OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

South San Francisco Planning Commission Regular Meeting – June 23, 2026

Planning Commission — Tuesday, June 23, 2026
BodySouth San Francisco, California
SessionPlanning Commission
DateTuesday, June 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 57:13
Transcript — Verbatim
1:03

All right, hello everybody.

1:05

Welcome to the Thursday, June 18th regular meeting of the South San Francisco Planning Commission.

1:11

This meeting is being held in person at the Library Parks and Rec building council chambers.

1:15

To provide a comment during the meeting, please fill out a speaker card and give it to the clerk.

1:19

You'll have three minutes to make your comments.

1:22

Please note that all time limits and rules of decorum will apply to public comments.

1:27

This meeting of the South San Francisco Planning Commission is hereby called to order.

1:31

Will you please stand and join the pledge of allegiance?

1:39

United States of America, Jews Republic for which it stands.

1:43

One nation under God, individual liberty and justice for all.

2:00

Here.

2:00

Commissioner Shahade.

2:02

Here.

2:02

Chairperson Palmiku here.

2:05

Commissioners Funes.

2:07

Commissioners Funes, Evans, and Sang are absent.

2:12

Thank you.

2:13

Are there any changes to the agenda?

2:16

No changes to the agenda.

2:18

Any items or announcements from staff?

2:21

No, no announcements from staff.

2:24

All right.

2:25

Does any member of the public wish to address the commission on an item not on the agenda tonight at this time?

2:31

If so, please fill out a speaker card and give it to the clerk.

2:35

Do we have any speakers?

2:38

We have no members of the public who would like to provide public comments.

2:42

Thank you.

2:42

Hearing no speakers, we will move on.

2:46

Next on the agenda, we have disclosure of ex parte communications.

2:50

If any commissioner has had any communication with applicants, did any site or project visits, had interactions with third parties, or has any conflicts regarding any items on the agenda, you may disclose them at this time.

3:01

If you'd like to recuse yourself for an item, you can also do that at this time.

3:23

Okay, thank you.

3:26

Then we will move on to the next item, uh, which is consent calendar.

3:32

May we have a listing of the consent calendar items.

3:35

Yes, we have two items on the consent calendar.

3:38

Number one is consideration and approval of minutes from the May 21st, 2026 planning commission meeting.

3:44

Number two is report regarding consideration of a master sign program for the Alexandria Center for Advanced Technologies Campus at 241 to 281 East Grand Avenue in the Business and Technology Park High Zoning District, in accordance with Title 20 of the South San Francisco Municipal Code and determination that the project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.

4:11

Thank you.

4:12

Does any commissioner wish to pull an item from consent?

4:16

Okay.

4:17

Does any member of the public wish to address the commission an item on the consent calendar at this time?

4:23

If so, please fill out a speaker card and give it to the clerk.

4:27

Do you have any public comments?

4:29

We have no members of the public who would like to provide public comments.

4:32

Okay, thank you.

4:33

Then with no speakers, I will take a motion on the consent calendar, please.

4:38

Through the chair.

4:39

I make a motion to accept the consent calendar.

4:42

I'll second.

4:43

Second, John.

4:46

Thank you.

4:55

All right.

4:56

Now, next on the agenda.

4:59

Oh, yeah.

4:47

Let's vote on the consent calendar.

5:03

We have a roll call, please.

5:05

Commissioner Faria.

5:07

Yes.

5:08

Chairperson Palmaku.

5:09

Yes.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Public Safety███████████████████████████████████35%
Procedural██████████████14%
Code Enforcement████4%
Technology and Innovation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

South San Francisco Planning Commission Regular Meeting – June 23, 2026

Note: The transcript header states the meeting occurred on Thursday, June 18, 2026, but the provided meeting date is June 23, 2026. This summary reflects the date specified in the instructions (June 23, 2026) while noting the discrepancy in the source material.

The Planning Commission convened a regular meeting at the Library Parks and Rec building. Commissioners Funes, Evans, and Sang were absent. The meeting included a consent calendar, a public hearing for a new fire station, and an administrative report on transportation demand management (TDM) monitoring.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 1: Approval of minutes from the May 21, 2026 Planning Commission meeting.
  • Item 2: Master sign program for the Alexandria Center for Advanced Technologies Campus at 241–281 East Grand Avenue.
  • Both items were approved unanimously by a roll call vote (Commissioners Faria, Palmiku, Shahade, Baker voting yes; others absent).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public addressed the Commission during any agenda item.

Discussion Items

Item 3: New Fire Station 63 at 71 Camaritas Avenue

  • Staff Report: Presented by Planner Victoria Kim. The project is Phase 3 of the Community Civic Campus. The site is constrained by public utility easements (SFPUC and city utilities). The station will be two stories (~25 ft), 10,000 sq ft, with three apparatus bays, six sleeping rooms, and an antique fire engine display room. Design includes terracotta tile, dark gray metal panels, and a roof element echoing the police station. A landscaped ramp with native oak and ginkgo trees leads to the entrance. The project is consistent with the 2011 El Camino Real Chestnut Avenue Area Plan and its Final EIR. Staff recommended approval subject to conditions.
  • Project Architect (Ivan Jacob): Highlighted the challenging site due to easements, necessitating a two-story design. The antique fire truck will be installed via a demountable curtain wall. The station will improve firefighter quality of life compared to the current basement facility (no windows, lack of egress).
  • Landscape Architect (Kristen Malone): Designed planting to complement architecture, including a meadow in the rear easement area and creeping fig on the exercise room wall.
  • Commissioner Questions:
    • Commissioner Baker asked about moving the antique truck (curtain wall is demountable) and traffic/noise impacts (negligible as the station moves across the street).
    • Commissioner Shahade inquired about parking adequacy; staff confirmed the fire department approved eight spaces with flexible use of the rear apron.
    • Commissioner Faria asked about coordination with the civic campus design (confirmed with master architect).
  • Commissioner Comments: All commissioners praised the design, the display of the antique truck, improved facilities for firefighters, and uninterrupted service during construction.

Item 4: TDM Monitoring Program Platform (One Commute) and 2025 Status

  • Staff Report (Victoria Kim): The City adopted a TDM ordinance in 2002 and updated it in 2022. South San Francisco is the first jurisdiction in San Mateo County to use the One Commute platform by Commute.org. Currently, 46 project sites participate. The platform shows compliance status: red (fully compliant), orange (somewhat compliant), yellow (not compliant), green (vacant), with a blue dot for direct reporting from Genentech. Approximately 50% are non-compliant. The system automates reminders and data collection. Staff noted a learning curve and some non-response. A penalty framework (three-strike rule) is under development and expected in late 2026 or early 2027.
  • Commissioner Discussion: Commissioner Shahade supported moving to a penalty system to ensure compliance. Commissioner Baker noted the improvement over previous pen-and-paper methods and the value of electronic tracking for communication with multiple tenants.

Key Outcomes

  • Item 3 (Fire Station 63):
    • Motion to adopt a resolution making a CEQA determination (consistent with 2011 EIR and eligible for streamlining under CEQA Section 15183) passed unanimously.
    • Motion to adopt a resolution approving the design review and sign permit, subject to conditions, passed unanimously (4-0).
  • Item 4 (TDM Report): Informational only; no vote taken. The Commission noted the progress and upcoming enforcement measures.
  • Announcements: The SAFE building (community civic campus phase) ribbon cutting is scheduled for June 24, 2026. The July 2, 2026 meeting is canceled; the next regular meeting is July 16, 2026. Commissioner Baker will be unavailable for the July 16 meeting.

Meeting Transcript

All right, hello everybody. Welcome to the Thursday, June 18th regular meeting of the South San Francisco Planning Commission. This meeting is being held in person at the Library Parks and Rec building council chambers. To provide a comment during the meeting, please fill out a speaker card and give it to the clerk. You'll have three minutes to make your comments. Please note that all time limits and rules 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 the pledge of allegiance? United States of America, Jews Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, individual liberty and justice for all. Here. Commissioner Shahade. Here. Chairperson Palmiku here. Commissioners Funes. Commissioners Funes, Evans, and Sang are absent. Thank you. Are there any changes to the agenda? No changes to the agenda. Any items or announcements from staff? No, no announcements from staff. All right. Does any member of the public wish to address the commission on an item not on the agenda tonight at this time? If so, please fill out a speaker card and give it to the clerk. Do we have any speakers? We have no members of the public who would like to provide public comments. Thank you. Hearing no speakers, we will move on. Next on the agenda, we have disclosure of ex parte communications. If any commissioner has had any communication with applicants, did any site or project visits, had interactions with third parties, or has any conflicts regarding any items on the agenda, you may disclose them at this time. If you'd like to recuse yourself for an item, you can also do that at this time. Okay, thank you. Then we will move on to the next item, uh, which is consent calendar. May we have a listing of the consent calendar items. Yes, we have two items on the consent calendar. Number one is consideration and approval of minutes from the May 21st, 2026 planning commission meeting. Number two is report regarding consideration of a master sign program for the Alexandria Center for Advanced Technologies Campus at 241 to 281 East Grand Avenue in the Business and Technology Park High Zoning District, in accordance with Title 20 of the South San Francisco Municipal Code and determination that the project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act. Thank you. Does any commissioner wish to pull an item from consent? Okay. Does any member of the public wish to address the commission an item on the consent calendar at this time? If so, please fill out a speaker card and give it to the clerk. Do you have any public comments? We have no members of the public who would like to provide public comments. Okay, thank you. Then with no speakers, I will take a motion on the consent calendar, please. Through the chair. I make a motion to accept the consent calendar. I'll second. Second, John.

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