South San Francisco Planning Commission Regular Meeting - April 18, 2019

The South San Francisco Planning Commission held a regular meeting on April 18, 2019, starting at 7:00 PM. The agenda was adjusted to move the administrative business item (Police Facility schematic design) to the beginning and pull the Housing Element Annual Progress Report from the consent calendar to a public hearing. The meeting covered design review for a new police facility, acceptance of the housing element report, and a public hearing for a proposed medical clinic, among other items.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes Approval: The minutes of March 7, 2019, and March 21, 2019, were approved. Vice Chair Wong clarified a correction to the March 21 minutes: he did not support leasing parking spots to neighboring businesses, only to tenants within the same building complex.
• Appointment of Resident Representative to Design Review Board: Approved a report regarding the appointment of a resident representative to the Design Review Board for a four-year term.
• Genentech Annual Report: Approved the submission of the 2018 Genentech Annual Report for Planning Commission consideration.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were made on items not on the agenda.
• During the public hearing for the NEMS clinic (Item 5), no public testimony was offered; the commission closed the public hearing after discussion.

Discussion Items

• Community Civic Campus Police Facility (Item 6): Staff and architects presented the schematic design for a new police station at 1 Chestnut Avenue, part of Phase 1 of the community civic campus funded by Measure W. The two-story, 45,000-square-foot building is estimated to cost $56 million. The design review board had provided feedback on signage, corner materials, pedestrian crossing, and tree species. Commissioners discussed the 40-foot minimum height waiver (related to security and functional needs), building materials (copper-colored metal panels, fiber cement, etc.), landscaping, and security features such as a 10-foot fence. The commission expressed support for the design and voted to approve the design review and waiver/modification requests as recommended by the chief planner.
• 2018 Housing Element Annual Progress Report (Item 3): Staff reported that the city has built just under 800 units toward the 2015-2023 RHNA allocation of about 1,800 units. The report now includes entitled units in the pipeline. Commissioners discussed the gap in very low- and low-income housing production, the impact of state mandates (e.g., streamlined approval for projects with 50% affordable units), and the city's inclusionary housing requirements (10% for rental projects, increasing to 15% in November 2019). The report was informational, and no vote was taken.
• NEMS Medical Services Building (Item 5): A proposal for a four-story, 10,700-square-foot clinic and medical services building at 225 Spruce Avenue, within the downtown specific plan area. The project requires a use permit, design review, sign permit, and transportation demand management (TDM) plan. The applicant requested a parking reduction from 36 spaces to 9 spaces, supported by a parking study and TDM plan that estimated low automobile use among patients. Commissioners expressed significant concerns about insufficient parking, citing limited on-street availability and impacts on the downtown area. The applicant noted that the clinic serves underserved populations and that the parking reduction is necessary for project feasibility. The commission decided to continue the item to allow staff to work with the applicant to explore possible parking improvements and address other concerns.

Key Outcomes

• Police Facility (Item 6): Motion to approve the design review and waiver/modification requests for the police facility schematic design passed unanimously (7-0).
• Housing Element Report (Item 3): No vote required; the report was accepted as an information item and will be forwarded to the city council.
• NEMS Clinic (Item 5): The item was continued to a future meeting without a set date, to allow staff to work with the applicant on parking and other issues.
• Housing Standing Committee Appointments (Item 7): The commission appointed Commissioner Michele Evans and Commissioner Sam Shihadeh as regular members, and Commissioner Norm Faria as alternate, to the Planning Commission Housing Standing Committee. Votes were unanimous for each appointment.
• Other: Staff noted the upcoming General Plan kickoff joint session with the city council on April 29, 2019.