South San Francisco Planning Commission Meeting - September 21, 2023
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
South San Francisco Planning Commission Regular Meeting - September 21, 2023
The South San Francisco Planning Commission met on September 21, 2023, at 7:00 PM in a hybrid format. Commissioners present: Alex Tzang (Chair), John Baker, Sarah Funes Osturk, and Aysha Pamukcu. Absent: Norman Faria (Vice Chair), Sam Shihadeh, and Michele Evans. The commission considered a single major public hearing item: a design review and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan for a new office/R&D campus and parking structure at 101 Terminal Court, along with associated CEQA determinations. After presentations and discussion, the commission unanimously approved both resolutions.
Staff Announcements
- The October 5, 2023 Planning Commission meeting will likely be canceled; a cancellation notice will be sent next week.
- A San Mateo County Planning Commissioner’s training is scheduled for Monday, October 30, 2023; a registration link will be emailed to commissioners.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1: Consideration of the draft minutes from the September 7, 2023 Planning Commission meeting were approved unanimously (4-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke on the consent calendar or the public hearing item.
Discussion Items
Item 2: 101 Terminal Court – Infinite 101 Project
Staff (Principal Planner Billy Gross) presented a report on applications for Design Review (DR22-0038) and Transportation Demand Management Plan (TDM22-0008) for a new office/R&D campus consisting of two life-sciences buildings, an amenity building, and a parking structure at 101 Terminal Court in the Business Technology Park - High (BTP-H) Zoning District. The project totals approximately 696,340 square feet (per agenda; ~730,000 sq ft mentioned in transcript) on a vacant former airport parking lot. The applicant team (Steel Wave, architect SOM, landscape architect Cardichin Associates) presented design details: a two-building curved form, a parking garage clad with a kinetic art installation by Bay Area artist Ned Kahn, extensive public open space (landscaped courtyard with over 80% native plants), bike/pedestrian connectivity improvements, and a TDM plan targeting a 50% mode share. The parking ratio is 1.5 spaces per 1,000 sq ft (45% of peak occupancy). The project is all-electric and pursues LEED certification, solar energy, and potential wind generation. The site will be raised 3–4 feet for sea-level rise resilience. The staff report noted consistency with the 2040 General Plan EIR under CEQA Guidelines Sections 15162 and 15183.
Commissioner questions focused on: wind energy generation potential, public awareness of the open space, access concerns (especially the intersection of Terminal Court and Produce Avenue, where a traffic signal is required), timing of the adjacent 131 Terminal Project (expected early second quarter 2024), the binding nature of the parking garage art (staff confirmed any significant change would require commission review), tree species and earthquake resilience, and connectivity to the broader city via the Lindenville Specific Plan. Commissioners expressed strong support for the design, art, landscaping, climate resiliency, and public amenity spaces.
Key Outcomes
- CEQA Resolution (Item 2a): The commission adopted Resolution making findings that the 101 Terminal R&D Project is consistent with the 2040 General Plan EIR and qualifies for streamlined environmental review under CEQA Guidelines Section 15183. Motion by Commissioner Baker, seconded. Approved unanimously (4-0).
- Entitlements Resolution (Item 2b): The commission adopted Resolution approving the Design Review and TDM Plan, subject to the draft Conditions of Approval. Motion by Commissioner Baker, seconded. Approved unanimously (4-0).
- The 15-day appeal period to the City Council begins after the decision.
Meeting Transcript
Online participation is available to the public. To provide a comment during the meeting, please fill out a speaker card if you are in the meeting chambers or use the raised hand function if you are online. You will have three minutes to make your comments. Please note that all commission time limits and rule of decorum will apply to public comments. This meeting of the South San Francisco Planning Commission is hereby called to order. Will you please stand and join in the pledge of allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. May we have a roll call, please. Chair Zang. Here. Vice Chair Faria is absent. Commissioner Baker. Here. Commissioner Funes Osturk. Yes, here. Commissioner Pomaku. Here. Commissioner Shahade is absent, and Commissioner Evans is absent. Thank you. Are there any uh changes to the agenda? No changes. Thank you. Uh are there any items or announcement from staff? I actually have two. Um one is that we will likely be canceling the October 5th planning commission, and we will send out a cancellation notice next week, but you can put that on your calendar as a likely cancel. Um the second is there is a San Mateo County Planning Commissioner's training coming up. It is on Monday, October 30th. And the uh the topic is current issues in San Mateo County, and I will send out an email to all the commissioners with the registration link. Um I'll send it out tomorrow, and anybody is welcome and encouraged to attend if you'd like to. Just let me know if you have any questions about it. Uh I already got that invite and it said I was pre-registered. I don't know if I had actually signed up at the last one or not for it, but I I will be attending uh uh from a commissioner. Okay, great. To my left is it's Monday, October 30th. So it's not until the end of October, it's a while from now. I haven't received it yet, but great. I'll email it to you tomorrow. So um public comment. Uh does any member of the public wish to address the commission on an item that is not on the agenda tonight at this time. If you are attending in person, please fill out a speaker card. And if you are attending online, please use the raise hand feature. There are no raised hands online. Okay. Hearing no speaker, we'll move on. Next on the agenda is the disclosure of ex parte communications. If any commissioner had had any communication with the applicants, did any site or project visits, had interactions with third parties, or has any conflicts regarding any item on the agenda, you may disclose them at this time. And if you would like to recuse yourself for an item, you can also do that at this time. Okay, hearing none, we'll move on to the consent calendar. Um can staff please uh read the list of consent calendar items. Yes.
openpublica.com