bridgepointe Ice Rink draws shoppers to the centerand enriches the broader San Mateo community. Reed Moulds, managing director of Sand Hill Properties (the original Bridgepointe developer), said of their $2 billion planned retail and mixed use redevelopment of Vallco Shopping Center:
We are hearing from the community that they want entertainment-oriented retail at Vallco and a mix of uses where people can live, work, shop and play," Moulds says. "Entertainment venues like theaters, bowling, fitness and ice skating will be key to a real downtown for all Cupertino residents to enjoy, and we plan to include them."
Why We Need to Keep the Rink!
March 8, 2015
Read this letter the committee sent to the to the San Mateo Planning Commissioners in May 2014 explaining why keeping a rink in the city is vital to the community!
The Rink is Still Closed
February 21, 2015
The rink is still at Bridgepointe but is currently closed.
SPI, LLC (the developer/ownder) is required to file a formal change to the existing Bridgepointe Master Plan in order make any changes to the rink.
SPI and it's owner, Dennis Wong have not filed any new planning applications.
Legal battle heats up - we need your help!
Please help us keep our land use attorney by making a donation on this website to our legal expense fund. We are fighting a developer with deep pockets. Any amount is appreciated and will help. Thank you.
The fate of The Bridgepointe Ice Rink will ultimately be decided by the San Mateo City Council.
They have the power to keep the rink
for the community.
SPI Holdings, LLC forced the closure of the Bridgepointe Rink on June 1, 2012 by not renewing a full term lease to the rink operator.
The rink was profitable.
The Rink remains closed to this day.
San Mateo has lost a valuable community
recreational amenity.
We are asking the San Mateo Planning Commission, and the San Mateo City Council who will vote on any final decision, to once again stand firm and deny any changes to the Bridgepointe Master Plan, insist that the rink be immediately reopened and stop depriving the community of this valuable resource in the same way the Planning Commission and City Council did in 1997 and 1998.
We believe this is the right conclusion not only because it’s what thousands of San Matean’s want but also because it’s the right thing to do for property owners and the City of San Mateo.