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SPECIAL MEETING
CITY COUNCIL
OF THE
CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO
P.o. Box 711 (City Hall, 400 Grand Avenue)
South San Francisco, California 94083
CITY HALL CONFERENCE ROOM
400 GRAND AVENUE
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2007
6:00 P.M.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Section 54956 of the Government Code of the
State of California, the City Council ofthe City of South San Francisco will hold a Special Meeting
on Wednesday, the 19th day of September, 2007, at 6:00 p.m., in the City Hall, Large Conference
Room, 400 Grand Avenue, South San Francisco, California.
Purpose of the meeting:
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Public Comments - comments are limited to items on the Special Meeting
Agenda
4. Study Session: Downtown Development Issues/Opportunities
5. Adjournment
~~
Interim City Clerk
Staff Report
DATE:
September 19,2007
TO:
Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM:
Marty VanDuyn, Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT:
CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION: DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN
DOWNTOWN
RECOMMENDATION
Diseussion only.
BACKGROUND
Downtown currently serves as a neighborhood retail center, including local banking, office uses,
restaurants, affordable housing, and neighborhood grocery/produce markets. However, Downtown has the
potential to be a regional center, as it was prior to the 1970's. In recent years, several regionally-oriented
businesses, including national chains (Peet's, Starbucks, Subway) and restaurants with a regional draw,
have moved to Grand Avenue.
Current Downtown Outreaeh
The Downtown Redevelopment Plan and the General Plan seek to make the different parts of Downtown
work together as a multi-use hub, improving the commercial and retail environment, and upgrading
housing. Recognizing that obj ective, the City has instituted a number of formal and informal community
outreach projects that are designed to improve the physical and economic conditions in the Downtown
area. For example, Economic and Community Development Department staff provide informal business
development assistance, a Spanish-speaking liaison to help with signs, contact with the Chamber of
Commerce, and financial assistance to property owners who desire upgrades to their commercial and/or
residential space.
Future Housing Needs
For the past twenty years the city has continued to add jobs at a faster rate than housing. The Regional
Housing Needs Assessment process (RHNA) has recently been completed and South San Francisco has
been provided its fair share housing allocation for the 2007-2012 period of approximately 1,650 units.
Therefore, the City needs to seek ways to maximize residential development opportunities throughout the
community, including infill sites in Downtown. Increased residential development and density near the
Staff Report
Subject: City Council Study Session: Development Opportunities In Downtown
Date: September 19,2007
Page20f3
transportation centers (Caltrain and BART) will help to alleviate traffic impacts resulting from job growth,
provide residential opportunities for those who currently work in town but live elsewhere, and bolster
commercial growth in the area.
DISCUSSION
The purpose of the Study Session is to discuss long-term development opportunities/strategies as well as
urban design ideas for the greater Downtown area.
· Opportunity Sites: The City currently owns several underutilized properties along Baden A venue.
Additionally, there are three fairly substantial mixed use projects in the planning entitlement stages
along the Linden Avenue corridor. These properties, combined with some additional key sites that
have the potential to become available for redevelopment in the near term provide a real
opportunity to set a new standard and move forward with the development goals envisioned in the
General Plan.
· Public/Private Partnerships: The City, Redevelopment Agency and their public and private sector
partners should initiate the development and redevelopment of downtown catalyst projects that
create successful public and retail places.
· Create Downtown Places: Create new retail and residential public plazas linked together by shop-
lined streets and lanes that provide utility and enhance pedestrian connectivity. Placemaking can
greatly enhance the appeal of downtown. Investing in targeted areas for events, open space, traffic
calming, and beautification efforts are all opportunities to create and enhance the unique
characteristics associated with the downtown area.
· Parking Management: As Downtown attracts more regional retail tenants the impact on available
parking spaces during peak hours is noticeable. In response to continued input about lack of
parking from stakeholders in the area, the City has moved forward on design of a parking structure
in the 300 block of Miller Avenue. Provision of centralized parking areas off of the main
commercial corridors (Grand and Linden Avenues) is supported by policies in the General Plan, as
are seeking to reduce on-site parking and reviewing the overall parking requirements in the area to
support both pedestrian and transit-oriented development in the area, and developing an equitable
financing solution to long-term parking needs of the area (ex. in-lieu parking fees).
· Streetscape System Improvements: Additional improvements could be considered along the
primary streets Grand, Baden, Miller, Linden and Airport, including street trees/landscaping, bulb-
outs at corners, lighting, furniture, bus-stop shelters, sidewalk widening where needed, and
pavement enhancement at key street corners. Additionally, significant efforts should be applied to
improving the function and appearance of the lanes throughout the area, including the possibility of
coordinating garbage and recycling collection areas in the area, improving lighting, upgrading
paving materials, introducing landscaping, and supporting/requiring storefronts along the lanes.
Staff Report
Subject: City Council Study Session: Development Opportunities In Downtown
Date: September 19, 2007
Page 3 of3
These would all work to tie the area together more cohesively and improve the pedestrian
experience both physically and aesthetically.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends that the City Council conduct a Study Session to discuss development opportunities in
Downtown South San Francisco.
BY:~
Assistant City Manager
--By:
Attachments:
1. Location Map