Reconstruction and Modernization of the Dairy Lane Operations Center
Project Background
The Mid-Peninsula Water District (MPWD) has proudly operated from its headquarters at 3 Dairy Lane for more than 25 years. Following the severe damage caused by the winter storms of 2022, the District prioritized emergency resiliency. We are focused on rebuilding our main administrative and operations headquarters and upgrading them to keep serving the community well into the future. This work will repair flood damage, resolve office space deficiencies that existed before the flood, address seismic deficiencies in the more than 60-year old shop building, prepare and upgrade critical systems for future flood and sea-level rise resiliency.
Project Location
Project Background
The Mid-Peninsula Water District (MPWD) has proudly operated from its headquarters at 3 Dairy Lane for more than 25 years. Following the severe damage caused by the winter storms of 2022, the District prioritized emergency resiliency. We are focused on rebuilding our main administrative and operations headquarters and upgrading them to keep serving the community well into the future. This work will repair flood damage, resolve office space deficiencies that existed before the flood, address seismic deficiencies in the more than 60-year old shop building, prepare and upgrade critical systems for future flood and sea-level rise resiliency.
Project Scope
The modernized facility will feature:
- New Two-Story Administrative Building: A brand-new, 7,000-square-foot, fully accessible, gender-inclusive, and all-electric administrative building containing a board and public meeting room, staff offices, SCADA monitoring room, and kitchen.
- Warehouse Improvements: A seismic retrofit of the existing 11,378-square-foot warehouse, a new roof, and the addition of modern employee locker rooms with showers.
- Site & Green Upgrades: Adding site-wide storm and floodwater management, elevated concrete slab and waterproof stem walls, repairing aged retaining walls, sustainable bio-retention landscaping, and new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to support our transitioning clean-energy utility fleet.
Project Cost
Based on professional estimates, the total project cost is estimated at approximately $15.6 million, which includes design, permitting, construction, and contingency.
Current Project Schedule
- Project Bidding & Contract Award: January 2027 – June 2027
- Construction Phase: July 2027 – December 2028 (18-Month Construction Period)
- Move-In & Closeout: Winter 2028 / Early 2029
Architectural and Landscape Renderings
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What does Mid-Peninsula Water District (MPWD) do? MPWD provides drinking water and fire protection water to more than 30,000 residents and 500 businesses. With emergency connections to four neighboring water systems, MPWD is an integral part of the Peninsula's connected water network. The District was established in 1929 and has been serving the community for more than 95 years. The District’s service area includes the City of Belmont and portions of the Cities of San Carlos, Redwood City, and Unincorporated San Mateo County.
Q. Why does the MPWD need to rebuild the administrative building at 3 Dairy Lane? During the severe storms on New Year's Eve at the end of 2022, the low-lying administrative offices at Dairy Lane were severely flooded. Reconstructing the administrative building as a new, resilient, two-story facility allows us to raise the ground slab, incorporate state-of-the-art flood-protection barriers, and prevent future storm-related service disruptions. It also addresses long-standing office-space deficiencies and upgrades our infrastructure to support modern, all-electric fleet needs. The District evaluated options to keep and expand the existing building, but reconstruction was found to be the most cost-effective project that would provide the District with the most flood and sea level rise resiliency benefits.
Q. How tall will the new building be? The maximum height of the new roof is 27 feet. A low wall on the roof will hide rooftop equipment from sight. For reference, the existing shop building is 22 feet high.
Q. When is construction expected to occur and how long will it last? The first phase of work will involve utility relocation and the demolition of the existing 4,300-square-foot, wood-framed administrative portion of the building. Demolition is currently anticipated to begin in Summer of 2027, and construction is expected to take approximately 18 months to complete.
Q. How will construction impact local neighborhood traffic and parking? All construction-related activities, including staging, equipment storage, and worker vehicle parking, will be fully contained within the Dairy Lane property. We do not anticipate any significant impacts on neighborhood street parking during construction or after building occupancy.
Q. What kind of noise should I expect from construction? The contractor will comply with the City of Belmont noise ordinance. To respect MPWD’s neighbors’ peace and quiet, all construction activities will strictly follow the City of Belmont’s noise ordinances, with work limited to 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m on weekdays. No work is anticipated on weekends or holidays. The initial foundation work will require diesel powered earth moving equipment, typical for a project of this size and scale. No pile driving will be required for this project.
Q. What zoning changes are being requested for the property? The 0.53-acre site is currently zoned as Service Commercial (SC). The District has requested that the City of Belmont rezone the parcel to Public and Semi-Public (PS). This is a standard administrative alignment to ensure the property is appropriately designated for public utility and governmental administrative use.
Q. How is the use of the property changing? Although we have requested a zoning change, the use of the property will not change. The District does not anticipate any increase in staffing or changes in services to the public.
Q. After construction, how will traffic change? After construction is completed, traffic coming to and from the property should be the same as it was prior to the flood. The District is not changing its staffing levels or services to the public. Board meetings will again be held at the Dairy Lane facility, generally one evening per month.
Q. What environmental and sustainability features are included in the new design? The new headquarters are designed with the next 75+ years in mind. It will feature an entirely all-electric building design, infrastructure for future EV utility trucks, on-site bio-retention stormwater treatment areas, and low-water-use landscaping. Additionally, the Board is evaluating a 50-kW roof-mounted solar photo- voltaic array as part of the project scope. The Project is expected to be considered a Class 1, 2 or 32 Exemption per Article 19 of CEQA. The City of Belmont is the Lead Agency for CEQA review and will be determining classification.
Q. What happens if the area floods again? The new administrative building is being designed with key features that will make it much more resilient to future flooding. The slab will be raised higher than the current building, waterproof stem walls will surround the building, and all doorways will have removable storm doors which can be placed when there is the potential for flooding. These measures will provide more than 3 feet of additional flood protection for the administrative building.
Q. How does this project coordinate with the Folger Drive project? The two facilities are designed to work hand-in-hand. While 3 Dairy Lane serves as our primary daily operational headquarters, customer service office, and main corporation yard; 1510 Folger Drive will serve as our temporary operations center while Dairy Lane is under construction. Eventually, Folger Drive will serve as the District’s off-site Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and satellite corporation yard, situated outside of local hazard and flood zones. (Note: The EOC project has been designed and is currently on hold). Information on the Folger Drive project can be found on the District’s website at MidPeninsulawater.org/folger.
Q. What other options did MPWD consider for its Operations Center? The District is fortunate to own this property in the Harbor Industrial Area of Belmont, located adjacent to Highway 101. While this location has proven to be historically susceptible to flooding—particularly when regional storm drains are overwhelmed—the property has served the District very well for more than 25 years and can be successfully renovated and expanded to support staff and services for the next 75+ years. The District evaluated alternative properties within and near our service area but found our existing property to be unique in its size and configuration; obtaining an equivalent alternative property would have presented no significant operational advantages.
Q. How does the MPWD prioritize its capital improvement projects? The MPWD Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is the backbone of the District’s efforts to ensure a reliable and sustainable water supply. The CIP is a comprehensive plan that outlines the projects necessary to maintain and upgrade our water infrastructure, enhance service quality, increase system reliability, and meet community demands. MPWD most recently completed an update of its CIP in 2024, which is available at MidPeninsulawater.org/cip. The District is working on completing the next update, anticipated fall 2026. The Dairy Lane project is included in our 5-year CIP budget and is vital to ensuring the District can continue to serve the community with excellent reliability and customer service for decades to come.