South San Francisco City Council Regular Meeting - July 26, 2023

The South San Francisco City Council held a regular meeting on July 26, 2023, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting included presentations on the AHMC Seton Medical Center improvements and the city's investment portfolio, public comments on disability services and employee parity, a study session on the Draft Lindenville Specific Plan, and approvals of several consent calendar items and administrative business items. The council also discussed and held decisions on public art donations.

Consent Calendar

• The council approved a motion to adopt the consent calendar (items 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) with a roll call vote of 5-0, except item 5 (public art donation acceptance) was removed for separate discussion and held.
• Item 3: Minutes for July 12 and July 19, 2023.
• Item 4: Resolution amending the Master Fee Schedule for FY 2023-24.
• Item 6: Resolution accepting $120,386 from California State Library for ESL program and approving Budget Amendment 24.006.
• Item 7: Resolution declaring a 15 mph school zone speed limit when children are present for remaining qualified K-12 schools (approved unanimously).
• Item 8: Release of the Draft Lindenville Specific Plan (study session, no vote).
• Item 9: Motion accepting the Water Quality Control Plant Wet Weather and Digester Improvements Project as complete (total construction cost $53,730,227).
• Item 10: Resolution approving Joint Use Agreement with South San Francisco Unified School District.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Mark Leach (Teamsters 856 business representative) expressed disappointment that a parity item for city employees was not on the agenda and indicated the conversation would continue.
• Philip Rodmeyer advocated for the Full of Fun program to be offered weekly instead of monthly and for the summer camp to be nine weeks rather than three.
• Robin Rodmeyer thanked the city for Disability Pride Month recognition and the Full of Fun program, but requested the creation of an inclusion supervisor position in Parks and Recreation to expand programs, job training, and life skills for residents with disabilities. She provided photos comparing current and desired programming.
• Sue Degray (Family Support Services Director at Parkers) provided history of the Full of Fun program, starting in 2007, and praised its reverse inclusion model with high school volunteers. She thanked staff and council.
• Mari Cruz Aguilar (on behalf of Edith Arias) read a statement thanking the city for the Disability Pride Month proclamation and expressing appreciation for Full of Fun camps and nights, highlighting the joy they bring to participants like Ulises.
• Ulises Arias requested more days of Full of Fun.
• Ken Weber (representing Mayfair Village) opposed the proposed building heights in the Lindenville Specific Plan adjacent to single-family homes, stating that 35-foot and 65-foot buildings within 40-100 feet of backyards would be intrusive.
• Ken Q (developer of the 200 Linden project) thanked staff for the Lindenville plan and urged housing production, but requested an exception to the 15-foot setback requirement for his shallow 50-foot depth site on Wellworth, which he plans to develop with 70+ townhomes on a long-vacant site.
• Carlos Moreno (resident) expressed excitement about Lindenville's open space and bike plans, but urged the council not to pursue the Utah Avenue overpass project, calling it expensive and counter to the plan's climate and mobility goals.
• Anthony Montes (Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition) praised the Lindenville plan for multimodal infrastructure, especially connections from Centennial Trail to Colma Creek, and echoed concerns about prioritizing the Utah overpass.

Discussion Items

• Presentation on AHMC Seton Medical Center Improvements: Tim Schulze, Associate COO, announced completion of seismic retrofitting (certified by the state in July, total cost $80 million), $300 million in capital expenditures since acquisition in August 2020, ongoing staffing efforts (40 nursing positions open), an internal medicine residency program starting August 1st with five residents, and a planned grand reopening in the last week of September. Councilmembers expressed appreciation for the hospital's services.
• Investment Portfolio Update: City Treasurer Frank Risso and Carlos Oblites (Chandler Asset Management) presented the portfolio's performance as of June 30, 2023. The consolidated portfolio was valued at $322 million with an average credit quality of AA+, yield to maturity of 2.96%, and a weighted average maturity of 1.6 years. Interest income rose from $2.2 million in the prior fiscal year to $4.6 million in FY 2022-23 due to higher reinvestment rates (4.92% for the main portfolio). Safety and liquidity remain the top objectives. Councilmembers praised the professional management and noted improved confidence.
• Item 5: Public Art Sculpture Donations: Staff presented two donations: "Backcountry" (a tetrahedron sculpture made of baseball bats and softballs, donated by artists) for Orange Memorial Park Sports Field, and "Labyrinthine Heart" (donated by Genentech) for the Library/Parks and Recreation Center. The Cultural Arts Commission approved acceptance at their June 15 meeting. Council discussion raised concerns: Councilmembers Nagales and Adiego worried about the climbing risk of "Backcountry" and recommended a smaller version or different location. Councilmember Coleman suggested the heart should be placed in a highly visible area for photos. Councilmember Flores preferred a unique South City heart design and noted the heart at the conference center is frequently vandalized. Councilmember Coleman also questioned the heart's prominent placement. After debate, the council voted to hold item 5 (not accept the donations at this time) and directed staff to return with more details, including renderings and location options, addressing safety and visibility concerns.
• Item 8: Draft Lindenville Specific Plan Study Session: Principal Planner Billy Gross and consultant Eric Yerkovich presented the public draft (released June 29, comment period open until July 31). Key elements: 5,000 new homes with affordable housing, 44 acres of open space (including Colma Creek Greenbelt and Lindenville Linear Park), arts and makers overlay, mobility network with bike/pedestrian priority, and a height incentive overlay (up to 160 feet for higher green standards). Councilmembers offered extensive feedback: Councilmember Flores emphasized walkability, funding sources, and caution against placing all housing burden on Lindenville. Councilmember Adiego doubted feasibility but supported the linear park. Vice Mayor Nagales stressed sensitive transition to single-family homes and building height proximity. Councilmember Coleman advocated for lower heights near residential areas, creative architectural design (non-box shapes), and an affordable housing overlay to incentivize more than the 15% inclusionary requirement. He also opposed the Utah Avenue overpass. Mayor Nicolas supported the plan as a roadmap but emphasized sensitivity to existing neighborhoods. Public comments echoed concerns about heights and requests for setbacks. Staff will incorporate feedback and return for plan consideration in September.
• Item 9: Water Quality Control Plant Improvements: The council unanimously accepted the $53.7 million project (four years, completed on budget). Plant Superintendent Brian Schumacker highlighted increased treatment capacity, new digester, improved biogas conditioning, and energy savings. Council commended the project.
• Item 10: Joint Use Agreement with School District: The council approved the 10-year agreement (5-0) with suggestions to explore priority scheduling policies and allowing city-sponsored sports groups to use school restrooms during events. Director Greg Mediati noted the agreement does not affect child care; a separate MOU will be renegotiated. Council also requested clarification on school district priority policies for fields.

Key Outcomes

• Consent calendar approved except item 5 (held).
• Item 5 (Public Art Donations): Held; staff to return with renderings, location studies, and safety assessments.
• Item 7 (15 mph School Zone): Unanimously approved (5-0).
• Item 9 (WQCP Acceptance): Unanimously approved (5-0).
• Item 10 (Joint Use Agreement): Unanimously approved (5-0) with direction to explore restroom access and priority scheduling policies.
• Lindenville Specific Plan: Study session completed; staff will incorporate council and public feedback and return for consideration in September.
• Committee Changes: Vice Mayor Nagales announced resignation from the HARP Board and requested replacement for county housing committees; he will remain on T & A and ABAG committees.
• Closed Session: The council recessed into closed session to discuss pending litigation (San Mateo County Community College District vs. Successor Agency).