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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2017-10-31 @11:30amMINUTES SPECIAL MEETING TOWN HALL J O O CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO P.O. Box 711 (City Hall, 400 Grand Avenue) South San Francisco, California 94083 Meeting to be held at: GENESIS TOWERS, 1 ST FLOOR AUDITORIUM I TOWER PLACE SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017 11:30 a.m. Call to Order. Time: 11:59 a.m. Councilwoman Matsumoto called the meeting to order noting that three Councilmembers were in attendance. Roll Call. Attending: Councilmembers Matsumoto, Garbarino and Addiego. Not Attending: Vice Mayor Normandy and Mayor Gupta. Public Comments. Members of the Biotech Community made comments and presented questions during the course of the meeting as reflected below. COMMUNITY INFORMATION SESSION: Biotech Town Hall: Update on developments east of 101 and downtown South San Francisco. City Manager Futrell welcomed the Biotech Community to the 31d Annual Biotech Town Hall. He noted the recent successes of several local companies and commended the amazing developments taking place in South San Francisco. To assist local Biotech Companies in their focus on patient centered research, the City was busy studying and improving the supportive foundation and infrastructure, including roads and housing. He noted that three (3) Councilmembers, including Matsumoto, Garbarino and Addiego were present at the event, as were representatives from the California Life Sciences Association, San Francisco State's new South San Francisco Biotech Graduate Program and Oyster Point Development. All were available to meet with attendees at the conclusion of the presentation. Mr. Futrell then provided a PowerPoint Presentation to update the Biotech Community on current developments within City limits. He began by presenting the development and projects in what he characterized as a Reinvigorated Downtown. The Downtown had seen the establishment of 14 new restaurants and new housing was in the works. The following were displayed and briefly discussed: 1) Caltrain Station Project; 2) Rotary Plaza Senior Housing Development; 3) Cadence Development; 4) Pinefino Development; 5) ROEM Project; 6) Hisense Housing Development, including for sale housing; and 7) the 150 Airport SSF, LLC Project. Mr. Futrell next briefly presented two (2) additional developments outside of the Downtown, including the Summerhill Homes Project on the El Camino Real and a proposed development on the former PUC Parcels, which was still subject to Council decision. Mr. Futrell reminded attendees that the Miller Avenue Parking Garage services the Downtown area. He also announced that Caltrain will break ground on the new South San Francisco Station early next week. The Station will include bus pickup areas and shuttle stops to serve the East of 101 population. Mr. Futrell next discussed development East of 101, including the Cove, the new AC Marriott Hotel and Genesis Towers. These buildings were biotech ready in the sense, that upon funding, a business could move in and start work. Mr. Futrell next announced that Oyster Point Development (OPD) broke ground October 11, 2017. OPD is the largest single project in South San Francisco, including 1.1 million square feet of biotech labs, 1200 proposed residential units and 30,000 square feet of retail. The project would include new roadways, parks and other infrastructure, with details of these plans going to Council next year. Mr. Futrell noted that the development boom is accompanied by challenges, including, housing and traffic issues. The City has put a priority on improving the commute for those that do not live nearby. Expanded ferry service, improved bicycle and pedestrian plans and new roadways, including an interchange on Produce Avenue, were all part of the proposal. In the near term, staff was exploring the application of artificial intelligence to regulate traffic flows. Mr. Reese Isbell of the California Life Sciences Association noted the severity of the East of 101 traffic issue. He commented that while he felt Mr. Futrell touched on the issue, he did not address anything about the "last mile" in relation to the new Caltrain Station or other mode of public transportation, including SamTrans and BART. While the new Station will be helpful, Mr. Isbell opined employees would have difficulty getting from the Station to their respective places of business. Mr. Futrell advised that staff was aware of- and focused on- the last mile. The City is committed to solutions that improve access to public transit. The Station plans include ample space for shuttles. Additionally bike and walking paths are being enhanced and addressed by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. Commute.org will also serve as a resource. Mr. Futrell noted that Councilwoman Matsumoto sits on the SamTrans Board and is a champion of East of 101 transportation improvements. Mr. Futrell referred to Verily's Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program as an example of success in this area. As indicia of the success of Verily's TDM, Mr. Futrell offered SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 31, 2017 MINUTES PAGE 2 that 72% of its employees don't drive to work. This permitted the company to seek a parking reduction from the City, yielding additional lab space for the company. Mr. Sueno of TLC Biopharmaceuticals, commented that the Biotech Community would appreciate being able to access the new housing being built in the City. He questioned the quality of the education system in South San Francisco. Mr. Futrell advised that while the City and School District were separate legal entities, both were focused on quality education for people living here. He advised of STEM programming in local schools that was being funded by Genentech, including an 8 million dollar science lab built to Genentech's standards on South San Francisco High School's Campus. He further noted educational programming at the City's Libraries and Community Learning Center. Ray Hernandez, the Dean of the Science / Mathematics / Technology Division of Skyline College addressed the room. He advised that with Mayor Gupta's assistance, the schools and technology companies had come together to bring educators and the industry together. Skyline College was focused on programs bridging the gap between education and the manufacturing skills the companies sought. Janet queried access to updates from the City between Town Hall Meetings. Mr. Futrell advised of the Biotech Newsletter and encouraged companies to provide their information so that the City could make sure it reached employees East of 101. He also encouraged the community to consult the City's website at www.ssfnet and sign up for the Construction Connection and other alerts. Gail noted that many of her colleagues working in the Biotech Sector would love to live in South San Francisco. She queried the City's plan for access to housing information. Mr. Futrell acknowledged that housing is tight. He advised the community to consult developers' websites and published information to determine when applications and other housing information related to the new developments is available. ADJOURNMENT Being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:44 p.m. Approve Karyl ?fiats oto, Councilmember City of South San Francisco SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 31, 2017 MINUTES PAGE 3