South San Francisco housing plans taking shape

“There’s a path forward, we just haven’t defined it perfectly yet,” said Chief City Planner Tony Rozzi.

Housing elements are required of cities every eight years, but this cycle there is increased scrutiny on the process as state legislators are ramping up efforts to address worsening housing affordability.

The city intends to submit the plan to the state for certification Aug. 15, though Rozzi said he expects there will be tweaks required ahead of an adoption deadline of April next year.

Redwood City, among the first cities in the county to submit its housing element, did not receive certification and planners there are working to address the state’s concerns. Similar outcomes have played out across the state.

“It will be a more strenuous process than it was eight years ago, and that’s good,” said Rozzi. “They’re really focused on solving the housing crisis.”

Slated for the bulk of residential growth in South San Francisco is the south of downtown Lindenville neighborhood and a southern area east of the Highway 101. The El Camino Real transit corridor is also pinned for new buildings.

During a meeting this week, some councilmembers indicated the El Camino Real corridor should see increased density to account for a larger portion of development.

“It’s not like it’s this great robust economic boulevard. It needs to be reworked, and I think that’s where we should be focusing a lot of our efforts,” said Councilmember Mark Addiego. He pointed to single-story structures and shopping centers with parking lots that could be replaced with dense housing.

“Even the transit would be enhanced if there were more people living right on El Camino,” he said.

Councilmember James Coleman said the existing business on the thoroughfare would also benefit from more local residents who would contribute to creating a walkable neighborhood.

Per the current housing element daft, buildings up to 85 feet tall (generally a seven-story structure) are called for along much of El Camino Real. Similar heights are proposed in Lindenville. In the east of 101 area, indicated is a cap on overall building density but not height, potentially producing structures significantly taller.

“Imagine, if you will, instead of a one-story with parking La-Z-Boy store … it had some dense housing,” Addiego said of El Camino Real.

Also discussed was how to best build affordable housing, which will likely require subsidies on the city’s part. Using city owned parcels for nonprofit developers was recommended to build apartments for low-income residents, as the city’s done in the past.

City Manager Mike Futrell pointed to two potential sites, the city’s Municipal Services Building at 33 Arroyo Drive and another smaller parcel at the corner of Linden Avenue and Hillside Boulevard.

corey@smdailyjournal.com

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