The City received permits for this project from seven different agencies at the federal, state, and regional levels. These permits and associated regulations provided the requirements for protecting wildlife and the environment during the project. The regulations addressed species such as the Ridgeway rail, California black rail, and salt marsh harvest mouse; marine mammals and
Construction began in Fall of 2020. The project achieved final completion in February 2024. Please see a Project Construction Timeline graphic on the About page for additional details.
Measure P included fiscal accountability provisions. An independent citizens’ oversight committee ensured all funds were spent as promised on voter-approved projects, and all funds stayed local to improve the Foster City levee system. No funds from the measure was used for administrators’ salaries.
Foster City voters passed the Levee Improvement Bond Measure P in 2018, authorizing the City to issue $90 million in general obligation bonds to fund these critical levee improvements. The Measure P levy will start appearing on Foster City property tax bills starting this fall (2020) and will continue for 30 years. The first-year rate
The project will maintain FEMA accreditation of the levee and protect Foster City homes, schools, businesses, and essential City services and infrastructure during storms and high tides, and from future sea level rise. The improved levee will be more resistant to earthquake damage, and will prevent FEMA designation of the City as a flood zone,
Although the levee withstood storm/tide surge challenges, it was in need of critical upgrades and safety improvements. In 2014, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) determined that Foster City’s levee system did not meet minimum requirements for flood protection. Further, in order to obtain the necessary permits to implement needed improvements, regional regulations say that
The Foster City Levee, owned and maintained by the City, surrounds the majority of the outer bay-front perimeter of the City to provide flood protection. The Levee Improvements Project is the largest public works project in the City’s history and will structurally and aesthetically improve and enhance the levee. The project will increase the height