Reimagining the industrial area in South San Francisco

Transforming 400 acres into a vibrant and inclusive mixed-use area in South San Francisco’s Lindenville neighborhood is the big vision, and city officials are launching a discussion to find a balance between open spaces, residential and industrial uses.

With uses like Bimbo Bakery, South City Lumber and the produce terminal, Lindenville has traditionally been the city’s home for industry. Today it’s home to about 43% of the city’s industrial land but it also is near public transit and could be a new site for residential uses to help the city meet its housing goals. It’s located in the southern portion of the city. Highway 101 to the east, the city of San Bruno and Centennial Way Trail to the south, Fir Avenue and Magnolia Avenue to the west, and Railroad Avenue to the north, according to the staff report.

The Planning Commission was introduced to three design options during its Dec. 15 meeting by the city’s urban design consultants, Raimi and Associates. After the presentation, the commission discussed potential layout options and their range of challenges. Billy Gross, principal planner for South San Francisco, said the layout design decisions are a balancing act.

“A lot of these competing interests are hard to balance, you make one change to an area, that’s going to impact others,” Gross said.

The first design option, Alternative 1, focuses on smaller mixed-use residential developments that require higher density around Colma Creek. The proposal creates an Arts and Makers area on Victory Avenue, which would provide a transition between the residential and industrial areas and prioritizes the most land for industrial uses. This design option would be a site-by-site approach that creates pockets of development instead of more natural development in the neighborhood, according to the staff report.

If the city plans for higher-density buildings, then it allows for the potential of more open space, Gross said.

This layout coincides with the city’s general plan, which calls for 17,800 new housing units to cope with tens of thousands of jobs planned to also pour into the area.

However, the compromise with high-density housing would mean a lack of versatility in building designs and higher building heights. Additionally, the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan for the San Francisco International Airport has height restrictions for new development to protect airspace, according to the staff report.

The second design, Alternative 2, uses the area around Colma Creek as an opportunity for public open space. It has more mixed uses, which allows for a variety of housing types, such as apartments and townhouses. This plan has less industrial land than Alternative 1.

For the third design, Alternative 3, the proposal reimagines mostly residential and office spaces, which ultimately would mean fewer industrial uses. Also, a linear park would connect Colma Creek to Centennial Way Trail.

While the overall design is being introduced to the commissioners, some are already thinking about the fine details that can affect the future community. Planning Commission Chair Bassam Shihadeh said the commission can provide guidance but the key will be in its communication with the residents.

“Unless the residents and the community know what the vision is and what their options are in the process, we are just displacing a lot of their employees,’’ Shihadeh said. “So, we need to think, along with my colleagues, from another angle as well.”

Commissioner Sarah Funes Ozturk suggested the city’s consultant team should address Shihdeh’s concerns with the new small business center on Grand Avenue.

The Lindenville project has challenges with the lack of open spaces, with the exception of the Centennial Trail and Sister Cities linear park. Another issue is the disjointed street grid that lacks walkability and connectivity to the rest of the city. The city will need to find ways to break through these challenges for it to reach the goal of creating a connected community.

Commissioner JulieAnn Murphy said that one of the layouts had open space surrounded by industrial and office uses, which she believes is a concern.

“If you are going to have a bunch of open space and the residents are not going to have immediate access to it, then it’s going to go largely unused,” Murphy said.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Luis De Paz Fernandez believes focusing on small businesses and open spaces with bike paths would give the Lindenville area better connectivity to the rest of the city.

The commission will come back in a few weeks to go forward with its design plans.

Ultimately, Vice Chair Alex Tzang’s goal is to create an obtainable plan.

“I don’t want us to create a pretty 20-year dream and then we start over again, I want it to be achievable,” Tzang said.