Survey and pop‑ups show strong appetite for small‑scale vibrancy and safety; housing remains contested

Good City Company and Urban Field Studio summarized the first round of engagement for the Town Center Area Plan update, saying the team collected nearly 500 survey responses, ran four pop‑up events and held an open‑house workshop.

Consultants said more than 80% of survey respondents were residents and that the single most consistent theme across engagement types was a desire for ‘more vitality without losing town character.’ They reported near‑universal support for outdoor dining and increased public gathering spaces — with caveats about scale — and strong interest in pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements. Housing drew mixed responses: some respondents supported limited, small‑scale housing if designed to fit Woodside’s character; others opposed adding housing in the town center.

CAC members pressed for clarity about the resident/nonresident breakdown (presenters said roughly 85% residents, 15% nonresidents) and asked the team to make resident priorities more prominent in future materials. Several members asked staff to carry forward equestrian identity and safe routes to school as cross‑cutting themes for analysis.

Consultants said the next round of community engagement will test the CAC’s priorities, and they will return with more detailed breakdowns of survey responses and feasibility testing for the ideas the CAC asks them to study.