The planning of Downtown San Mateo continues to draw large crowds. On August 1st, the City hosted its third Taste and Talk Forum that focused on design. Two panelists, Amit Price Patel from SITELAB and Aaron Aknin, the Assistant City Manager of Redwood City, emphasized the need to plan for transit-oriented development with a good balance of retail, office space, cultural amenities, parks and affordable housing. We call these communities, healthy communities! On August 28th, the City hosted a workshop to get feedback on three alternatives for the Downtown Area Plan as part of their effort to inform, educate, and learn from stakeholders.