South San Francisco’s Planning Commission has given the green light on the city’s important draft housing element, moving the document guiding housing goals forward to the City Council for final approval.
The eight-year housing document establishes where housing will be built in the city over the next two decades. The policy blueprint plans for where expected housing growth will occur. The city does not have to build the housing but is required to have zoning in place to allow the growth to happen. South San Francisco is required to plan for around 4,000 housing units this cycle for 2023 to 2031. The housing element proposes zoning capacity to allow up to 13,000 new units as a buffer to meet minimum requirements. Around 300 ADUs are planned for in the next eight years.
The Planning Commission voted 5-0 to adopt the housing element at its Jan. 19 meeting. Multiple commissioners stressed that many proposed sites might not become housing, and it was not voting to develop specific properties.
“I support this housing element as it’s drafted,” Planning Commissioner Michele Evans said. “It’s not cast in concrete. There will be adaptions, but we are meeting the requirements of the state and doing it very well, in my opinion.”
Most residential growth in South San Francisco will go in the Lindenville neighborhood and a southern area east of Highway 101 called South Airport. Lindenville is near downtown and between Highway 101 and South Spruce Avenue. The city’s general plan document proposes creating a new residential neighborhood in Lindenville, complete with city services and retail to support the growth. A new residential area would also be in the northern section of the neighborhood, north of Victory Avenue. The El Camino Real transit corridor will also see new buildings. 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. The city said there are 82 housing sites in the neighborhood, with 5,000 potential housing units. Around 600 are low to very low income and 183 are moderate income. According to the housing element document, the 41 sites in the South Airport could create more than 5,000 units, including 645 very-low-income and low-income units.
The document faces increased state scrutiny amid efforts to increase housing in California. A city must create a compliant housing element by the state deadline of Jan. 31 or face potential litigation and loss of local control in development and planning. The city sent its first draft to the state on July 5 for review and received comments back on Dec. 7. City staff said the comments were relatively light and asked for additional analysis on ADU numbers, fair housing, and more descriptions of the potential housing sites. The City Council will consider approval on Jan. 25.
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