South San Francisco discusses planning for Lindenville neighborhood

“Lindenville is a very exciting concept,” Councilmember Eddie Flores said at the meeting. “It’s something I’m looking forward to being a new part of our neighborhoods in district five.”

Potential mixed-use neighborhood buildings would have a combination of homes on the upper floors and commercial use on the bottom floor or housing next to retail and commercial. Lindenville’s four areas would be divided into the Colma Creek Mixed Use Neighborhood, the South Spruce Avenue Corridor, the Employment Areas, and the South Linden Avenue Arts and Makers District. South Linden Avenue would focus on art and creative use, with the Arts and Makers District requiring art use on the ground floor of buildings.

Vice Mayor Mark Nagales called for more consideration of building height transitions for residents in single-family homes on Myrtle and Mayfair avenues directly next to the Lindenville area. Current plans show building heights are envisioned as between 35 to 65 feet in areas outside of single-family neighborhoods, according to a city presentation.

“If the dream is to develop that area, those buildings need to be further out, closer to the [Highway] 101 areas so there is some scalability so the neighborhood isn’t all of a sudden hit with a huge building next to them,” Nagales said.

Resident Ken Weber of the Mayfair Village neighborhood spoke at the meeting regarding his concern about building heights ranging from 35 feet to 65 feet near single-family homes in his area.

“To put that size of a building by residential housing, single level housing, is not right. I hope that you see that and make the judgment to change that for the residents of Mayfair Village,” he said.

The Lindenville Specific Plan set a goal of 20% of housing units built within Lindenville and still allows for industrial uses to prevent the displacement of existing Lindenville businesses. Councilmember James Coleman called for incentivizing more affordable housing and incorporating an affordable housing overlay into the plan. He suggested working with developers to increase affordable housing by offering relaxations on height, setback and parking requirements.

Lindenville faces flood risk due to rising sea levels and increased storms, with plans calling for protection against flooding. The plan also calls for extensive open space and a new neighborhood park north of Colma Creek called Railroad Neighborhood Park, mini parks and plazas, and more trails. It also calls for prioritizing bike and pedestrian mobility through infrastructure and networks. It would include more access points to Centennial Trail, a new cycle track on South Spruce and a new cross-town trail connecting Centennial Trail and Bay Trail. The project area is around 495 acres. The city is currently garnering public feedback on the proposed plan, with updates expected in September to the City Council.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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