South San Francisco Planning Commission Regular Meeting - November 3, 2022
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South San Francisco Planning Commission Regular Meeting - November 3, 2022
The South San Francisco Planning Commission held a virtual regular meeting on Thursday, November 3, 2022, at 7:00 PM. The meeting covered a consent calendar, a public hearing for a historic firehouse repurposing project, a continuation of a hotel project, and a discussion on future meeting formats and start times.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes of October 6, 2022: Approved unanimously.
- Street Vacation for Cypress Avenue: The commission determined that the vacation of a portion of Cypress Avenue in relation to the Firehouse Work and Firehouse Live projects at 201 Baden Avenue is in conformity with the General Plan (Government Code Section 65402). Approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were received on any agenda item, either verbally, by email, or voicemail.
Discussion Items
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Item 3: Firehouse Work Project (201 Baden Avenue) – A proposal to repurpose a retired firehouse (built 1949) into office and potential commercial space, including a parking reduction from 29 required spaces to 5 provided. The project is part of a larger development with a future residential component (Firehouse Live). Staff presented that the project qualifies for a Class 1 CEQA exemption, is consistent with historic preservation standards, and the parking reduction is supported by proximity to transit, a TDM plan, and available parking permits in nearby garages. The applicant, Group 4 Architecture, noted their current office has zero parking and that post-COVID, only 10–12 employees are in the office daily, with many using transit or carpooling. Commissioners expressed concerns about parking availability but acknowledged the project's constraints and the applicant's history. The commission voted to approve the project with conditions.
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Item 4: Oyster Point Hotel (367 Marina Boulevard) – A proposal for a 12-story, 165-foot, 350-room hotel with 232 parking spaces. Staff requested a continuation to the November 17, 2022 meeting. The commission unanimously approved the continuation.
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Item 5: Discussion of Future Meeting Times and Format – Staff initiated a discussion on returning to in-person meetings and adjusting start times (currently 7:00 PM). Commissioners shared varied preferences: some favored remote/hybrid for convenience and health reasons, others preferred in-person for better interaction. Start time preferences ranged from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. No formal decision was made; staff will consider feedback and coordinate with city council direction.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously (6-0).
- Firehouse Work Project (Item 3): Motion to approve conditional use permit, design review, and TDM plan with a parking reduction, and determine CEQA exemption, passed unanimously (6-0).
- Oyster Point Hotel (Item 4): Continued to November 17, 2022, by unanimous vote (6-0).
- Meeting Format Discussion: No vote; discussion will inform future decisions by staff and city council.
Meeting Transcript
Things under one. Um, before you start recording, Tony, I just have one gentle reminder for the commission. Um, during the questions portion of the public hearing, if you could just reserve your comments until later and just ask questions. You don't have to say anything if you don't have questions, but just for a general reminder to keep your comments until after we've heard from the public. Thank you, Claire. Thank you. There's a gentle but firm reminder for watching you all. All right. Sure. Here we go. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the Thursday, November 3rd, 2022. Regular meeting of the South San Francisco Plan Commission. This meeting is being held in accordance with the Brown Act as currently in effect under provisions of Assembly Bill 361, which allows attendance by members of the Planning Commission, city staff, and the public to participate and conduct the meeting by teleconference. Teleconference locations are not open to the public. To provide a comment during the meeting, please use the raise hand function indicating you would like to speak, and you will be unmuted in order during reserve times for public comments. You will have three minutes to make your comments. Please note that all commission time limits and rules of the quorum will apply to public comments. Will you please join me? Will you please stand and join me? Pledge of allegiance. Absolutely, Chair. Vice Chair Zang. Commissioner Evans. Here. Commissioner Freya. Chair. Commissioner DePaz Fernandez. Sorry, I was having some audio issues. I'm here. Sound good. Commissioner Funet. Chair Shahade. Here. Uh Commissioner Murphy has emailed and will not be attending tonight. Okay. Are there any changes to the agenda? Uh we will be continuing one item tonight, Chair. Item number four, 4A, 4B. When we get to that point in the um agenda, I'll be asking for a continuation to the November 17th planning commission hearing. So two weeks from you. Does any member of the public wish to address the commission on an item that is not on the agenda tonight at this time? Please use the raised hand feature to indicate that you would like to provide a comment. At this time, I will ask the clerk if there are any members of the public who would like to provide comments or if there are any comments received by email or voicemail. At this time, I do not see any hands raised. There were no comments to receive via our email or phone number and our e-comments, which are now on and live, uh similar to the city council, or you can make comments on the agenda. No comments were received there either. Thank you. Okay, next on the agenda is the disclosure of export day communications. You may disclose them at this time.
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