Millbrae examines protections on sea level rise

The plan, which calls for regional collaboration with nearby cities and adjacencies, raised the hackles of Vice Mayor Ann Schneider who detailed a variety of concerns with the report — including plans to coordinate with the airport.

Claiming representatives from San Francisco International Airport have been inconsiderate of the city’s needs, Schneider called into question the relationship between the two.

“SFO has not been a good partner to Millbrae. SFO has expanded and expanded and expanded at our expense,” said Schneider, during the meeting Monday, July 13. “So why do we need to be good partners to an entity that has not been good partners to us?”

To bolster her argument, Schneider pointed to capital projects initiated by the airport which she claims could divert flood water away from the Bayfront transit hub and onto land owned by surrounding cities and agencies.

“I’m tired of Millbrae being treated like a third-class citizen,” said Schneider.

Airport officials did not respond to multiple emails requesting comment for this article.

The report calls for about $70 million worth of capital projects in Millbrae, including raising the shoreline with sea walls, flood walls and tide gates. The various efforts could be needed to protect an estimated $555 million worth of public and private assets, according to the report.

Schneider took issue with the project cost estimation too, claiming cheaper alternatives exist if officials consider more environmentally-friendly solutions.

“This is strictly an engineering alternative,” said Schneider, who called for input from Save the Bay and other environmental advocacy agencies before moving ahead with recommendations in the report.

City Manager Tom Williams said the report was merely a start for the city, and explained further investigation would be necessary to determine which projects would be required.

“There is a lot of work to do, this is just a first step,” said Williams, who added discussions with officials from Burlingame, San Bruno, South San Francisco as well as Caltrans, Caltrain, the airport and other agencies will be necessary before crafting an action plan.

For her part, Councilwoman Gina Papan urged officials to assure residents are included in the discussion as well and called for greater outreach to the community for opinions on a critical issue.

In other business, councilmembers also approved deferring a proposed water rate hike with hopes of easing the financial burden on residents struggling amid the pandemic.

The city’s water rate was expected to increase by 10% at the beginning of July, which would have raised the average family’s monthly bill from about $87 to $97, according to a city report.

But with the economic devastation brought by the pandemic and subsequent shelter-in-place order, officials felt postponing the hike would lessen the financial burden on the community.

The deferral is expected to cut the city’s income by about $470,000, which officials are planning to offset by drawing from funds. The rate increase will be postponed until January, at which point officials will revisit the issue.

Papan said she is hopeful the decision will ease the burden on the community during a difficult period.

“I greatly appreciate giving our residents a break during this time,” she said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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