Before being considered by the Planning Commission, a proposal to open a Planned Parenthood location in downtown South San Francisco is already drawing concerns.
On Thursday, the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to discuss an application to allow Planned Parenthood Mar Monte to open at 435 Grand Ave. — an application which staff is recommending be approved. As proposed, the clinic would take up 7,846 square feet in the three-story building. Despite not yet being heard, the permit application has created much opposition including a protest, 21 letters and six petitions with about 250 signatures, according to a staff report by Senior Planner Catherine Barber.
“We respect people’s free speech rights, yet we diligently strive to ensure our patients are able to receive needed services without being harassed or harmed,” Lynn Salazar, director of facilities for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, wrote in an April 22 letter to the Planning Department.
One petition states that it opposes the proposal because: “Planned Parenthood encourages children to be sexually active, subverts parental rights, divides families and is a leading contributor to the epidemic of sexually transmitted infections among young people and targets minorities for sterilization and abortions.”
Letters and petitioners are from South San Francisco but also other cities within San Mateo County. A number of the letters specifically oppose abortion. As proposed, the facility is considering offering medication abortion, Salazar wrote. There is no mention of offering in-clinic procedures. One of the petitions isn’t against the use per se but instead worries about the protesters who will be drawn to the site, causing a disruption to downtown.
Opening a clinic downtown is an allowable use for the area. If approved, the clinic would be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Interior improvements are proposed but the building will not be expanded, according to the staff report.
Patients would enter the site from a secured foyer area on Grand Avenue. The building would have a security system in place and the organization hopes to work with law enforcement early to build a relationship in case difficult situations arise, Salazar wrote.
Services that are planned to be offered on the site include: primary annual exams, contraception and family planning services, cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infection screening and treatment, HIV screening, male services, adolescent services, mid-life services, pregnancy testing and options counseling and education services. There is consideration to provide pediatric care, prenatal care, medication abortion and colposcopy, Salazar wrote.
Opening Planned Parenthood clinics in San Mateo County tends to generate a lot of public input.
In 2011, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte was approved to open in Redwood City. The approval was appealed and ultimately the facility was opened at a different location in unincorporated Redwood City.
The commission meets 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2 at the Municipal Services Building, 33 Arroyo Road, South San Francisco.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.