In the face of vigorous — and occasionally vulgar — opposition shared by residents, South San Francisco officials agreed to push off picking a preferred developer for a potentially transformative housing project proposed on public property.
The South San Francisco City Council unanimously agreed to table a discussion designed to select a builder seeking to construct more than 800 units along El Camino Real, according to video of the Wednesday, March 28, meeting.
Officials opted to grant more time for deliberation and community discussion of the sweeping development offers, following harsh criticisms shared by residents concerned the plans are incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood.
While critics generally opposed sizable residential development in the area near where Westborough Boulevard turns into Chestnut Avenue just west of downtown, an offer by Blake Griggs Properties to construct a 15-story tower drew the most enthusiastic dissent.
“I do not want to look and see a high-rise building,” said resident Susan France, leading a long line of speakers raising concerns with the projects during public comment.
Blake Griggs and AGI/KASA are the two finalists whittled down by a subcommittee comprised of officials seeking the most suited developer to build on land purchased by the city’s former redevelopment agency.
Blake Griggs designed the largest development, ranging to as many as 847 units. The rental, affordable, market and for-sale units would be constructed in three separate buildings, which under one alternative, the largest could reach 15 stories. Other alternatives include 12- and eight-story towers.
The AGI/KASA Partners proposal includes 812 units, with 162 affordable units to be built by Bridge Housing in a standalone building. The largest building proposed would not exceed eight stories. Plans also include 5,500 square feet of child care space, 7 acres of park land, 13,000 square feet of space reserved for artisanal merchants such as coffee roasters, breweries and other independent businesses.
During developers’ presentation of their plans, community members intermittently interrupted by jeering renderings displaying the large towers looming over the surrounding neighborhood.
Mayor Liza Normandy repeatedly attempted to rein in the disorderly crowd, which amplified their frustration. The clash came to a head as her calls for greater diplomacy were met with expletives hurled by the crowd.
“No one should have to put up with that,” said Councilman Rich Garbarino, attempting to quell the disorderly conduct.
Emotions tamped down a bit afterward but the community’s sentiment was clear — most in attendance felt the project was too large and stands to compound existing traffic and parking issues, among other concerns.
“It must fit in the area, and this does not,” said resident Cynthia Marcopulos.
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Despite their displeasure with segments of the discussion, officials recognized the fears and expressed an interest in moving more deliberately to ameliorate them.
“Maybe we shouldn’t just rush into this unless, and until, we have your input,” said Garbarino, gesturing to the audience. “Because this councilmember can’t make a reasonable decision without it.”
Rather than selecting a preferred candidate and pushing toward entering an exclusive negotiating development agreement for the project, officials opted to take their foot off the gas pedal in favor of more discussions.
Officials suggested community forums are in order to invite concerned residents to speak with the development teams to foster better understanding of the projects.
“It’s our burden that we need to host another session where we catch up ourselves, and the community, before we run into closed session and pick a winner,” said Councilman Mark Addiego.
During the future deliberations, neighborhood compatibility, parking, traffic and other residential concerns should be addressed more fully, suggested officials.
Normandy spoke to the delicate balance officials are attempting to strike in managing the regional housing shortage against the perspectives of residents.
“We all understand that there is a need for affordable housing and we want to be proactive on that but we also need to address the traffic congestion concerns as well,” she said.
While noting there are plans to seek extensive community feedback down the road following the selection of a developer, city staffers said they are willing to grant more time to include residents in the formative stages of the process.
“We are not in a rush on this project,” said City Manager Mike Futrell. “The council can take whatever time it needs, and residents can take whatever time they need, to get this done.”
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