Millbrae rail plan causes rift

A decision clearing the way for development at the Millbrae train station seemingly resolved one issue with a regional transit agency, while raising another problem with a separate entity.

City officials lauded BART officials ratifying a deal returning parcels at the Millbrae train station which will clear the path for construction of a sweeping mixed-use project proposed at the transit hub.

But with arrangement setting the stage for construction of the Serra Station project, Millbrae officials contend there is insufficient space left to accommodate the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s vision at the site.

To allow for Serra Station’s development west of the train station, city officials urged authority representatives to build the planned Millbrae station underground.

But a state official contends an underground station is not possible.

“It’s not an alterative we are moving with at this time,” Boris Lipkin, the Northern California regional director at the High-Speed Rail Authority, said.

Recognizing the city’s desire to accommodate development interest at the site, Lipkin said his organization is willing to have discussions in search of a compromise meeting the needs of both parties.

“We have wanted the city to work with us on it, but so far we have had more comments back and forth than productive conversations on the subject,” he said.

Millbrae has been identified as a Bay Area stop for the rail line planned to eventually cross the state. Already a shared BART and Caltrain stop, with proximity to San Francisco International Airport, Lipkin acknowledged Millbrae’s importance to his agency’s plans.

He also recognized that the agency had once considered building its stop at the Millbrae station underground, but those plans were abandoned once a track-sharing deal was reached with Caltrain.

Beyond the costly financial implications of building a station underground, Lipkin said such a proposal would interrupt Caltrain service around the site and effectively stop trains through Millbrae.

“It would be massively disruptive,” Lipkin said, noting that a bus bridge would need to be established linking Caltrain riders to stations north and south of Millbrae if the high-speed rail stop was to be underground.

Despite the different perspectives on the matter, Lipkin said his organization is optimistic that productive conversations with Millbrae officials can start toward identifying a compromise.

“Hopefully we can continue to show goodwill and find folks at the city who want to take us up on it,” he said.

But Millbrae Mayor Ann Schneider contends the authority is disingenuous in its claims.

“Compromise means both parties are willing to work with each other for the best of all. High-speed rail is not willing to compromise,” she said. “You cannot compromise with an entity that will not tell the truth.”

Furthering her point, Schneider said city officials have repeatedly met with High-Speed Rail Authority officials discussing plans for the site yet little progress has been made regarding the vision for the station.

“They will meet with us,” she said. “But if nothing comes from it, what is the point?”

Considering the struggle Millbrae has encountered trying to accommodate the variety of transportation agencies with some stake in the future of the city’s transit stop, Schneider said officials are obligated to defend the best interest of their community.

“Millbrae has to stand up for itself,” she said.

To do that, Schneider said city officials must focus their interest on assuring that Serra Station construction continues unhindered.

Plans are to construct 488 housing units, more than 270,000 square feet of offices and up to approximately 30,000 square feet of retail space in three towers reaching up to 10 stories.

Additionally, with the BART deal complete, officials are planning to issue requests for proposals to rebuild more than an acre of city land near the station.

Considering the variety of plans targeting the site, Schneider remained steadfast in her belief that the High-Speed Rail Authority should be more considerate of the city’s needs.

“It’s a better plan all around to keep it underground,” she said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com