FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 

SAN BRUNO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AWARDS

$500,000 GRANT TO THE CITY OF SAN BRUNO TO FUND CENTENNIAL PLAZA IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

Strategic Grant is the Foundation’s Latest Effort to Support Downtown San Bruno as an Important Economic and Cultural Center

San Bruno, California, November 9, 2022 – The Board of Directors of the San Bruno Community Foundation recently approved a $500,000 strategic grant to the City of San Bruno to support the Centennial Plaza Improvement Project in downtown San Bruno. As part of its efforts to enhance and beautify San Mateo Avenue, the City plans to renovate Centennial Plaza and create a welcoming gathering space for outdoor dining, entertainment, and community events.

With the assistance of Callander Associates Landscape Architecture, the City has developed plans to transform Centennial Plaza, which is located at the intersection of Jenevein Avenue and San Mateo Avenue, from a currently underutilized, roped-off site to a landscaped focal point for activity in the downtown core. The conceptual design includes a flexible plaza area, a small stage, café-style seating, picnic tables, a play area, festoon lighting, and landscaping, among other features (see rendering below).

“We believe the Centennial Plaza Improvement Project will provide significant community benefits to the residents of San Bruno, creating a downtown community hub showcasing San Mateo Avenue as a vibrant commercial district and community gathering space,” said Malissa Netane-Jones, President of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. “We are proud to support the City’s plans to revitalize the downtown area by developing Centennial Plaza. This grant demonstrates the Foundation’s ongoing support for downtown San Bruno as an important economic and cultural neighborhood for the benefit of our community.”

Pending further approvals from the San Bruno City Council, the Centennial Plaza Improvement Project should proceed to the construction documents development stage in early 2023, with construction targeted to begin in the late summer or early fall and to be completed in early 2024.

“The City of San Bruno deeply appreciates the San Bruno Community Foundation’s financial support for the Centennial Plaza Improvement Project. This funding is key to ensuring that we are able to create a truly useable plaza and event hub for activities in the downtown, which we hope will serve as a catalyst for additional improvement projects in the area.” said Ann Mottola, Community Services Director for the City of San Bruno. “As a place for people to congregate, rest, eat a meal, chat with friends, and attend a performance, Centennial Plaza will benefit the surrounding downtown businesses, their customers, and the community at large for years to come.”

The Centennial Plaza Improvement Project grant is the Foundation’s latest investment in projects benefiting downtown San Bruno. Other investments have included COVID-19 relief grants totaling $407,000 supporting struggling San Bruno small businesses; the Pedestrian Safety Strategic Initiative, which funded flashing beacons at high pedestrian traffic intersections including one set on San Mateo Avenue; grants supporting the 2022 and 2023 Community Day festivities, which are now held in downtown San Bruno and showcase local businesses and other community organizations; and several Community Grants that have invested in