After several meetings to discuss the county’s plans to buy the La Quinta Inn and convert it to supportive housing for formerly homeless, the Millbrae City Council wanted to put its concerns in writing.
“Millbrae has clearly established a compassionate approach to working with our unhoused,” Councilmember Gina Papan said. “We need transparency and accountability.”
Yet, it wasn’t unanimous. The council voted 3-1-1 Friday, Sept. 1, to send a letter to the county expressing how the plan would affect city finances and concern about transparency. Vice Mayor Maurice Goodman voted against it and Angelina Cahalan abstained from her vote.
“It is my belief, that while there is a need for communication to our Board of Supervisor counterparts, I feel that this letter at this time is nothing short of a carefully crafted letter to be utilized as propaganda,” Goodman said. “Our responsibility [is] to welcome, care for and support those in need as a city. We have to continue to do so, we are a city of compassion.”
Earlier this summer, the county announced its intention to buy the 99-room hotel at 1390 El Camino Real for about $30 million to transition it into supportive housing as part of its goal to eliminate homelessness in the county. That launched a series of community meetings that featured huge crowds, booing and disruptive behavior by residents with a host of concerns from tax revenue loss to safety.
Friday’s meeting was more sedate and, through the letter, city officials sought to establish a long-term commitment from the county and express concerns over the fiscal effects of the project. There is also concern Millbrae has already dealt with significant impact from the end of the Bay Area Rapid Transit line, which led to homeless lingering in the city.
The city spent $500,000 addressing homeless issues, according to the letter. Papan said its work with LifeMoves, a nonprofit organization committed to supportive housing for homeless families, is proof.
Around 60 residents attended the meeting and questioned if it will allow drug and alcohol use. Some community members said they are scared children’s safety is at risk.
County Executive Mike Callagy said he will propose to the Board of Supervisors, at its Sept. 12 meeting, that the facility will be primarily for families and seniors 55 years or older.
“We got 25 families on our waiting list, there is a need for families. Forty-eight percent of our homeless are seniors. Many of them outlive their savings in many cases and have health issues,” Callagy said by phone.
The residents living on the premises will have a lease, which forbids illegal drug use. Callagy said he would like to propose an ad-hoc committee for the county, city and residents to collaborate on issues in the neighborhood or in the city.
Recommended for you
The city receives around $600,000 annually in hotel tax from the inn, according to the letter. Both Papan and Mayor Ann Schneider said the answers haven’t been very clear from the county and they want more direct answers.
“We need long-term commitment from the board to ensure we are able to maintain our fiscal stability,” Papan said.
The city is concerned over increased expenditures related to police, fire and other services, which it believes equates to around $172,000 annually. The letter states the county has yet to address those concerns.
During a community meeting Aug. 18, Callagy explained the county will reimburse the city for one year of hotel tax and, at the same time, either supply it with a sheriff’s deputy and a mental health clinician, which the city said it needs, for 2 1/2 years or the cash equivalent.
The city and the county have yet to finalize those negotiations, however, Callagy said the county has a good standing relationship with the city and a vested interest.
“We are there for the long haul,” Callagy said.
While the letter accuses the county of complying with a government code that would require the explanation of the location, purpose and extent of a proposed property purchase, Callagy said there are government immunities that don’t apply to those provisions.
The project is part of the state’s Homekey program, launched during the pandemic by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Its purpose is to remove unhoused people off the street. The county submitted an application to the state to purchase the inn in July for an estimated $30 million. Through this program, the county has converted three hotels in Half Moon Bay, Redwood City and San Mateo into interim housing and created two permanent housing locations at former hotels in Redwood City.
Cahalan, before deciding not to vote on sending the letter, wanted to get the community to empathize with the people this project would help while understanding why residents brought forward their concerns.
“I know so many of us have worked so hard to build a life and afford a home and be in a city like Millbrae where we can feel safe but I think it’s important to recognize that we have people in our community that are struggling,” Cahalan said. “The folks most likely coming into this supportive housing, not shelter ... are similar to so many people already in our community.”
(1) comment
I wanted all Millbrae residents as well as the author of this article to know that as soon as you all give in a say YES to HomeKey and Mid-Penn - then you will all be let down with the lies - the liars and the homeless.
To the one person who was quoted in the article - that you ALREADY have people living on the edge within the Millbrae community, I disagree vehemently. One zip code towns like Millbrae - Belmont and San Carlos do not have felons walking around downtown - like the muti-zip codes towns of San Mateo and Redwood City.
Obviously there are some people walking among us that are felons, thus I guarantee a certain % of those that move in will be / area already felons.
You will see them lurking, you will hear them making verbal lurid comments to your daughters and nieces.
The "we need families" comment is a lie. 90% of those living at 1000 Twin Dolphins Drive in Redwood Shores were single men and women, not attached to any such family atmosphere.
Out of the 96 rooms - the former Hotel deemed the ground floor - Number one and those who were given rooms on floors 2-3 and 4 were those with less physical issues.
All it took for a fight to break out was a dirty look from one resident to another at the elevator door. One management employee had her own residence on the ground floor, again Floor #1.
If the security guard broke up a fight on floors 2-3 or 4 and came back down stairs to write up his report - that guard - after management read his report - was either fired or moved to another job because HomeKey did not want security guards to 'favor' the resident that was being harmed.
One resident * Jane Doe* took a Uber three times per week to the VA hospital to get her prescribed medicine and she told the Uber driver that when she got back to 1000 Twin Dolphin Drive - she would sell them to other residents. Transactions were often done in the parking lot at the smoking area. Residents never tipped because the County only pays for the ride to and from to the VA.
Most of the residents of Redwood Shores Zoomed into watch this 'Feel Good Story" You Tube by a myriad of employees, politicians and pro home-key aficionados.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvg1sbwicNs&t=5s
Some male residents had no idea about cleanliness decorum. Their were so many cockroaches in his unit - management had to move him, the person on the left, the person on the right and the person across the hall to vacant units so they could fumigate all four units.
The vetting conglomerate was and continues to be a farce. See below.
https://hsh.sfgov.org/services/the-homelessness-response-system/coordinated-entry/
Excerpts from: https://www.rsca.org/homekey-answers/
Question:
What are the County’s specific measures and plans to ensure the crime will not increase in the Redwood Shores neighborhood? Will there be an additional police patrol provided for Redwood Shores?
Answer:
The TownePlace Suites property falls within Redwood City jurisdiction, but the County does not believe the city’s police will be impacted due to new affordable senior rental apartments. The property will be professionally managed by an experienced owner/operator of affordable senior housing, and tenants will be responsible for paying rent and abiding by the terms of their lease. The operator will establish rules like any other apartment building, and tenants can be evicted if those rules are not adhered to.
Question:
What assurances does the community have that the occupants will not pose a threat to our community?
Answer:
The future residents of the TownePlace Suites property will be extremely low-income seniors, many of whom were formerly homeless or on the verge of homelessness. Data and studies show that persons in these situations are much more often the victims of crime than perpetrators – another reason for providing a safe, dignified place to call home for some of our vulnerable seniors. Like any home anywhere, there is no way to completely guarantee that a person who moves into an apartment won’t at some point in their life experience a crisis and require assistance dealing with it, but the experienced owner/operators of affordable housing in our region, and more specifically, their supportive service staff, are experts at preventing these situations and responding to them in rare cases. The selected operator and the County will want to meet regularly with a to-be-formed community advisory committee to check in on the status of the property over time, solicit feedback, and find ways for the community, operator, and County to partner to continue ensuring a successful outcome for the site and supportive environment for seniors who need it.
https://hsh.sfgov.org/services/the-homelessness-response-system/coordinated-entry/
I challenge Mike Callagy - Dave Canepa to sit down one on one with me or any other knowledgeable person who knows ALL the facts - not just a few.
Millbrae - Please Say NO to this outlandish and egregious proposal. If you need my phone number - the San Mateo Daily Journal has permission to give it to you.
STOP this Madness.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.