South San Francisco Planning Commission Regular Meeting - August 3, 2023

The South San Francisco Planning Commission held a regular hybrid meeting on August 3, 2023, at 7:00 PM in the Municipal Services Building Council Chambers. The meeting included public comment on non-agenda items, approval of consent calendar minutes, and an extended administrative business discussion on the draft Lindenville Specific Plan. Commissioners provided feedback on four key policy topics: open space and climate adaptation, design and development standards, mobility, and environmental pollution/justice. No formal votes were taken on the plan itself; staff will return in September with a revised draft for recommendation.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the draft minutes from the July 6, 2023 Planning Commission meeting unanimously (7-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Jaime Vasquez, field representative for Local 217 (Foster City), spoke in favor of incorporating labor standards, healthcare access, state-certified apprenticeships, and local hiring into community planning. He emphasized fair wages, safe conditions, and support for the local workforce.
• An e-comment from a South San Francisco resident asked what the city will do about RVs parking on streets, rising homelessness, traffic on Westborough, and red-light running.
• At the end of the meeting, a resident of Mayfair Village expressed concern that the proposed 65-foot buildings along South Spruce Avenue would block sunlight and reduce privacy for neighboring homes, and noted she cannot afford to move.

Discussion Items

Administrative Business – Report Regarding the Release of the Draft Lindenville Specific Plan Principal Planner Billy Gross and consultant Eric Yerkovich (Ramin Associates) presented an overview of the plan, community engagement, and four focus areas for commission input.

Open Space & Climate Needs

• The plan identifies over 40 acres of new open space, including a Colma Creek Greenbelt (16 acres) and a Lindenville Linear Park (7 acres) with blue-green infrastructure to address flooding from sea level rise and storms.
• A Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program would incentivize private property owners along South Canal Street to dedicate land for the greenbelt in exchange for development credits elsewhere; no eminent domain is planned.
• Commissioners asked about floodable parks, infrastructure resilience, costs, and potential business displacement. Staff noted that floodable areas would be passive-use spaces (no playgrounds) and that the city would help displaced businesses find new locations in South San Francisco.

Design & Development Standards

• The plan introduces four character areas: South Linden Arts & Makers District, Mixed-Use Neighborhood, South Spruce Avenue Corridor, and Employment Area. Design standards emphasize bold colors, expressive shading, simple massing, and greater setbacks (more landscaping).
• Height incentives: Up to 160 feet (subject to FAA limits) for projects meeting green building and open space goals; a 40-foot setback and 35-foot height limit for the first 100 feet adjacent to low-density residential areas.
• Commissioners discussed the need for objective design guidelines to avoid subjective decisions, the risk of overly controlling aesthetics in an arts district, and the importance of community input on acceptable colors. Some expressed caution about boxy designs and called for more articulation and green elements.

Mobility

• The plan proposes a layered network: road diets on South Spruce Avenue (reducing from four to two travel lanes), protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and transit priority. South Linden Avenue would prioritize pedestrians with flex spaces.
• Commissioners expressed strong support for safer bike/pedestrian infrastructure, noting that current conditions discourage walking and cycling. Concerns were raised about traffic impacts from reducing lanes, but staff clarified that modeling shows the network would function no worse than today, and detailed corridor studies will follow.

Environmental Pollution & Justice

• Lindenville is identified as a disadvantaged community (DAC) under SB 1000. The plan includes site-specific analysis of pollution sources (diesel particulate matter, hazardous waste sites, etc.) and requires environmental screening, filtration, and sound abatement for new residential/mixed-use projects.
• Commissioners acknowledged historic contamination from past industrial uses, the high cost of remediation, and the importance of mitigation for future development. No specific asthma data was available, but staff noted that the county tracks health outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• The Commission provided extensive feedback on all four topics but took no formal action on the Lindenville Specific Plan.
• Staff will compile public comments and commission input, refine the plan, and return to the Planning Commission in early September for a recommendation to City Council (targeting council consideration later in September).
• The consent calendar was approved unanimously.
• No other items were discussed; the meeting adjourned.