South San Francisco assesses general plan

While no decisions were made at the meeting, officials offered their perspectives on the document which will set the city’s land use policies for the coming decades.

“This is a very exciting time for us,” said Planning Commissioner Robert Bernardo, regarding the opportunity for officials to address quality of life concerns while preserving the city’s economic vitality.

A key issue which officials must consider when updating the general plan will be the balance of housing and jobs, which has increasingly fallen off track as growth in the city’s biotech sector significantly outpaced residential development.

With no signs of investment in the life sciences industry slowing, officials agreed more homes must be built to meet the demands of both new workers moving to South San Francisco and existing residents.

As it stands, there are about 2.6 jobs available for every housing unit in South San Francisco, according to a report. Depending on the rate of development endorsed by officials through the general plan, that ratio could grow to 2.9 or shrink to 2.3. And according to regional planning estimations, South San Francisco could be expected to build between 11,000 and 22,000 new housing units by 2040.

As part of that effort, Planning Commissioner Michele Evans advocated for development of more below-market-rate housing.

“I want the city of South San Francisco to maintain its history, its culture, its people, its diversity — and the only way we are going to do that is to increase affordable housing,” she said.

While examining housing opportunities, some officials also favored a proposal to build more homes east of Highway 101 — the area traditionally preserved for commercial uses.

“I think the opportunity to put housing east of 101 is something we should be seriously considering,” said Planning Commissioner JulieAnn Murphy.

Other officials agreed, specifically favoring the chance to build transit-oriented development east of Highway 101 near the city’s relocated Caltrain station designed to connect the stop with downtown.

For his part, Mayor Rich Garbarino called the chance to build along the Caltrain corridor a no-brainer, nodding to neighboring Peninsula cities such as San Carlos and Belmont which have invested heavily in housing near the rail line.

The Bayside region adjacent to the city’s main thoroughfare is one of the select opportunity zones identified by officials to potentially amend zoning rules — along with downtown, the El Camino corridor and the Lindenville neighborhood.

While imagining the future for the area east of the highway, officials also wanted to assure some space is left for the city’s industrial businesses.

“We are still the Industrial City, so it doesn’t make sense to get rid of industrial,” said Planning Commission Chair Alan Wong.

Planning Commissioner Alex Tzang said recognizing the city’s history and meeting the needs of longtime residents must be a priority for officials shaping the future of South San Francisco.

The variety of perspectives will be considered alongside feedback from residents as the plan evolves, with an expectation that officials will select a preferred growth alternative in the fall and are expecting to approve a final general plan update in 2021.

Looking ahead, Murphy said she believed the update will yield a good chance for officials to thoughtfully chart a path ahead for all residents and businesses in South San Francisco.

“I think this is a very exciting opportunity for us to do something big,” she said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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