New Foster City school up for review

City officials during the meeting held under settlement obligations stemming from a lawsuit filed by Foster City Councilman Herb Perez are slated to protest the project with claims it is inconsistent with Foster City’s general plan.

A city report recommends planning commissioners approve sending to school officials a letter outlining approximately 17 pages of disagreements with findings in the project’s environmental review documents.

The proposal aiming to accommodate nearly 500 students between kindergarten and fifth-grade at the 6-acre site is not subject to formal approval by city officials before construction, under the district’s ability to exempt itself from local zoning regulations.

As a result, the upcoming meeting is designed for city officials and community members to express their perspectives, but no binding decision is possible.

Though their authority to influence the proposed school is limited, Foster City officials drafted a sizable list of concerns — especially regarding noise and traffic generated by the campus.

“Typical daytime student activities at the proposed school would create noise levels that exceed Foster City thresholds at sensitive receptors immediately adjacent to the project site,” according to the report, which also raises concerns regarding construction noise.

Construction should be limited to between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and limiting noise such as school bells, speakers and whistles must be considered to preserve neighbors’ quality of life, according to the report.

Traffic mitigations may be required to assure the school does not contribute to congesting surrounding streets too, according to the report which takes issue with the environmental report’s assumptions.

More examination of pedestrian behavior — especially young students — as well as queuing cars during pickup and dropoff hours should be done and impacts on surrounding residents must be considered as well, according to the report.

The environmental report also neither factors the school’s potential toll on the city’s infrastructure, according to the report, nor does it address officials’ established belief that the campus is incompatible with zoning rules.

“The development of the subject site as a school would not be consistent with the general plan or zoning for the property unless the district receives approval of a general plan amendment to public facilities and the site rezoned public facilities,” according to the report, referring to a formal review of the proposal earlier this year.

Since city officials cannot impede the project’s progress, they are expected to pass along the report comments plus those from the Planning Commission to the district for development of a final environmental report.

All comments are due before Monday, Sept. 18, which school officials must consider while hosting hearings on the environmental impacts before certifying the project considered essential by educators to address enrollment concerns.

The concerns going before the Planning Commission mark the most recent phase of hurdles in the proposal to build the school. Following the district striking a deal to purchase the shopping center and redevelop it into the campus, Perez took legal action claiming the $61 million acquisition and construction with the previous property owner agreement was inappropriate.

Ultimately, Perez and school officials settled the court battle with an agreement that the district would participate in the public planning process, from which it would normally be exempted, though city officials’ role would only be advisory.

Financing for the project was possible through Measure X, a $148 million bond voters approved in 2015 to construct new classrooms and schools that would support student enrollment growth in the district. The tax approval came after voters had shot down a previous initiative designed to pay for a school at Charter Square.

While Foster City’s authority over the project is limited, officials expect their colleagues at the district will consider their concerns.

“Although the district has exempted itself from the city’s general plan and zoning requirements, Dr. Joan Rosas, superintendent of the district, has indicated the district will be seeking input and feedback from the city regarding acquisition and the project in general,” according to the report.

The Foster City Planning Commission meets 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, at City Hall, 620 Foster City Blvd.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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