South San Francisco officials weighing development woes

Councilman Mark Addiego laid out in plain terms the opposing viewpoints of the city’s ongoing economic boom.

“This is called an economic miracle. But at the same time, if you are living here and you see the disruption to the current residents — many who have already left — and the disruption to our transportation system, you realize while it’s an economic miracle of the bottom line financially, it’s some kind of social, municipal nightmare,” he said, according to video of the meeting.

Such a dichotomy was top of mind to all the councilmembers, who landed on no decision to fix the issue but took time to address the frustrations it posed for officials and residents alike.

Acknowledging the displacement which many residents have faced due to rising housing costs driven by an imbalance of jobs and homes available, some councilmembers suggested the worst is yet to come.

Vice Mayor Karyl Matsumoto pointed to the city’s 18,000 jobs projected to be generated over the next five years — most of those in South City’s thriving biotechnology sector — as a signal of more pain likely on the horizon.

“This is very, very scary and something we are trying to wrestle with. And there is no easy solution,” she said.

Councilman Rich Garbarino shared a similar perspective.

“These are real numbers and it’s scary,” he said. “And I don’t have the answer.”

Alex Greenwood, the city’s Economic and Development Director, detailed the variety of projects in the pipeline which could compound the frustrations many residents are feeling with traffic and parking congestion and overall fatigue from constant building.

He pointed to the massive commercial developments slated to rise soon, as well as the hundreds of residential units planned, with an expectation that more of each will continue to be built through the immediate future.

Greenwood noted though it is reasonable to project there may be an economic downturn in the next few years, potentially reducing the rapid rate of building experienced over recent years.

He said several economists have suggested there could be a looming slowdown, perhaps as soon as 2020, casting uncertainty over the area’s economic wellbeing.

Recognizing that the current boom will not last forever, Councilman Pradeep Gupta said it makes sense for South San Francisco officials and residents to do their best with a rare moment in time.

“If we do miss this opportunity because we don’t want to build at the pace that is coming through, we may not have the luxury of that option later on,” he said.

Gupta said the housing and jobs created amidst the economic boom could have a lasting impact on the city’s future, but acknowledged development comes at the expense of the existing community.

“How do we maximize the opportunity that has come to us, and at the same time create those kinds of facilities that are useful for our future generations at a reasonable cost to our current residents?” he said.

One tool which Greenwood suggested may be useful in closing the gap between the demand to live locally generated by job creators and the lack of affordable development could be commercial linkage fees.

He has said officials have been reticent previously to establish the business fees for fear of slowing down economic growth. But with most local companies firmly positioned, he told councilmembers the issue could be ripe for formal discussion as soon as July.

Councilmembers also took on their share of responsibility for preserving affordability as best they can, by recognizing their authority to bargain with residential builders for below-market-rate units.

Mayor Liza Normandy said beefing up the City Council’s power to require affordable units by considering inclusionary zoning policies was in order too.

“These conversations need to take place sooner than later,” she said.

To that end, with recognition that there are forces in play beyond the control of city officials, Addiego said councilmembers need to do what they can to address prevailing concerns regarding a changing community.

“We are in charge of our own destiny,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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