Policy CR-5.2: Maintain a comprehensive fire
management program. Maintain a comprehensive fire
hazard management program to reduce fire hazards on
other public lands.
Policy CR-5.3: Expand access to evacuation and early
warning technology for wildfire. Increase community
participation and understanding of evacuation and
early warning software programs to minimize threat to
life and be better prepared in case of a wildfire event.
Policy CR-5.4: Maintain adequate emergency
response resources. Continue to train and coordinate
emergency response to wildfire emergencies with
neighboring fire agencies and State wildfire resources.
Continue to acquire and maintain adequate vehicles
and equipment to respond to wildfire incidents
throughout the city.
GOAL CR-6: A City prepared for the combined
impacts of extreme heat and poor air quality.
INTENT:
To reduce the likelihood of harmful impacts from extreme heat and poor air quality.
Policy CR-6.1: Support resilient building design.
Support resilient building design by helping residents
weatherize homes to keep them cooler and more
energy efficient and to improve indoor air quality.
Policy CR-6.2: Maintain clear and high-quality
hazard communications. Inform residents and
businesses about hazards.
Policy CR-6.3: Reduce heat island impacts through
adaption strategies. Reduce the heat island effect by
implementing a variety of adaptation solutions.
Policy CR-6.4: Maintain adequate cooling and
warming centers. Review, update, and maintain
facilities that can be used as refuge during excessive
heat and cold days.
Policy CR-6.5: Coordinate transportation system
with air quality improvements. Promote a
transportation system coordinated with air quality
improvements.
For related policies and implementation actions
related to environmental justice and air quality, see
Goal CHEJ-3. For related policies and implementation
actions related to urban forestry, see Goal ES-4.
306 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 307
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE 13
GOAL CR-7: Strong coordination with
regulatory agencies to ensure safe and
effective remediation of hazardous and
toxic materials.
INTENT:
To clean-up and remove hazardous and toxic materials,
including above and below ground storage facilities, and buildings with asbestos and/or lead-based paint.
Policy CR-7.1: Minimize risk from hazardous
materials. Minimize the risk to the community
associated with hazardous materials by continually
integrating updated remediation strategies in
coordination with regulating agencies. Continue
annual emergency training and coordinated
emergency response plans to hazardous materials.
Policy CR-7.2: Coordinate hazardous material
regulation and management. Continue to cooperate
with federal, State, and County agencies to effectively regulate the management of hazardous materials and
hazardous waste.
Policy CR-7.3: Assess hazardous materials
management during development review. Assess the
use of hazardous materials as part of a development’s
environmental review and/or include the development
of a hazardous management and disposal plan, as a
condition of project approval, subject to review by the San Mateo County Health Department.
Policy CR-7.4: Maintain awareness of hazardous
waste handling and awareness. Develop an
awareness program to expand public engagement in
the handling and disposal of hazardous waste in the
community, especially at home.
For related policies and implementation actions
related to environmental justice and hazardous
materials, see Goal CHEJ-4.
Local Energy Generation
IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
Policy Implementation Action Priority Primary Responsibility GOAL CR-1: The City proactively advances community resilience and is prepared for all hazards, including climate disruption.
Policy CR-1.2
Action CR-1.2.1: Continue funding regional sea level rise and flood protection agency.
Continue to fund and contribute to the San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District.
High City Manager
Action CR-1.2.2: Coordinate utility redundancy. Continue to work with regional water and energy agencies to ensure redundant water and energy supplies in case of an emergency. Low City Manager Policy CR-1.3
Action CR-1.3.1: Participate in the countywide Hazard Mitigation Plan. Actively participate in the San Mateo County Hazard Mitigation Plan maintenance protocols and County-wide initiatives.
Adopt the Hazard Mitigation Plan by reference upon update. Update emergency operations plans and protocols to account for regularly updated hazard information.
High Fire
Action CR-1.3.2: Conduct municipal building and facility sea level rise studies. Conduct sitespecific vulnerability assessments of municipal buildings and facilities at risk to sea level rise and flooding, including the Water Quality Control Plant and Oyster Point Marina.
High Water Quality Control Plant
Division (PW)
Action CR-1.3.3: Require multi-hazard real estate disclosure. Enact an ordinance to require real estate disclosures of all hazards identified in the Hazard Mitigation Plan, including hazards associated with anticipatory sea level rise and flooding, geologic hazards, groundwater inundation, or wildfire for commercial and residential properties, including ownership and rental.
Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Policy CR-1.6
Action CR-1.6.1: Develop a resiliency hub program. Develop a resiliency hub program to help community members with disaster planning assistance and supplies. Medium Fire Action CR-1.6.2: Upgrade the Emergency Operations Center. Add second floor to the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and a warehouse to store supplies to support the city in the event of a disaster. Ensure the EOC has the necessary capabilities and can continue operations after all future hazards.
High Fire
Refer to the Implementation Matrix within the "Our Plan to Get There" chapter to view additional information regarding implementation actions such as timeframe and secondary department responsibilities.
308 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 309
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE 13
Policy Implementation Action Priority Primary Responsibility Policy CR-1.6
Action CR-1.6.3: Establish a resilience education program. Establish a community resilience education program in collaboration with San Mateo County and local community partners. Work with the Community Emergency Response Team and promotores programs to disseminate the information.
Medium City Manager
Action CR-1.6.4: Identify locations for post-disaster emergency housing. Identify locations for emergency housing, siting locations in areas with lower hazard risk. Medium Planning Division (ECD) Action CR-1.6.5: Maintain evacuation route plans. Maintain and communicate evacuation route plans for businesses and residents. High Fire
Policy CR-1.7
Action CR-1.7.1: Foster Community Emergency Response Team – Promotores collaboration. Work closely with the promotores program to deepen and expand relationships and partnerships with community members and organizations that serve diverse South San Francisco community members including those who do not speak English as their first language, the Latinx, and faith-based communities. Collaboration can serve to identify needs and solutions and communicate on programs.
High Fire
Action CR-1.7.2: Increase Community Emergency Response Team outreach in community.
Target outreach for South San Francisco CERT offerings in specific South San Francisco neighborhoods, such as Downtown.
High Fire
Action CR-1.7.3: Expand Community Emergency Response Team outreach at the library.
Partner with library to ensure that key populations have access to information about Community Emergency Response Team and other South San Francisco programs and resources.
High Fire
Policy CR-1.8
Action CR-1.8.1: Prepare a post-disaster recovery plan. Create a post-disaster recovery framework that establishes post-disaster policies and programs designating when, where, and how rebuilding will occur.
Medium Fire
Action CR-1.8.2: Adopt post-disaster repair standards for existing buildings. Develop and adopt special repair and upgrade standards for existing buildings, in the case of post-disaster reconstruction and/or conversion to mixed use or more compact residential use.
Low Building Division (ECD)
Policy Implementation Action Priority Primary Responsibility GOAL CR-2: A resilient community that protects existing and future development and people from sea level rise and flooding.
Policy CR-2.2
Action CR-2.2.1: Pursue shoreline protection for existing and future development. Continue ongoing collaboration with the US Army Corps of Engineers to protect existing and future development by raising levees or seawalls in accordance with the Continuing Authorities Program Study. Implement any future City-prepared sea level rise adaptation plan for the Oyster Point Marina and landfill.
High Engineering Division (PW)
Action CR-2.2.2: Use nature-based solutions for ecosystem resilience. Explore nature-based solutions appropriate for the South San Francisco shoreline, particularly at the mouth of Colma Creek, to provide protection for the built environment and ecosystems.
Medium Sustainability (CM)
Policy CR-2.4 Action CR-2.4.1: Conduct Fire Station 61 and 62 relocation feasibility study. Evaluate the feasibility of relocating Fire Station 61 and 62 outside of the flood zone. High Fire GOAL CR-3: A transformed Colma Creek.
Policy CR-3.1
Action CR-3.1.1: Implement Colma Creek adaptation pilot. Develop a program to work with public and private landowners to decrease the risk of flooding by implementing engineered and nature-based shoreline protection projects in coordination with watershed management projects that reduce and/or store runoff during rainfall events and improve the condition of the flood plain.
Medium Sustainability (CM)
GOAL CR-4: The City minimizes the risk to life and property from seismic activity and geologic hazards in South San Francisco.
Policy CR-4.1
Action CR-4.1.1: Conduct seismic assessments for municipal assets. Regularly complete seismic assessments of critical municipal buildings, facilities, and infrastructure. Develop locally specific seismic hazard maps to improve mapping resolution and support more informed and nuanced decision-making about development and hazard mitigation, particularly where other hazards like sea level rise compound the risk.
High Building Division (ECD)
Action CR-4.1.2: Continually update the Building Code for seismic and other hazard safety.
Regularly update the City’s Building Code to incorporate current earthquake standards. High Building Division (ECD) Action CR-4.1.3: Maintain a soft-story buildings inventory. Maintain and regularly update a database of soft story / fragile housing. Medium Building Division (ECD) Action CR-4.1.4: Expand seismic retrofit incentive program expansion. Expand efforts to incentivize retrofits of buildings and other mitigation measures in seismic and geologic hazards zones. Explore developing a specific program to address seismic retrofit needs within South San Francisco’s affordable housing stock.
Medium Building Division (ECD)
310 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 311
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE 13
Policy Implementation Action Priority Primary Responsibility Policy CR-4.4
Action CR-4.4.1: Require site-specific soils and geologic reports for projects located in high-hazard areas. On a parcel-by-parcel basis, require that permit applications for projects located within areas susceptible to geologic hazards, as shown on Figure 43, prepare site-specific soils and geologic reports for review and approval by the City Engineer, and incorporation of the recommended actions during construction.
High Planning Division (ECD)
GOAL CR-6: A City prepared for the combined impacts of extreme heat and poor air quality.
Policy CR-6.1
Action CR-6.1.1: Review and update funding programs for resilient building design. Review and update existing funding programs, such as the Property-Assessed Clean Energy program to promote climate-resilient design and retrofits.
High Sustainability (CM)
Action CR-6.1.2: Create a community engagement for weatherization programs. Develop a targeted outreach regarding weatherization assistance program for low-income households. Medium Economic Development and Housing Division (ECD) Policy CR-6.2
Action CR-6.2.1: Develop an early warning systems for heat and air quality. Develop early warning systems for heat and air quality alerts, in multiple languages and through culturally relevant media.
Medium Fire
Action CR-6.2.2: Work with utilities to prevent shutoff during extreme events. Work with Pacific Gas & Electric and Peninsula Clean Energy to prevent utility shutoff during extreme heat events. High City Manager Policy CR-6.3
Action CR-6.3.1: Identify heat island priority areas. Identify areas of greatest risk of urban heat island effect and target resources in these areas, including tree planting, cool roofs, and installation of cool pavement.
Low Planning Division (ECD)
Policy CR-6.4 Action CR-6.4.1: Prepare a cooling and warming centers distribution plan. Maintain the capability to operated cooling and warming centers equitably throughout the city when needed. Medium Fire GOAL CR-7: Strong coordination with regulatory agencies to ensure safe and effective remediation of hazardous and toxic materials.
Policy CR-7.4
Action CR-7.4.1: Offer educational programing on hazardous materials disposal and pesticides. Continue to offer educational programming on the harmful effects and proper disposal of hazardous materials and pesticides and recommend alternatives that can be used at home and in businesses.
Medium Maintenance and Operations
Division (PW)
PERFORMANCE METRICS
PERFORMANCE METRIC: Shocks and stressors, including climate change in all City plans PERFORMANCE METRIC: Emergency preparedness and disaster response Target 100% of City plans address community
resilience and climate change impacts
CITY TO BEGIN TRACKING DATA AND PROVIDE IN THE FUTURE.
Data Source All City departmental plans
Target
Train 500 individuals in
emergency preparedness
and disaster response
techniques through the
Community Emergency
Response Team (CERT)
Program
CITY TO BEGIN
TRACKING DATA
AND PROVIDE IN
THE FUTURE.
Data Source CERT Program
PERFORMANCE METRIC: Sea level rise and flooding projects completed PERFORMANCE METRIC: Resilient housing
Target
An increase in the number
of sea level rise and flooding
projects completed CITY TO BEGIN
TRACKING DATA
AND PROVIDE IN
THE FUTURE.
Data Source Capital Improvement Plan,
development applications
Target
Increase the proportion of housing units that
complete weatherization, energy efficiency,
and retrofits, particularly in disadvantaged
communities
CITY TO BEGIN TRACKING DATA AND PROVIDE IN THE FUTURE.
Data Source Building Permits
313
Green
Buildings
Clean Energy
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CLIMATE PROTECTION 14
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CHAPTER 14
Climate
Protection
14 PART IV: OUR ENVIRONMENT
313
314 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN
CLIMATE PROTECTION 14
315
WHERE WE WANT TO BE IN THE FUTURE
South San Francisco is an environmental leader in
the region by acting decisively and inspiring other
communities to eliminate greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions and adapt to climate change in a manner
that is fair and equitable in consideration of diverse
communities and geographies.
The City achieves a 40% reduction in communitywide
emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2045.
The City continuously reduces energy and water use and
minimizes the amount of waste sent to landfills.
The City demonstrates leadership with high-performing
sustainable municipal buildings, facilities, landscaping, and parks.
Electric Vehicle Charging
How Our Plan Gets Us There
Climate change is an urgent concern confronting our
world today.
The burning of fossil fuels for transportation and energy, the primary driver of climate change,26 is already affecting San Mateo County today.27 Rising temperatures and heatwaves, flooding from extreme storms, and sea level rise are some of the climate-related challenges we face. The consequences of these hazards pose risks to life, safety, and critical infrastructure in South San Francisco, and threaten the physical, social, and mental well-being of our residents. The City recognizes the risks posed by climate change and aims to protect our natural resources and community, particularly those who have been historically marginalized, from the potential impacts and strives to build a more resilient city.
The City affirms its commitment to combat climate change by establishing a carbon neutrality goal by 2045. Carbon neutrality is the state of balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with removal or by eliminating emissions from
society altogether. The City will accelerate regional and local solutions to reduce GHG emissions through clean and active transportation systems, fossil-fuel free energy systems, green buildings, and zero waste solutions. The City has updated its Climate Action Plan (CAP) to reflect and enhance the
General Plan.
26. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2020). Causes of Climate Change. <archive.epa.gov/epa/climate-change-science/causes-climate-change. html>
27. Ackerly, David, Andrew Jones, Mark Stacey, Bruce Riordan (2018). San Francisco Bay Area Summary Report. California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment. Publication number: CCCA4-SUM-2018-005.
PERFORMANCE METRIC
Community Green House Gas (GHG)
Emissions
Target:
40% reduction in citywide GHG emissions by
2030 and carbon neutrality by 2045
PERFORMANCE METRIC
Community energy use
Target:
Reduce energy use by at
least 20%
PERFORMANCE METRIC
Community water use
Target:
Potable water use (in gallons per capita
per day) consistent with the urban water
suppliers’ efficiency standards that will be
adopted in 2022 per Senate Bill 606 and
Assembly Bill 1668
123
Performance Metrics Refer to page 333 to view a full list of Performance Metrics for this chapter. 2017 COMMUNITY GHG EMISSIONS:
609,452 MTCO2E
2017 ELECTRICITY USAGE:
489,460,969 KWH
2017 NATURAL GAS USAGE:
29,866,596 THERMS
2017 GPCD WATER USAGE
89 GALLONS PER CAPITA PER DAY
On-Road Transportation 44%
Nonresidential Natural Gas 19%
Nonresidential Electricity 13%
Landfill Waste 10%
Residential Natural Gas 7%
O Road 4%
Residential Electricity 3%
Water and Wastewater 0.34%
44%
19%
13%
10%
7% 4%
0.34%
3%
316 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 317
CLIMATE PROTECTION 14
KEY ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Human emissions of carbon dioxide and other GHGs are
unequivocally important drivers of global climate change.
Climate is the long-term behavior of the atmosphere –
typically represented as averages – for a given time of year.
These barometers for climate averages over time include annual temperature, snowpack, and rainfall. Greenhouse
gases trap heat in the atmosphere, resulting in warming over time. This atmospheric warming leads to other changes in the earth’s systems, including changing patterns of rainfall and snow, melting of glaciers and ice, and warming
of oceans.
South San Francisco is experiencing the effects of a
changing climate. Both gradual climate change (e.g.,
sea level rise) and climate hazard events (e.g., extreme heat days) expose people, infrastructure, buildings and properties, and ecosystems to a wide range of stressinducing and hazardous situations. These hazards and their impacts disproportionately affect the most sensitive populations in the city.
The extent of climate change in the future depends in part on the amount of GHG emissions now and in the future.
GHG emissions are driven by economic systems, land use
patterns, transportation and energy systems, resource
use, and other social, political, and economic factors. To mitigate the impacts of climate change, the City will reduce community wide GHG emissions with the goal of becoming
carbon neutral by 2045.
Aerial of East of 101
Source: "Aerial View of Coastline, East of 101" by Chiara Coetzee Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions
This community wide GHG emissions inventory for South San Francisco captures the primary sources of emissions that can be reduced through local and regional government actions. This includes energy use in homes, businesses, vehicles, and off-road equipment; emissions from treating and delivering water; and emissions from materials that are thrown away. South San Francisco uses the inventory to better understand emission sources and trends and track progress towards meeting the carbon neutrality target.
The City’s most recent community GHG inventory was conducted for calendar year 2017. South San Francisco tracks emissions as a mass total and per service population. Service population is the sum of population and jobs in the city. Greenhouse gas inventories identify where emissions are being generated. Figure 47 shows the breakdown of the communitywide emissions by sector.
Transportation (44%) followed by energy use (41%) are the two largest contributors to emissions communitywide. Emissions in South San Francisco are measured in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e). In 2017 communitywide emissions totaled 649,452 MTCO2e or 4.94 MTCO2e/ service population.
Figure 47: 2017 South San Francisco GHG Inventory
Car Parking Lot
Source: 2021 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
318 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN
14 319
CLIMATE PROTECTION
Clean Energy
Residential and nonresidential energy use including electricity and natural gas account for 41% of South San Francisco’s greenhouse gas emissions.28 These emissions are mainly driven by the burning of fossil fuel natural gas, which accounts for 60% of energy-related emissions in the city. The proportion of natural gas to overall energy use is expected to increase because the City has joined Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE), which supplies 100% carbon-free electricity to its customers. As of 2020, the communitywide participation rate in PCE is 96%. Clean grid electricity, including the installation of distributed energy resources (DERs) such as local solar projects, is a keystone effort being led by the State to achieve its climate goals. Senate Bill 100’s renewable portfolio standard will require that supplied energy not only be 100% carbon-free by 2045 but also 100% generated from renewable sources like wind solar, and local biogas.
Additionally, having access to clean electricity makes supporting the transition to electric vehicles across South San Francisco more beneficial as well. Although transportation demand policies are addressed in the mobility element of the General Plan, transportation is the largest contributor to community emissions accounting for 44% of total emissions. Transportation is also projected to account for most emissions in 2040. To date, the City has adopted an Electric Vehicle Master Plan and is installing electric vehicle charging stations in public parking facilities. The City is also providing alternative transportation choices, including the Free South City Shuttle, and is currently developing an active transportation plan to encourage walking and biking.
28. Raimi + Associates. (2021). South San Francisco 2017 Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
City Building with Solar Panels
Electric Vehicle Charging Local Energy Generation
Built Environment
Buildings are the primary users of energy within the city and the main vehicle to reduce energy-related emissions. There are two main approaches to reduce emissions in buildings. The first is improved energy efficiency of new and existing buildings and the second is through the electrification of buildings. Electrification removes natural gas systems from buildings and uses electric alternatives to take advantage of the 100% carbon-free electricity provided by PCE.
Aerial of East of 101
Source: "South San Francisco Aerial" by Dicklyon, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 321
CLIMATE PROTECTION 14
320 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN
Existing Buildings
Most building related emissions are attributable to the existing building stock, which is much less efficient than new construction due to its age and being built when building energy standards were nonexistent. Reducing emissions from existing buildings is critical to meeting emissions reduction goals. There are many challenges associated with improving the performance of existing buildings including costs, rental/ownership status and split incentives, and technological constraints. However, benefits include healthier indoor air quality, reduced energy use and lower utility bills, and more resilient building systems. Improving existing buildings in South San Francisco would focus on electrification and promoting existing energy efficiency programs offered by the utilities and prioritizing investment in the most disadvantaged neighborhood.
New Construction
South San Francisco is expected to grow economically and in population in the future, and this growth will result in the construction of new residential and commercial buildings. New construction is governed by the California Building Code and must meet
the California Green Building Standards (CALGreen),
which include requirements for energy performance.
The building code is updated every three years to
reflect industry best practices and increase the
sustainability of new construction. However,
to avoid developing greenhouse gas emitting
buildings and infrastructure with useful lives
beyond the City’s emissions reduction goals,
the City will make enhanced green building
the standard for all new construction and
major remodels in SSF. Going beyond
CALGreen includes promoting all-electric
new construction for both residential and
nonresidential buildings by adopting a
reach code.
New Construction in East of 101 Sub-Area
Martin Building in Downtown
Transportation
There are two main levers to reduce emissions associated with transportation. The first is to clean vehicle miles traveled (VMT) through vehicle electrification and access to carbon-free electricity from PCE.
Second, is to reduce VMT through transportation demand programs and policies. Although transportation related emissions are the largest contributor to total communitywide emissions, only transportation electrification or clean vehicle miles traveled (VMT) policies are included in this element as part of the clean energy and municipal goals. The Multimodal Mobility and Access Element includes policies related to the reduction of VMT, and the accompanying Climate Action Plan (CAP) will include those policies.
Solid Waste
Solid waste accounts for 10% of South San Francisco’s overall emissions.
By consuming less materials and recycling and composting more, the community will be able to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and eventually become a zero-waste city.29 Specifically, diverting organic material including food waste is a crucial step to meeting long term goals, because organic materials produce methane, which is a more potent GHG than carbon dioxide. The State adopted Senate Bill 1383, the Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Act, that requires jurisdictions to divert 75% of food waste from landfills by 2025, and jurisdictions must also recover food waste that can be repurposed. Moreover, organics recycling can provide useful byproducts including compost and biogas, which can further reduce emissions and provide economic benefits.
29. Raimi + Associates. (2021). South San Francisco 2017 Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
Karl Knapp Go EV program from Acterra at South San Francisco Public Library Solid Waste Bins
322 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 323
CLIMATE PROTECTION 14
Water
Water is a critical resource in California and South San Francisco.
Regional water supplies are already being adversely affected by climate change induced drought and decreased snowpack. South San Francisco’s water supplier, California Water Service, meets 20% of the city’s demand with locally pumped groundwater.30 Climate change may impact local hydrology and affect natural recharge to the local groundwater aquifers and the quantity of groundwater that could be pumped sustainably over the long-term. Lower rainfall and/or more intense runoff, increased evaporative losses, and warmer and shorter winter seasons can alter natural recharge of groundwater.
Although water related emissions in South San Francisco account for less than 1% of the communitywide total emissions, the ecosystem and quality of life benefits that reliable clean water provide are important to protect.31 Thus, reducing indoor and outdoor water use through fixture upgrades and climate-appropriate landscaping for both residential and nonresidential buildings will be considered in the General Plan.
30. California Water Service. (2021). 2020 Urban Water Management Plan South San Francisco District. Retrieved from https://www.calwater.com/docs/uwmp2020/SSF_2020_UWMP_ FINAL.pdf
31. Raimi + Associates. (2021). South San Francisco 2017 Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
South San Francisco/San Bruno Water Quality Control Plant Climate Appropriate Landscaping
Carbon Sequestration
Carbon sequestration is the long-term removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the earth’s natural systems including trees, grasses, soils, and riparian areas, thereby slowing the accumulation of GHGs in the atmosphere. Since carbon sequestration involves habitats within the city, these topics are further explored as part of the General Plan’s Environmental and Cultural Stewardship Element. There are several forms of carbon sequestration, including planting trees, applying compost to open spaces, and restoring and protecting natural areas such as Colma Creek and Sign Hill. Carbon sequestration through the enhancement of natural systems provides many quality-of-life and resiliency co-benefits in addition to emissions reductions. For example, expanding the urban forest can help mitigate the urban heat island, improve air quality, provide traffic calming, and reduce energy use.
Similarly, protecting open space can provide increased opportunities for outdoor recreation and promote biodiversity. Tree Planting Wetland Cleanup Compost Bin
324 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 325
CLIMATE PROTECTION 14
Equity
The policies outlined in this chapter provide numerous benefits to the community; however, it is important to ensure that these benefits are experienced equitably for all populations and geographic regions of the city. To achieve this equity goal, the City will consider equity implications in implementation. For example, incentives for building retrofits and electrification should be prioritized for disadvantaged communities. The City can also incorporate resiliency measures where appropriate to insulate the community from some of the most disruptive changes associated with climate protection. For example, to balance the higher cost of electricity versus natural gas, new more efficient electric appliances can be incentivized and paired with solar panels and battery storage, which offset more expensive peak electricity charges and provide power during emergencies.
Furthermore, in line with the Equitable Community Services and Health and Environmental Justice Elements of the General Plan, outreach and education efforts related to climate protection outcomes will be presented in multiple languages including Spanish, Mandarin, and Tagalog, and for the differently abled. Implementation of policies will also focus on community members most impacted by climate change and pollutants, including those living and working in the sub-areas of Orange Park, Downtown, Sign Hill, Paradise Valley/Terrabay, El Camino Real, Lindenville, and East of 101.
Solar Panel Installation
Shape SSF Community Conversation Presentation in Spanish on Climate Adaptation and Safety City Leadership
The ability to meet South San Francisco’s goals of mitigating carbon emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change will be demonstrated by City actions. The City will implement a series of actions that will both reduce carbon emissions from municipal operations and enhance resiliency.
These actions include energy and water efficiency upgrades for City facilities, parks, and landscapes, sustainable new construction, the electrification of buildings and fleet vehicles, supporting electric vehicle adoption through charger installation, and the installation of resilience measures including solar plus storage projects. These policies will not only reduce emissions but create community benefits through leading by example.
Complementing the vision and direction established in the General Plan, the City’s updated Climate Action Plan (CAP) is a key mechanism to promote and implement climate action. While the General Plan is a long-range policy document that maps out how the City of South San Francisco serves its community, the CAP represents the City’s program to the reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with State targets, contributing to statewide efforts to address climate change. The CAP’s focus is on a shorter time scale from 1-10 years. Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the CAP may also be used to streamline future development, allowing projects to rely on the implementation of CAP strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas impacts.
The policies outlined in the General Plan mirror those that are included in the updated CAP. The CAP provides more detail about projected future communitywide emissions and emissions reduction targets, the potential greenhouse gas reduction potential of strategies, and implementation. The cocreation of the General Plan and CAP has allowed General Plan and CAP-related analyses to inform the development of both plans and create consistency across long-range planning documents.
This consistency will create opportunities to streamline General Plan and CAP policy and program implementation by aligning climate goals with opportunities identified in the General Plan.
City Hall
Electric Vehicle Charging
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CLIMATE PROTECTION 14
POLICY FRAMEWORK
South San Francisco BART Station
GOAL CP-1: A carbon neutral community
by 2045.
INTENT:
To maintain and regularly update the City’s Climate
Action Plan and Greenhouse Gas Inventory with new and
emerging practices.
Policy CP-1.1: Maintain and update the Climate
Action Plan. Maintain and regularly update the City’s
Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions generated within the city. Ensure the City’s
GHG emission target is consistent with California’s
GHG reduction goals in order to be a qualified plan for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Policy CP-1.2: Monitor progress towards carbon
neutrality goal. Track and report progress towards
achieving the City’s greenhouse gas reduction goal.
Policy CP-1.3: Utilize innovative technologies to
reduce emissions. Utilize new technologies as they
become available to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions by regularly evaluating new and emerging
technology changes that can help to reduce GHG
emissions, and by encouraging the use of such
technology when it is demonstrated to be effective
at reducing GHG emissions and a fiscally responsible
investment.
Policy CP-1.4: Explore innovative pilot programs.
Explore the potential for innovative greenhouse gas
reduction pilot programs, including collaborations and
partnerships, in each emissions sector (e.g., buildings and energy, transportation, solid waste, water, and
carbon sequestration).
Policy CP-1.5: Seek funding to support greenhouse
emission reductions. Seek additional sources of
funding to support implementation of greenhouse gas
reduction projects, exploring grant funding, rebates,
and other incentive opportunities
Policy CP-1.6: Community education about
greenhouse gas reduction incentives. Educate
residents and businesses about opportunities to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions through grant
funding, rebates, and other incentive opportunities.
GOAL CP-2: A resilient and fossil fuel free
energy system.
INTENT:
To reduce energy related greenhouse gas emissions as
well as improve local air quality and public health.
Policy CP-2.1: Maintain Peninsula Clean Energy
membership. Maintain City membership in Peninsula
Clean Energy (PCE) and continue to work to maintain
a high level of private property owner participation in PCE.
Policy CP-2.2: Reduce emissions associated with
natural gas infrastructure. Partner with the Pacific
Gas and Electric Company to develop options for
reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with
the existing natural gas grid.
Policy CP-2.3: Develop community solar projects.
Explore the development of community solar projects.
Policy CP-2.4: Install energy resilience
infrastructure. Provide energy resilience via backup energy systems, microgrids, and other measures that serve the community during emergency events,
particularly supporting disadvantaged communities,
including considering creating a financial incentive
program for existing and new solar/battery backup
system installations.
Policy CP-2.5: Coordinate with Pacific Gas and
Electric Public Safety Power Shutoffs. Work with
the Pacific Gas and Electric Company to minimize the
impacts of Public Safety Power Shutoffs and to prevent
utility shutoff during extreme heat events.
328 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 329
CLIMATE PROTECTION 14
GOAL CP-3: Green buildings are the standard
in South San Francisco for new construction
and major renovations.
Intent:
To create sustainable high-performance buildings that
operate using carbon-free electricity and consume fewer resources.
Policy CP-3.1: Building code maintenance for new
and major renovations (energy efficiency). Regularly
update South San Francisco’s building codes to
improve the energy performance of new construction
and major remodels and to phase in requirements in
predicable ways.
Policy CP-3.2: Building code maintenance for new
and major renovations (water efficiency). Regularly
update the City’s building codes to improve the water
efficiency of new construction and major renovation.
Policy CP-3.3: Encourage the addition of battery
storage. Establish a streamlined approval process
for battery storage systems and reduce or eliminate
permitting fees to encourage the addition of battery
storage.
Policy CP-3.4: Adopt Electric Vehicle charging
reach code. Adopt higher electric vehicle charging
requirements than CALGreen for multifamily and
nonresidential new construction.
For related policies and implementation actions
related to landscape design standards, see Goal ES-5.
GOAL CP-4: The performance of existing
buildings in South San Francisco is improved.
INTENT:
To reduce energy and water use in existing buildings, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and utility costs.
Policy CP-4.1: Establish efficiency upgrade
programs. Establish an energy and water efficiency
upgrade program for existing buildings, focusing
resources on the most disadvantaged communities.
Policy CP-4.2: Prepare a Building Electrification
Plan. Develop a date certain, phased-in Existing
Building Electrification Plan to retrofit existing homes and businesses to all electric.
Policy CP-4.3: Establish Graywater permitting.
Establish a streamlined process for laundry-tolandscape graywater systems.
Policy CP-4.4: Community education about energy
and water incentives. Educate residents and
businesses on available incentive opportunities to
reduce energy and water use.
For related policies and implementation actions
related to landscape design standards, see Goal ES-5.
GOAL CP-5: Improve the environmental
efficiencies and performance of municipal
buildings, facilities, landscaping, and parks in
South San Francisco.
INTENT:
To promote the environmental health and capture
economic co-benefits, the design, construction, and
operations of all City-owned buildings and facilities
including parks and landscapes to promote leadership in green building and site design practices.
Policy CP-5.1: Require minimum of LEED silver rating
or equivalent for new buildings. Require all new
municipal buildings and facilities to meet a minimum
LEED silver rating as certified by the US Green Building Council or equivalent green building rating system.
Require feasibility studies for zero net energy use,
on-site renewable energy generation, and on-site
batteries.
Policy CP-5.2: Benchmark environmental
performance of municipal buildings and facilities.
Regularly benchmark the environmental performance
of municipal buildings, landscaping, parks and
facilities.
Policy CP-5.3: Municipal building retrofits and
operational changes. To reduce operating and
maintenance costs, use the benchmarking data to
identify opportunities for environmental performance
improvements through audits, retro-commissioning,
and building retrofits.
Policy CP-5.4: Require 75% waste diversion for
municipal construction and demolition projects.
Require municipal construction projects to achieve
75% waste diversion from the landfill.
Policy CP-5.5: Energy resilience of municipal
buildings. Require municipal building and facility new
construction and major renovation projects to evaluate
the feasibility of incorporating onsite batteries
that store electricity from onsite renewable energy
generation to supply the building and community with
electricity in the event of a disaster.
Policy CP-5.6: Electric vehicle chargers at municipal
facilities. Seek opportunities to install additional
electric vehicle chargers at suitable public facilities, including Downtown parking structures and
community and regional parks.
For related policies and implementation actions
related to building and facility maintenance, see Goals ECS-3 and PR-8.
GOAL CP-6: The City continues to divert
organics from landfill in accordance with
State targets.
INTENT:
To meet the requirements of SB 1383 Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Act and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
related to landfilled waste as well as cultivate behavior change around resource consumption.
Policy CP-6.1: Maintain and update Waste Reduction
Plan. Maintain and regularly update the City’s waste
reduction plans and programs to ensure consistency
with California’s waste reduction goals.
Policy CP-6.2: Educational outreach about waste
diversion. Develop education and technical assistance
programs to help all residents and businesses to
compost and recycle.
Policy CP-6.3: Modify waste rate structures.
Explore modifying waste rate structures to encourage
efficiency in future franchise agreements.
Policy CP-6.4: Establish City green purchasing
program. Establish a green purchasing program for
City of South San Francisco.
GOAL CP-7: The City increases carbon
sequestration in public lands, in open spaces,
and in the urban forest through marsh
enhancement and tree planting.
INTENT:
To sequester carbon through the enhancement of natural
systems and provide many quality-of-life and resiliency benefits in addition to emissions reductions.
Policy CP-7.1: Protect and expand wetland habitat.
Protect and expand existing marsh and wetland
habitat to improve water quality, adapt to climate
change, and provide habitat for wildlife.
Policy CP-7.2: Expand tree canopy cover. Expand
the canopy cover to increase environmental benefits,
prioritizing disadvantaged communities and
connected wildlife corridors.
Policy CP-7.3: Enhance Colma Creek ecological
corridor. Enhance Colma Creek as an ecological
corridor, restoring creek ecologies and creating
transitional habitat zones to build resilience and
ecosystem services.
Policy CP-7.4: Explore carbon farming. Explore
compost application on available acres of appropriate
open space.
For related policies and implementation actions
related to urban forests, landscape design and Colma
Creek, see Goals ES-3, ES-4, and ES-5.
330 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 331
CLIMATE PROTECTION 14
GOAL CP-8: The South San Francisco –
San Bruno Water Quality Control Plant is a
model for sustainable, resilient operations.
INTENT:
To reduce municipal operational greenhouse gas
emissions as well as provide capacity for organics
diversion and generate renewable biogas.
Policy CP-8.1: Evaluate system efficiency.
Continuously evaluate and, as appropriate, replace
systems at the wastewater treatment plant to reduce
energy use.
Policy CP-8.2: Explore renewable biogas production.
Explore additional capacity to generate, capture, and
reuse biogas generated by the plant as power.
Policy CP-8.3: Explore recycled water supply. Explore
options for delivering non-potable, recycled water for
cooling towers, processes, and irrigation in East of 101 (e.g., flow pipe water).
For related policies and implementation actions
related to mobility and reducing greenhouse gas
emissions from the transportation sector, see Mobility
and Access Chapter.
Wet Weather & Digester Improvements Project Groundbreaking Ceremony
IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
Policy Implementation Action Priority Primary Responsibility GOAL CP-1: A carbon neutral community by 2045.
Policy CP-1.1
Action CP-1.1.1: Update greenhouse gas reduction measures. Regularly (every 3-5 years) refine goals, policies, and actions designed to achieve the greenhouse gas reduction goal. Medium Sustainability (CM) Action CP-1.1.2: Establish greenhouse gas emission thresholds. Establish greenhouse gas (GHG) emission thresholds for use in evaluating non-exempt discretionary project consistent with the California Environmental Quality Act and require projects above that threshold to substantially mitigate all feasible GHG emissions and to reduce emissions below the established thresholds.
High Planning Division (ECD)
Policy CP-1.2
Action CP-1.2.1: Update the community greenhouse gas inventory every five years. Medium Sustainability (CM) Action CP-1.2.2: Prepare Municipal Greenhouse Gas inventory. Prepare an inventory of emissions from municipal operations, establish a greenhouse gas reduction target, and develop a work plan to reduce municipal emissions.
High Sustainability (CM)
GOAL CP-3: Green buildings are the standard in South San Francisco for new construction and major renovations.
Policy CP-3.1
Action CP-3.1.1: Incentivize energy efficient new construction. Provide incentives to encourage new construction to exceed California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards outlined in Title 24, Part 6.
Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Action CP-3.1.2: Require non-residential all-electric new construction. Adopt an ordinance (reach code) requiring all new nonresidential buildings to be all-electric and prohibit new gas infrastructure for new buildings. Exempt occupancies must install electric building systems (e.g., space and water heating equipment) where feasible.
High Building Division (ECD)
Action CP-3.1.3: Retrofit all-electric in existing buildings during major renovations. Require residential major renovations to retrofit to all-electric. High Building Division (ECD) Action CP-3.1.4: Require installation of photovoltaic panels. Require installation of photovoltaic panels on multifamily and nonresidential new construction. Low Building Division (ECD) Refer to the Implementation Matrix within the "Our Plan to Get There" chapter to view additional information regarding implementation actions such as timeframe and secondary department responsibilities.
332 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 333
CLIMATE PROTECTION 14
Policy Implementation Action Priority Primary Responsibility Policy CP-3.2
Action CP-3.2.1: Require high-efficiency indoor water fixture. Require high-efficiency fixtures in all new construction, like CALGreen Tier 1 or 2. Low Building Division (ECD) Action CP-3.2.2: Update landscaping water requirements. Require all new landscaping to use low-water plants and efficient irrigation, planting native and non-native species that provide valuable resources for native wildlife.
Medium Building Division (ECD)
GOAL CP-4: The performance of existing buildings in South San Francisco is improved.
Policy CP-4.1
Action CP-4.1.1: Energy audits for homes and businesses. Work with Peninsula Clean Energy, San Mateo County Energy Upgrade to provide free to low-cost energy audits. Medium Sustainability (CM) Action CP-4.1.2: Adopt Commercial Benchmarking ordinance. Adopt energy and water benchmarking ordinance for commercial buildings over 10,000 square feet to empower owners to control utility costs.
Medium Building Division (ECD)
Action CP-4.1.3: Retrocommissioning partnership. Work with PG&E to expand deep retrofit and retrocommissioning programs in South San Francisco. Medium Sustainability (CM) Policy CP-4.2
Action CP-4.2.1: Require electric panel upgrade at point of sale. Adopt an ordinance that requires electric panel upgrades upon sale and/or rental turnover. High Building Division (ECD) Action CP-4.2.2: Adopt Burnout Ordinance. Adopt a Burnout Ordinance that requires a gas appliance (e.g., stove or furnace) be replaced with an electric version when it stops working. High Sustainability (CM) GOAL CP-6: The City continues to divert organics from landfill in accordance with State targets.
Policy CP-6.1
Action CP-6.1.1: Adopt a Zero-waste plan. Adopt an SB 1383 compliant zero-waste plan for municipal operations and the community that includes:
• Mandatory residential and commercial recycling and collection of organics/food waste. • Mandatory commercial edible food recovery program (per MOU with San Mateo County Office of Sustainability).
• Update trash enclosure space and access requirements based on hauler recommendations to accommodate all waste streams (e.g., recycling, trash, and organics).
Medium Maintenance and Operations
Division (PW)
Action CP-6.1.2: SSF Scavenger partnership. Continue to work with SSF Scavenger to ensure implement waste reduction targets. Medium Maintenance and Operations Division (PW) Action CP-6.1.3: Establish waste reduction compliance pathways. Establish compliance pathways and enforcement mechanisms for mandatory organics and food waste diversion. High Maintenance and Operations Division (PW)
PERFORMANCE METRICS
PERFORMANCE METRIC: Community GHG emissions PERFORMANCE METRIC: Community water use Target
40% reduction in citywide
GHG emissions by 2030 and
carbon neutrality by 2045
2017 COMMUNITY
GHG EMISSIONS:
609,452 MTCO2E Data Source
PG&E, Peninsula Clean
Energy, California Water
Service, CalRecycle, and
California Air Resources
Board
Target
Potable water use (in
gallons per capita per day)
consistent with the urban
water suppliers’ efficiency
standards that will be
adopted in 2022 per Senate
Bill 606 and Assembly
Bill 1668
2017 GPCD
WATER USAGE
89 GALLONS PER
CAPITA PER DAY
Data Source California Water Service
PERFORMANCE METRIC: Community solid waste
Target Zero waste by 2045
2017 SOLID WASTE:
89,136 TONS
Data Source CalRecycle
PERFORMANCE METRIC: : Community energy use
Target Reduce energy use by at
least 20%
2017 ELECTRICITY USAGE:
489,460,969 KWH
Data Source
PG&E and Peninsula Clean
Energy
2017 NATURAL GAS USAGE:
29,866,596 THERMS
PERFORMANCE METRIC: Municipal GHG emissions
Target Achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 Data Source Fleet vehicle inventory, employee commute, fuel purchases, PG&E, Peninsula Clean Energy, California Water Service, CalRecycle
335
History
Culture
Identity
Urban Ecology
335
15 334 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN
CHAPTER 15
Environmental
and Cultural
Stewardship
15 PART IV: OUR ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL STEWARDSHIP
335
336 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN
ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL STEWARDSHIP 15
337
WHERE WE WANT TO BE IN THE FUTURE
Existing ecological assets, including wetlands, urban
forests, and open space corridors are protected and
enhanced. San Francisco Bay and Colma Creek wetlands
and marshes provide coastal protection and support
regional ecology.
Existing City parks and open spaces are managed to
support wildlife.
South San Francisco has a continuous and equitably
distributed tree canopy to improve air quality, provide relief from rising temperatures, and increase connectivity between open spaces and meets the goals established in
2020 Urban Forest Master Plan.
Impervious surfaces are reduced to decrease stormwater
runoff, mitigate against urban heat islands, and support urban ecology.
South San Francisco protects cultural resources for the contributions they make to the city’s history, culture, identity, and quality of life.
Orange Memorial Park
How Our Plan Gets Us There
Ecological and cultural resources provide critical
benefits to the residents of South San Francisco.
They support healthy ecosystems, improve air and water
quality, enhance public health, contribute to the identity and quality of life in the city, and help residents adapt to a changing climate. As South San Francisco grows, the City will foster urban ecology through open space planning and connectivity, habitat diversity, urban forestry, planting and vegetation, and land and vegetation management. The City will steward the San Francisco Bay, Colma Creek, Sign Hill, and San Bruno Mountain and will create an abundant, robust urban forest that supports vegetation and wildlife. The City will protect important cultural resources, including historic architectural, tribal cultural, and archaeological resources through identification, preservation, and education initiatives.
PERFORMANCE METRIC
Habitat Area
Target:
An increase in the acreage of
habitat area for local flora
and fauna
PERFORMANCE METRIC
A citywide tree canopy coverage
of 22.6% by 2040
Target:
All neighborhoods meet
the canopy coverage target,
prioritizing disadvantaged
neighborhoods first
PERFORMANCE METRIC
Environmental stewardship
programs
Target:
An increase in environmental
stewardship education and
interpretation programs and
volunteerism
123
Outdoor Learning Activity on Sign Hill
Performance Metrics Refer to page 361 to view a full list of Performance Metrics for this chapter.
HABITAT AREA AS OF 2021:
426 ACRES
2040 Target 22.6%
2016 Data 8.7%
Overall Tree Canopy
CITY TO BEGIN TRACKING DATA
AND PROVIDE IN THE FUTURE.
338 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 339
ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL STEWARDSHIP 15
KEY ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Environmental Resources
South San Francisco and its surrounding area include many important natural features, such as the San Francisco Bay, San Bruno Mountain, and Colma Creek. These natural
features act as landmarks establishing a strong sense of place and location within the community and provide
significant opportunities to support urban ecology and
biological resources.
San Bruno Mountain
San Bruno Mountain State Park Wetlands near East of 101 volunteer programs and youth wildlife camp. There is an opportunity to introduce the mountains to more elementary and middle schoolers.
The General Plan provides the opportunity to better connect habitat areas and support biodiversity in the city. By continuing to develop a system of well-connected parks and open spaces; updating guidelines for landscape design and planting; discouraging the use of invasive non-native plantings; and better managing vegetation at parks and open spaces, the City can support biodiversity, improve air and water quality, improve public health, and adapt to a changing climate.
There is an opportunity to implement multi-benefit nature-based projects along the San Francisco Bay shoreline and Colma Creek that improve resilience and restore ecosystems. These projects can include marsh and wetlands development, a new beach area, and riparian habitat open space along the San Francisco Bay.
32. San Mateo County Parks Department. 2008. San Bruno Mountain Habitat Management Plan. Retrieved from https://parks. smcgov.org/sites/parks.smcgov.org/files/documents/files/San%20Bruno%20Mountain%20Habitat%20Management%20 Plan%202008-1_0.pdf
33. San Bruno Mountain Watch. 2021. Retrieved from https://www.mountainwatch.org/
34. City of South San Francisco. 2021. Retrieved from https://www.ssf.net/departments/parks-recreation/parks-division/signhill Habitat Types
South San Francisco lies at the southern edge of the San Bruno Mountain and adjacent to the San Francisco Bay. Protected areas on San Bruno Mountain preserve expanses of native coastal grasslands, coastal scrub, riparian scrub, and oak woodlands. These habitats support a wide range of flora and fauna, including three federally listed endangered butterflies and a variety of rare plants.32 To the east of South San Francisco, expanses of tidal marsh, mudflats, ponds, and open water in South San Francisco Bay provide habitat for diverse wetland and aquatic wildlife. Figure 48 shows the existing habitat types. The San Francisco Bay also provides essential natural resources for migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway.
While there are habitat areas adjacent to South San Francisco, the city consists almost entirely of developed areas. Pockets of parks and open space provide space for wildlife and humans alike. Colma Creek, San Bruno Creek, and Navigable Slough of San Bruno Creek provide connections between these open areas, and the city’s tree canopy supports wildlife and provides shade. The City is actively creating pollinator habitats in medians and landscapes to act as pollinator islands to give respite to wildlife going from the coastal range to San Bruno Mountain. Large infrastructure, like Highway 101, and urban development act as barriers separating the San Francisco Bay from the upper Colma Creek watershed and habitat areas on San Bruno Mountain. Figure 49 shows potential connectivity for species.
South San Franciscans have a long history of stewarding the San Bruno Mountain and Sign Hill. In 1973, Betty Higgins, a Paradise Valley mother, helped create “The Committee to Save San Bruno Mountain.”33 Likewise Alphonse Seubert, who was a long-time resident of South San Francisco and an original member of the South San Francisco Beautification Committee, planted an estimated 5,000 trees on Sign Hill and helped develop the trails that are in use today.34 Pride and stewardship in the community is still active in South San Francisco; children and young adults now do their part in stewardship through high school capstones, student clubs, educational fieldtrips, City operated conservation and 340 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 341
ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL STEWARDSHIP 15
San Bruno Mountain
State & County Park
Navigable
Slough
San Francisco Bay
Ferry
Terminal
San Bruno Creek
C o l m a C r e e k
Airport Blvd
Chestnut Ave
E Grand Ave
Grand Ave
Oyster Point Blvd
S Airport Blvd Hillside Blvd
Forbes Blvd
Gateway Blvd
DNA Way
Sister Cities Blvd
El Camino Real
Junipero Serra Blvd
Westborough Blvd
Callan Blvd
Hickey Blvd
Spruce Ave
S Linden Ave
S
Utah Ave Spruce Ave
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Area
City of
Pacifica
City of
San Bruno
City of Colma
City of
Daly City
City of
Brisbane
San Francisco
International Airport
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!
! !
!
!
City of South San Francisco
Unincorporated Area in City Sphere
Ferry Terminal
Caltrain Station
Caltrain
Highway
Arterial Roads
Local Roads
City Parks and Joint Facilities
Context Parks
Major Protected Areas (CPAD) (>2 acres)
Tree-Covered Area
Major City-Owned Parks (>2 acres)
Connectivity
San Bruno Mountain
State & County Park
Navigable
Slough
San Francisco Bay
Ferry
Terminal
San Bruno Creek
C o l m a C r e e k
Airport Blvd
Chestnut Ave
E Grand Ave
Grand Ave
Oyster Point Blvd
S Airport Blvd Hillside Blvd
Forbes Blvd
Gateway Blvd
DNA Way
Sister Cities Blvd
El Camino Real
Junipero Serra Blvd
Westborough Blvd
Callan Blvd
Hickey Blvd
Spruce Ave
S Linden Ave
S
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§¨¦380
§¨¦280
¬«35
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Unincorporated
Area
City of
Pacifica
City of
San Bruno
City of Colma
City of
Daly City
City of
Brisbane
San Francisco
International Airport
0 0.25 0.5 1 °Miles
!
! !
!
!
City of South San Francisco
Unincorporated Area in City Sphere
Ferry Terminal
Caltrain Station
Caltrain
BART Station
BART
Highway
Arterial Roads
Local Roads
Context Parks
Waterbody
Streams
Protected Areas (CPAD)
Estuarine and Marine Aquatic Resources
Tidal Flat and Marsh Panne
Tidal Marsh
Existing Habitat Types
Annual Grass
Chamise-Redshank Chaparral
Oak Woodland
Coastal Scrub
Eucalyptus
Valley Foothill Riparian
Saline Emergent Wetland
Lacustrine
Sources: The California Protected Areas Database (2021); California Aquatic Resource Inventory (2017); California Vegetation (2017); City of South San Francisco (2019); County of San Mateo (2019); ESRI (2021).
Existing Habitat and Protected Areas
Figure 49: Connectivity
Figure 48: Existing Habitat and Protected Areas
Estuarine and Marine Aquatic Resources
Existing Habitat Types
Tidal Flat and Marsh Panne
Annual Grass Eucalyptus
Oak Woodland Saline Emergent Wetland
Chamise Redshank Chaparral Valley Foothill Riparian
Coastal Scrub Lacustrine
Tidal Marsh
Sources: City of South San Francisco (2019); County of San Mateo (2019); ESRI (2021).
Sources: The California Protected Areas Database (2021); California Aquatic Resource Inventory (2017); California Vegetation (2017); City of South San Francisco (2019); County of San Mateo (2019); ESRI (2021).
City of South San Francisco
BART Station
City Parks, Open Space,
& Joint Facilities Caltrain Station
Arterial Road
Streams
Unincorporated Area in City Sphere
Protected Areas (CPAD)
BART
Caltrain Context Parks
Ferry Terminal Station Local Road
Highway
Waterbody
Major City-Owned
Parks (>2 acres)
Major Protected Areas
(CPAD) (>2 acres)
Tree-Covered Area
Ecologically
Sensitive Areas
San Bruno Mountain
State & County Park
Navigable
Slough
San Francisco Bay
Ferry
Terminal
San Bruno Creek
C o l m a C r e e k
Airport Blvd
Chestnut Ave
E Grand Ave
Grand Ave
Oyster Point Blvd
S Airport Blvd
Hillside Blvd
Forbes Blvd
Gateway Blvd
DNA Way
Sister Cities Blvd
El Camino Real
Junipero Serra Blvd
Westborough Blvd
Callan Blvd
Hickey Blvd
Spruce Ave
S Linden Ave
S
Utah Ave Spruce Ave
Gellert B vl d
§¨¦380
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San Francisco
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!
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Unincorporated Area in City Sphere
Ferry Terminal
Caltrain Station
Caltrain
Highway
Arterial Roads
Local Roads
City Parks and Joint Facilities
Context Parks
Waterbody
Ecologically Sensitive Areas
Ecologically Sensitive Areas Figure 50: Ecologically Sensitive Areas City of South San Francisco
BART Station
City Parks, Open Space,
& Joint Facilities
Caltrain Station
Arterial Road
Streams Unincorporated Area in
City Sphere
BART
Context Parks
Caltrain
Local Road
Ferry Terminal Station
Highway
Waterbody
Sources: The California Protected Areas Database (2021); City of South San Francisco (2019); County of San Mateo (2019); ESRI (2021).
Navigable Slough
Twelve-Mile Creek
Twelve-Mile Creek
Twelve-Mile Creek
Twelve-Mile Creek
Spruce Creek
Flood Control Zone
Potential
Channel
Improvement
Orange Memorial
Park Regional
Stormwater
Capture Project
Colma Creek
Colma Creek
Colma Creek
Colma Creek
Colma Creek
Colma Creek
Colma Creek
Colma Creek
Colma Creek Continues Northwest
15 342 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN
Colma Creek Watershed
A critical feature in South San Francisco, Colma Creek is located between San Bruno Mountain and the San Andreas Fault; it drains an area of 16.6 square miles as a single waterway at the center of the valley. Colma Creek is a perennial stream within the watershed that trends in a southeasterly direction through the center of the city and is the community’s main natural drainage system. The headwaters of Colma Creek originate from San Bruno Mountain located to the north of the city.35 There are two main tributaries to Colma Creek within the city: Twelve Mile Creek and Spruce Creek.
Spruce Creek flows northeast in the
vicinity of Spruce Avenue to its confluence
with Colma Creek near Spruce Avenue.
Both tributary creeks have been entirely
channelized, and in many areas have been
constructed underground.
Twelve Mile Creek flows
northeast to its confluence
with Colma Creek,
approximately 500 feet south
of the Mission Road/Chestnut
Avenue intersection.
At the end of the 19th century, South San Francisco was established next to marshland and a micro delta where
Colma Creek met the San Francisco Bay. In the 20th
century, the city urbanized over the natural system
with industrial land creating “The Industrial City” and the associated road and rail infrastructure.
35. San Mateo County Department of Public Works. 2019. Retrieved from https://publicworks.smcgov.org/watersheds-san-mateo-county.
36. Hassel+. 2018. Resilient South City. Retrieved from: http://www. resilientbayarea.org/resilient-south-city
ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL STEWARDSHIP
343
Since the establishment of the Colma Creek Flood Control Zone in 1964, the urbanization of the Colma Creek watershed saw peak storm water flow steadily increase. The establishment of the Flood Control Zone in response to regular flooding in the sections of the creek downstream from Orange Memorial Park led to Colma Creek being culverted over up until 2006. Currently several sections of the creek are now restrained by concrete flood control walls raised above street level.36 Many of the areas around Colma Creek are existing or former industrial uses and present a potential risk for hazardous materials spilling into the watershed and San Francisco Bay. The San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District (formerly the San Mateo County Flood Control District) contributes to the management of flood risk along Colma Creek.
San Bruno Creek, which originates in the City of San Bruno, flows north through the southern portion of the City of South San Francisco, and drains into the Bay in the same spot as Colma Creek. A navigable slough is located south of Colma Creek in the southeastern portion of the city.
344 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 345
ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL STEWARDSHIP 15
Flora & Fauna
The city’s natural and urbanized habitats provide areas to support a wide variety of wildlife and plant species. Recent surveys found over 40 sensitive plant species in the city, including eight federally listed species. These include Franciscan manzanita, Presidio manzanita, robust spineflower, beach layia, San Francisco lessingia, white-rayed pentachaeta, California seablite, and two-fork clover. There are six plant species that are State listed species and include: Presidio manzanita, beach layia, San Francisco lessingia, white-rayed pentachaeta, San Bruno Mountain manzanita, and Pacific manzanita.
Recent surveys found 31 sensitive wildlife species recorded throughout the city. This list includes eight federally listed species, including the San Bruno elfin butterfly, tidewater goby, Bay checkerspot butterfly, mission blue butterfly, California Ridgway’s rail, California red-legged frog, callippe silverspot butterfly, and San Francisco gartersnake. Another five species are State listed species and include California Ridgway’s rail, San Francisco gartersnake, California black rail, bank swallow, and longfin smelt. Other non-listed species are given special-status or are fully protected under the California Fish and Game Code and include Alameda song sparrow, American peregrine falcon, and Townsend’s big-eared bat.
The listed and special-status wildlife and plant species are most likely to be found in the riparian and estuary areas around San Francisco Bay, in the open spaces and hills on San Bruno Mountain and on Sign Hill , and possibly within the city’s existing parks. A few of these wildlife species, such as birds and bats, may find suitable nesting habitat within buildings and other human-made structures.
Sign Hill Native Grassland
California Red Legged Grog
Source: "California Red Legged Frog" by Flow Gardipee/
USFWS, licensed under CC BY 2.0
Calippe Silverspot Butterfly
Surface Water
Surface water quality is impacted by two types of discharges: point sources and non-point sources. Discharges into surface water from a fixed point is a point source. For example, discharges from an industrial facility and municipal wastewater systems are considered point source discharges. Non-point source discharges to surface water include runoff from streets and urban areas that enter the stormwater system during storm events.
Stormwater runoff in the city is collected in storm drains and discharged into Colma Creek or the San Francisco Bay. Some stormwater runoff infiltrates into the ground; however, due to the large amount of impervious surfaces within the city, much of the stormwater flows over land and into existing storm drains. The City maintains all stormwater system facilities within the public right of way and adopted drainage easements within the City limits.37 As part of the Capital Improvement Program, the City is completing a stormwater capture project at Orange Memorial Park to divert, treat, and store dry-weather urban runoff and wet-weather runoff from the Colma Creek channel. A portion of the treated water is being utilized for irrigation of Orange Park, Centennial Way, and the new Civic Campus, preserving millions of gallons of drinking water annually. A portion of the water will restore groundwater .
In 2019, the City adopted a Green Infrastructure Plan that establishes guidelines for integrating green infrastructure measures into the city in combination with conventional storm drain system (gray) improvements to manage runoff from storm events. This plan will create a more resilient and sustainable stormwater system that reduces runoff volumes and improves runoff water quality protecting ecology.
Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act requires States to identify waters that do not meet the water quality standards or objectives and thus, are considered “impaired.” Colma Creek and the San Francisco Bay are listed on the Section 303(d) list of the Clean Water Act.38
Orange Memorial Park Regional Stormwater Capture Project Storm Drain Orange Memorial Park Regional Stormwater Capture Project
37. BTC–Batis Training and Consulting. 2014. City of South San Francisco Sewer System Master Plan. Page 4.
38. San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board. 2017. 2016 California List of Water Quality Limited Segments Addressed by Actions Other Than TMDLs.
South San
Francisco District
Groundwater Basin Map
(Relevant to South San Francisco)
Visitacion
Valley Basin San Francisco Bay
Source: 2020 Urban Water Management Plan South San Francisco District Pacific Ocean
Westside Basin
Westside Basin
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ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL STEWARDSHIP 15
Ground Water
South San Francisco is located within the boundaries of the Westside and Visitacion Valley Groundwater Basins. The Bayshore Water District of the California Water Service extracts groundwater from the Westside Basin from five wells located within the service area. Groundwater has historically supplied 20% of the Bayshore Water District’s water demand.39 Climate change may impact local hydrology and affect natural recharge to the local groundwater aquifers and the quantity of groundwater that could be pumped sustainably over the long-term. Lower rainfall and/ or more intense runoff, increased evaporative losses and warmer and shorter winter seasons can alter natural recharge of groundwater. Salinity intrusion into coastal groundwater aquifers due to sea level rise could interfere with local groundwater uses. Furthermore, additional reductions in imported water supplies would lead to less imported water available for managed recharge of local groundwater basins and potentially more groundwater pumping in lieu of imported water availability.40 The area southwest of Colma Creek is underlain by a portion of the San Mateo Groundwater Basin, which stretches from Daly City to Menlo Park.
Groundwater flows easterly from Lake Merced in San Francisco toward the San Francisco Bay. Much of the alluvium that underlies the lowland areas of the City of South San Francisco is capable of transmitting groundwater, especially in the southwestern portion of the city. Recharge (percolation back to the water table) is generally concentrated in the immediate near-stream areas where open space is present. Groundwater quality may be impacted by former industrial uses and areas of unconfined waste disposal.
39. California Water Service. 2021. 2020 Urban Water Management Plan South San Francisco District. Retrieved from https://www.calwater.com/docs/uwmp2020/SSF_2020_UWMP_ FINAL.pdf
40. California Water Service. 2021. 2020 Urban Water Management Plan South San Francisco District. Retrieved from https://www.calwater.com/docs/uwmp2020/SSF_2020_UWMP_ FINAL.pdf
San Francisco Bay Ferry
Oyster Point Marina
Harbors and Fisheries
In 1977, the San Mateo County Harbor District assumed operational control over the Oyster Point Marina and Park. The Joint Powers Agreement between the San Mateo County Harbor District and the City of South San Francisco gave the Harbor District the authority to improve and complete construction of a recreational marina while retaining the berthing and other related fees. A Joint Powers Agreement in 2018 replaced the original joint powers agreement and will be in effect until at least 2033, which allows for the continued operation and management of the marina, and additional landside maintenance obligations for the City.41 The Harbor District Master Plan provides a comprehensive guide that will define the best possible use of its land and water resources and in identifying and achieving capital improvement projects. The Harbor District Master Plan balances resource protection, coastal access, sustainable infrastructure, coastal-dependent businesses, and active and passive public recreation.
41. San Mateo County Harbor District. 2021. Oyster Point Marina/Park Agreements with the City of South San Francisco. Retrieved from https://www.smharbor.com/oyster-pointmarina-park-agreements-with-the-city-of-south-san-francisco 348 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 349
ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL STEWARDSHIP 15
Cultural Resources
In the City of South San Francisco, cultural resources often take the form of buildings, structures, sites, and landscapes that are important to the history of the city. There may also be archaeological sites or locations that are important to the history and identity of Native American tribes who lived or traveled through this region along San Francisco Bay.
This section provides a summary of the cultural resources in the city.
Mural at Caltrain Station
South San Francisco Woman's Club
Categories of Cultural Resources
Cultural resources are buildings, objects, features, structures, sites, or landscapes with historic or pre-historic value. Cultural resources typically include properties that have been determined to be associated with important events, important persons, excellence in architecture or master architects, or archaeological sites and objects such as Native American artifacts discovered in the city. Specifically, cultural resources can be categorized in one of the following groups:
Architectural Resources
Historic, built-environment resources are associated with the recent past. In California, historic resources are typically associated with the American periods in the State’s history.
Archaeological Resources
Archaeology is the study of artifacts and material culture with the aim of understanding human activities and cultures in the past. Archaeological resources may be associated with prehistoric indigenous cultures as well as later periods of California’s history.
Tribal Cultural Resources
Tribal cultural resources include sites, features, places, or objects that are of cultural value to one or more California Native American Tribes.
Burial Sites and Cemeteries
Burial sites and cemeteries are formal or informal locations where human remains have been interred.
Metropolitan Hotel
Union Hotel 1906
Source: http://bitsofhistory.plsinfo.org/
thumbnailtext.asp?offset=470&id=694
San Bruno Mountain
State & County Park
C o l m a C r e e k
Airport Blvd
Chestnut
Ave
E Grand Ave
Grand Ave
Oyster Point Blvd
S
Airport
Blvd
Hillside Blvd
Forbes Blvd
Gateway Blvd
Sister Cities Blvd
El Camino Real
Junipero
Serra
Blvd
Westborough Blvd
Callan Blvd
Hickey Blvd
Spruce Ave
S
Linden
Ave
S
Utah Ave Spruce
Ave
G
ellert B
vl d
§¨¦280
£¤101
Unincorporated
Area
City of
Pacifica
City of Colma
City of
Daly City
City of
Brisbane
Bank of South San Francisco42
Metropolitan Hotel43
Grand Avenue Library
Sign Hill
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Historic Architectural Resources
The South San Francisco Land and Improvement Company designed a company town to attract industries and workers to South San Francisco, facilitating the city's growth and its incorporation in 1908. The city maintains a diversity of historic buildings and structures, constructed of a variety of materials. The earliest buildings were constructed of wood or brick, were modest in size, and most were vernacular interpretations of architectural styles popular at the time of their construction.
Corrugated metal was commonplace for industrial facilities, and stucco became the preferred exterior finish, beginning from the 1920s through the 1940s.
Two National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)-listed properties are located within the city: the Martin Building located at 265 Grand Avenue (also known as the Metropolitan Hotel) and the South San Francisco Hillside Sign. These two properties are also the only resources listed on the California Register of Historic Places (CRHP).
South San Francisco also recognizes 40 designated Historic Landmarks that are considered cultural resources. An additional number of properties in South San Francisco have been determined eligible for listing in the National Register, California Register, or City Designated Landmark through the CEQA process. These listed properties encompass a broad range of building types and styles, including residential homes, commercial buildings (Mexico Tipico, Bank of South San Francisco), institutional buildings (City Hall, Grand Avenue Library), industrial facilities (South City Lumber), and commemorative monuments and features (Donors Sidewalk of Names, Martin Memorial Fountain).
The Grand Avenue Commercial Historic District has been identified as a locally significant resource.
Addressing cross-cultural acknowledgment of the importance of historic resources in retaining the city’s “sense of place” is an important consideration in the General Plan. South San Francisco is multicultural, and the city celebrates its diverse cultural, ethnic, and religious communities. However, the City faces the challenge of retaining and preserving historic resources, and property owners face financial challenges to maintain historic resources. The costs of maintaining older buildings, particularly historic buildings, are greater than newer structures. For example, if a property owner makes repairs to a historic structure, a property owner may require additional consultation with the City, architects, and other cultural resources professionals. In addition, some of the maintenance costs in and of themselves can be expensive, such as duplicating architectural details to maintain the integrity of a historic resource.
Archaeological and Tribal Cultural Resources
Archaeological resources span both historic and prehistoric periods and differ from built environment cultural resources in that they are largely sub-surface, and are most often encountered by pedestrian survey, archaeological testing, or during project-related ground disturbance.
Tribal Cultural Resources are sites, features, places, cultural landscapes, sacred places, and objects with cultural value to a California Native American tribe.
The locations of known archaeological resources within the city must be kept confidential and cannot be disclosed to the public. Consultation with local stakeholders, including tribal authorities, on the location, nature, and mitigation required to protect these non-renewable resources, constitutes a vital part of the planning process.
Development within areas with known archaeological resources is a critical challenge. Some of South San Francisco’s known archaeological resources are located within areas undergoing development, such as Terrabay and El Camino Real. If not identified and protected during project design or ground disturbing activities, development in areas with known archaeological resources could result in the loss of these resources.
Historical Landmarks in
South San Francisco
42. http://bitsofhistory.plsinfo.org/thumbnailtext.asp?%20%20 bofhsearchbox=bank+of+south+san+francisco&Submit=Submit&id=559
43. http://bitsofhistory.plsinfo.org/thumbnailtext.asp?%20%20 bofhsearchbox=metropolitan+hotel&Submit=Submit&id=633
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POLICY FRAMEWORK
Bay Trail
GOAL ES-1: The City supports nature in
South San Francisco to encourage healthy
ecosystems, improve air and water quality,
improve public health, and adapt to a
changing climate.
INTENT:
To foster urban ecology in South San Francisco
including open space and connectivity, habitat diversity, urban forestry, planting and vegetation, and land and
vegetation management.
Policy ES-1.1: Develop a connected open space
network. Continue to develop a system of wellconnected parks and open spaces to support biodiversity, enable the movement of wildlife, and
increase climate resilience.
Policy ES-1.2: Strive for habitat diversity across the
city. Strive for habitat diversity ranging from coastal wetlands and marshes to upland habitats.
Policy ES-1.3: Create a connected network of wildlife
corridors. Transform Colma Creek, implement the
City’s Urban Forest Master Plan, and manage the
Bay Trail and Centennial Way to create a connected
network of wildlife corridors.
Policy ES-1.4: Plant for biodiversity. Discourage the
use of invasive non-native plantings in landscape areas across the city, working with regional agencies and
local nurseries to educate residents and employers in
removing non-native plant species and instead using
native species.
Policy ES-1.5: Conduct equity assessments for
conservation efforts. Assess conservation efforts
for distributions of benefits and burdens to diverse
and marginalized communities (both geographically
bounded and identity-based), including implications
for environmental and public health. Engage
communities in decision-making about programs and
priorities.
For related policies and implementation actions
related to urban forestry, landscape design, and
recreational programming about ecology and
environmental stewardship, see Goals ES-4, ES-5,
and PR-9.
GOAL ES-2: South San Francisco is a steward
of the San Francisco Bay and its habitat.
INTENT:
To protect the San Francisco Bay and expand habitat
through development standards and bird safe design.
Policy ES-2.1: Protect marsh and wetland habitat.
Protect and expand existing marsh and wetland
habitat to improve water quality, adapt to climate
change, and provide habitat for wildlife.
Policy ES-2.2: Maintain development standards
adjacent to the San Francisco Bay to support
habitat. Maintain standards and guidelines for new
construction within 150 feet of San Francisco Bay that
support the health of the Bay. This policy includes: • Requiring no net new impervious areas. • Maintaining (or increasing) building setbacks to support habitat areas and adaptation.
• Requiring new construction to construct bioswales
or similar features to treat runoff before it enters the Bay.
• Requiring low intensity lighting to reduce the amount of light reaching sensitive habitat.
• Using a planting palette consisting of native species and species that provide valuable resources for
native wildlife; and
• Requiring an assessment as part of the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process to
consider wildlife impacts before project approval to
continue to protect special status of species.
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GOAL ES-3: Colma Creek is an ecological
corridor that supports community resilience
and livability.
INTENT:
To meet a series of overlapping objectives that reduce
flooding, protect against sea level rise, increase shoreline access and active mobility, improve water quality, and
restore biodiversity in the city.
Policy ES-3.1: Enhance Colma Creek as an ecological
corridor. Enhance Colma Creek as an ecological
corridor, restoring creek ecologies and creating
transitional habitat zones to build resilience and
ecosystem services.
Policy ES-3.2: Co-locate park and open space
patches along Colma Creek. Co-locate park and
open space features along Colma Creek to create
opportunities for green infrastructure and patches for
natural habitat.
Policy ES-3.3: Maintain development standards
along Colma Creek to support habitat. Maintain
development standards and guidelines for new
construction within 80 feet that support urban ecology
and ecosystem resilience. Provide project applicants
with a process for exemptions and/or offsets under
limited circumstances. Standards include:
• Requiring no net new impervious areas.
• Maintaining (or increasing) building setbacks to
support habitat areas.
• Encouraging new construction to construct
bioswales or similar features to treat runoff before it enters the creek:
• Using a planting palette consisting of native species and species that provide valuable resources for
native wildlife.
Policy ES-3.4: Implement stormwater management
throughout the Colma Creek watershed. Continue
to implement stormwater management practices
across the Colma Creek watershed, such as the Orange
Memorial Park Stormwater Capture Project to improve
water quality and increase trash capture.
Policy ES-3.5: Maintain stormwater management
partnerships. Continue to develop public and private
partnerships with agencies, developers, and nonprofits to fund Colma Creek transformation.
For related policies and implementation actions
related to Colma Creek ecology and resilience,
see Goal CR-3.
GOAL ES-4: An abundant, robust urban forest
that contributes to South San Francisco’s
quality of life as it combats the effects of
climate change.
INTENT:
To enhance South San Francisco’s environmental quality
and the mental and physical health of its residents, while bringing significant economic benefits through increased property values. To make the city more resilient to
the impacts of climate change and provide habitat for
wildlife.
Policy ES-4.1: Expand tree canopy cover. Expand
canopy coverage to increase environmental benefits,
prioritizing disadvantaged communities and
connected wildlife corridors.
Policy ES-4.2: Avoid tree removal. Avoid removing
trees whenever possible. When removals are
warranted, replace each removed tree with three
new trees.
Policy ES-4.3: Support the staged succession of tree
planting. Plan in advance to remove and replant trees
to guide tree planting priorities and help shape the
character of the city.
Policy ES-4.4: Plan for tree planting to promote
tree health. Plan for trees before planting to promote
the health and longevity of individual trees, reduce
mortality/tree removals, and improve habitat for
wildlife. Establish a design standard for minimum soil
depth to facilitate robust tree growth.
Policy ES-4.5: Promote good tree maintenance.
Promote good maintenance practices for trees on
private property by educating the public about tree
care and certified professional tree workers.
Policy ES-4.6: Support education and engagement
about the urban forest. Increase support for the
enhancement of the urban forest through forestry
programing, information distribution, and advocacy
groups.
Policy ES-4.7: Enforce the Tree Preservation
Ordinance. Increase communication with code
enforcement to increase enforcement of tree
preservation ordinance. Consider adjustments to
the code and fine structure to improve Ordinance
implementation.
GOAL ES-5: Landscape design standards for
new development enhance habitat quality,
reduce water use, and support a diverse
ecosystem.
INTENT:
To discourage the use of invasive, non-native plantings in landscape areas across the city, encourage waterwise planting, and encourage innovation and ecosystem
resilience in landscape design.
Policy ES-5.1: Remove invasive species. Prohibit
invasive species identified on the California Invasive
Plant Council list in new construction and landscape
renovations.
Policy ES-5.2: Control and manage invasive plants
found on site. Use best management practices during
construction and subsequent site maintenance to
manage and control invasive species found on site,
including clearing infested areas prior to construction, planting native seed from a local source, and avoiding
seed dispersal through construction equipment use.
Policy ES-5.3: Use a waterwise planting palette
during new construction. During new construction and
landscape renovations, prioritize xeriscaping, low-wateruse plants, and native plants, minimizing the total area of high-water-use plants (e.g., turf and water features).
Policy ES-5.4: Preserve native plants during
construction. During new construction or landscape
renovations, preserve portions of a lot largely occupied by native species. Replace non-native vegetation with
natives except when the non-native vegetation support
habitat particularly useful to native wildlife.
Policy ES-5.5: Plant using a multi-layered cluster to
support wildlife. Design plantings in multi-layered
clusters, placing groundcover, shrub, and tree canopy
layers in the same area to support wildlife.
Policy ES-5.6: Create pollinator habitats in medians
and landscapes. Continue to create pollinator habitats
in medians and landscapes to act as pollinator islands
to give respite to wildlife going from the coastal range to San Bruno Mountain.
Policy ES-5.7: Discourage herbicide and pesticide
use. Discourage the use of herbicides and pesticides.
Policy ES-5.8: Design irrigation systems for water
conservation. Install weather- or soil moisture-based
irrigation controllers in all new development. Cluster
plants together with similar water requirements to
conserve water. Use the Water Use Classification of
Landscape Species (WUCOLS) ratings to establish
watering needs.
Policy ES-5.9: Encourage alternative irrigation water
sources. Encourage on-site rainwater harvesting
and graywater systems for irrigation. Periodically
study feasibility for delivering non-potable, recycled
water from the South San Francisco - San Bruno
Water Quality Control Plant, Orange Memorial Park
Stormwater Capture Project, or similar.
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ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL STEWARDSHIP 15
GOAL ES-6: Threatened and endangered
wildlife and plant species thrive in South
San Francisco.
INTENT:
To maintain inventories of, assess the impacts of new
development on, and build community collaborations
that support endangered wildlife and plant species, as
well as ecologically sensitive habitats.
Policy ES-6.1: Catalog wildlife and plant inventories.
Continue to catalog and update information on
threatened and endangered species in the review of
project proposals.
Policy ES-6.2: Conduct wildlife and plant
assessments for new development. Require
assessments for new developments in areas that could
impact threatened or endangered species.
Policy ES-6.3: Conduct site-specific assessments for
new development in ecologically sensitive habitat
areas. On a parcel-by-parcel basis, require that permit applications for projects located within ecologically
sensitive habitat areas, as shown on Figure 50, prepare site-specific biological assessments for review and
approval by City Planning staff, and incorporation of
the recommended measures during construction to
protect ecologically sensitive habitat areas.
Policy ES-6.4: Manage and conserve natural areas
at risk. Actively manage natural areas and landscapes
threatened by human intervention and invasive
species.
GOAL ES-7: The City increases stormwater
infiltration and reduces the amount of
pollutants entering the stormwater system.
INTENT:
To promote the equitable distribution of green
infrastructure in South San Francisco to improve
human and watershed health, San Francisco Bay
fisheries, and wildlife habitat, and to reduce the negative impacts of climate change. To couple with policies and
implementation actions related to the urban forest,
which filters pollutants, stores water in canopy, and helps keep stormwater flow rates manageable.
Policy ES-7.1: Develop and implement
comprehensive watershed management strategy.
Partner with regional and local agencies to develop
a comprehensive watershed management strategy
that identifies programs, partnerships, actions, and
incentives that the City and partners can take to
protect the city’s water resources and aquatic areas.
Collaborate with regional agencies and neighboring
jurisdictions to manage stormwater, reduce impervious
surfaces, and improve water quality in the Colma Creek
watershed.
Policy ES-7.2: Integrate green infrastructure in City
projects. Integrate green infrastructure strategies into city‐owned landscapes to improve water quality and
reduce the need to irrigate landscapes.
Policy ES-7.3: Require stormwater management
practices for new and redevelopment projects.
Continue to require new development and
redevelopment projects to meet federal, state,
regional, and local stormwater requirements, including
site design, stormwater treatment, stormwater
infiltration, peak flow reduction, and trash capture.
Policy ES-7.4: Encourage pervious surfaces.
Encourage pervious surfaces in new developments.
For related policies and implementation actions
related to urban forestry, see Goal ES-4.
GOAL ES-8: Clean and sustainable
groundwater.
INTENT:
To promote sustainable city practices that alleviate water shortages and ensure access to a clean and sustainable
groundwater supply.
Policy ES-8.1: Optimize groundwater recharge in
new development. Continue to optimize groundwater
recharge from new and redevelopment projects by
infiltrating stormwater in accordance with State,
regional, and local requirements.
Policy ES-8.2: Implement potable water demand
reduction measures. Continue to update and
implement the South San Francisco Urban Water
Management Plan demand reduction measures to
reduce groundwater pumping in the Westside Basin
and to increase resilience to climate change.
For related policies and implementation actions
related to urban forestry, see Goal ES-4.
GOAL ES-9: Protect important historic
architectural resources for the aesthetic,
educational, economic, and scientific
contribution they make to South San
Francisco’s identity and quality of life.
INTENT:
To help preserve, enhance, and educate the community
about South San Francisco’s historic architectural
resources through regular inventories, resource
identification, adaptive reuse, and development site
surveys.
Policy ES-9.1: Maintain a Historic Resources
Inventory. Maintain and update a Historic Resources
Inventory at regular intervals to promote awareness
of these community resources and as a tool to further
their preservation. Give priority to identifying and
establishing Historic Districts.
Policy ES-9.2: Identify historic resources. Encourage
the voluntary identification, conservation, and re-use
of historical structures, properties, and sites with
special and recognized historic, architectural, or
aesthetic value.
Policy ES-9.3: Encourage adaptive reuse of historic
resources. Encourage historic resources to remain
in their original use whenever possible. The adaptive
use of historic resources is preferred, particularly as inns, vacation rentals, light commercial use, museums,
educational facilities, or visitor-serving uses, when the original use can no longer be sustained.
Policy ES-9.4: Protect hardscape and cultural
landscape elements. Protect and preserve historic
sidewalk stamps, street signs, lampposts, street trees, and other hardscape and cultural landscape elements,
in addition to designated historical buildings,
structures, and sites that contribute to the historic
character of a neighborhood, and the city.
Policy ES-9.5: Require historic surveys as part of
development project requirements. Require the
submittal of historic reports and surveys prepared as
part of the environmental review process.
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GOAL ES-10: South San Francisco’s
archaeological resources provide a link to
the city’s prehistoric and historic past and
strengthen the city’s sense of place.
INTENT:
To help protect and educate the community about
South San Francisco’s archaeological resources for the
contributions they make to the city’s identity.
Policy ES-10.1: Maintain archaeological procedures
for new development. Maintain formal procedures for
minimizing and mitigating impacts to archaeological
resources.
Policy ES-10.2: Support archaeological education.
Support educational efforts that increase community
awareness, appreciation, and support for South San
Francisco’s archaeological resources.
Policy ES-10.3: Require that development proposals
be referred to appropriate archaeological resources.
Require that development proposals be referred to
the Northwest Information Center of the California
Archaeological Inventory, Native American Heritage
Commission (NAHC), and local Native American
Tribes for review and recommendations regarding
supplemental field investigation.
Policy ES-10.4: Ensure the protection of known
archaeological resources through records review.
Ensure the protection of known archaeological
resources in the city by requiring a records review
for any development proposed in areas of known
resources.
Policy ES-10.5: Discovery of significant historic or
prehistoric archaeological artifacts. If construction or grading activities result in the discovery of significant historic or prehistoric archaeological artifacts, then all work within 100 feet of the discovery shall cease, the
Economic and Community Development Department
shall be notified, the resources shall be examined by a qualified archaeologist for appropriate protection and
preservation measures; and work may only resume
when appropriate protections are in place and have
been approved by the Economic and Community
Development Department.
GOAL ES-11: South San Francisco protects
sites, features, places, or objects that are of
cultural value to one or more California Native
American Tribes.
INTENT:
To help protect and educate the community about South
San Francisco’s cultural resources for the contributions they make to the city’s history, culture, and identity.
Policy ES-11.1: Identification of tribal cultural
resources. Encourage the identification, preservation,
and protection of Tribal Cultural Resources, traditional cultural landscapes, sacred sites, places, features,
and objects, including historic or prehistoric ruins,
burial grounds, cemeteries, and ceremonial sites in
consultation or coordination with the appropriate
Native America tribe(s), and ensure appropriate
treatment of Native American and other human
remains discovered during project construction.
Policy ES-11.2: Include history of Native American
peoples in Colma Creek transformation. Include
the history of Native American peoples and cultural
resources as part of the transformation of Colma Creek.
Policy ES-11.3: Conduct tribal consultation during
development review. Consult with local Native
American tribes to identify, evaluate, and appropriately address tribal cultural resources and tribal sacred sites through the development review process.
IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
Policy Implementation Action Priority Primary Responsibility GOAL ES-1: The City supports nature in South San Francisco to encourage healthy ecosystems, improve air and water quality, improve public health, and adapt to a changing climate.
Policy ES-1.4
Action ES-1.4.1: Manage vegetation at parks and open space for biodiversity. Manage vegetation at parks and open spaces in South San Francisco to support biodiversity by reducing pesticide use, reducing light pollution, reducing non-native species, and planting native species that provide valuable resources for native wildlife and to increase resilience.
High Parks Division (P&R)
GOAL ES-2: South San Francisco is a steward of the San Francisco Bay and its habitat.
Policy ES-2.2
Action ES-2.2.1: Require bird safe design East of 101. Develop a bird safe design ordinance to minimize the adverse effects on native and migratory birds and require new development East of 101 to incorporate design measures.
High Planning Division (ECD)
GOAL ES-3: Colma Creek is an ecological corridor that supports community resilience and livability.
Policy ES-3.1
Action ES-3.1.1: Implement Colma Creek interpretive signage. In coordination with the Flood and Resiliency District and other partners, incorporate interpretive signage that educate community members and visitors about the history and the unique biological resources around Colma Creek.
Low Parks Division (P&R)
GOAL ES-4: An abundant, robust urban forest that contributes to South San Francisco’s quality of life as it combats the effects of climate change.
Policy ES-4.1 Action ES-4.1.1: Implement Urban Forest Plan: Implement the City’s Urban Forest Plan. High Parks Division (P&R) GOAL ES-5: Landscape design standards for new development enhance habitat quality, reduce water use, and support a diverse ecosystem.
Policy ES-5.3
Action ES-5.3.1: Update the planting guidelines. Evaluate and update existing guidelines for landscape design and planting to support native species and non-native species that provide valuable resources for native wildlife and reduce water use.
Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Refer to the Implementation Matrix within the "Our Plan to Get There" chapter to view additional information regarding implementation actions such as timeframe and secondary department responsibilities.
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Policy Implementation Action Priority Primary Responsibility GOAL ES-7: The City increases stormwater infiltration and reduces the amount of pollutants entering the stormwater system.
Policy ES-7.2
Action ES-7.2.1: Implement the Green Infrastructure Plan. Implement the City’s Green Infrastructure Plan. High Engineering Division (PW)
Action ES-7.2.2: Identify opportunities to implement green Infrastructure in parks and open space. Identify opportunities for nearby parks and open spaces to support water management with stormwater infrastructure
High Parks Division (P&R)
GOAL ES-9: The City’s goal is to protect important historic architectural resources for the aesthetic, educational, economic, and scientific contribution they make to South San Francisco’s identity and quality of life.
Policy ES-9.1
Action ES-9.1.1: Explore the feasibility of a Downtown Historic Commercial District development. Explore the feasibility of establishing a Downtown South San Francisco Historical Commercial District to promote the revitalization and redevelopment of the area while supporting existing small business owners in the district from being displaced.
Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Action ES-9.1.2: Prepare Downtown urban design guidelines. Institute Downtown urban design guidelines and require design review of developments in the proposed Downtown South San Francisco Historical Commercial District to ensure that the height, massing, and design of buildings furthers Downtown’s character.
Low Planning Division (ECD)
Action ES-9.1.3: Expand historic markers and maps to promote and celebrate history.
Expand resources such as historic maps, historic markers, or self-guided walking tours to promote and celebrate historic preservation in South San Francisco.
Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Action ES-9.1.4: Expand historic resources education through partnerships. Work with neighborhood groups and historic preservation advocacy groups on events, materials, and efforts to educate the public on the positive benefits of historic preservation generally and in specific neighborhoods.
Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Action ES-9.1.5: Preservation resources. Prepare a vision for the preservation of historic resources using the Mills Act, State Tax Credit Program, or other available tools. Medium Planning Division (ECD)
PERFORMANCE METRICS
PERFORMANCE METRIC: Habitat area
PERFORMANCE METRIC: Environmental stewardship programs
PERFORMANCE METRIC: Tree canopy
Target
An increase in the acreage
of habitat area for local
flora and fauna HABITAT AREA
AS OF 2021:
426 ACRES Data Source
Estuarine and Marine
Aquatic Resources (CARI
data);
CALVEG Habitat Types
Target An increase in environmental stewardship education and interpretation programs and volunteerism
CITY TO BEGIN TRACKING DATA AND PROVIDE IN THE FUTURE.
Data Source Participants in recreation programing related to stewardship
Target
A citywide tree
canopy coverage
of 22.6% by 2040
Data
Source
Urban Forest
Master Plan
PERFORMANCE METRIC: Historic resource protection
Target
An increase in the number of historic resources and
historic architectural resources eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and California Register of Historic Places CITY TO BEGIN TRACKING DATA AND PROVIDE IN THE FUTURE.
Data Source Historic Resources Surveys
2040 Target 22.6%
2016 Data 8.7%
Overall Tree Canopy
363
Acceptable Noise Levels
Quiet Noise Environment
362 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN
NOISE 16
SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN
CHAPTER 16
Noise
16 PART IV: OUR ENVIRONMENT
363
364 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN
NOISE 16
365
WHERE WE WANT TO BE IN THE FUTURE
Residents and employees experience acceptable noise
and vibration levels throughout South San Francisco.
Land use and noise compatibility guidelines direct the
siting, design, and insulation of new development to
minimize noise impacts on sensitive land uses, such as
residential, schools, and healthcare facilities.
The Noise Ordinance in the South San Francisco
Municipal Code regulates noise performance standards
for existing and all future city-wide stationary source operations and potential nuisances.
The City of South San Francisco has groundborne
vibration exposure thresholds for construction activities and for siting sensitive land uses near existing sources of vibration, such as railroads.
The City of South San Francisco prevents constructionrelated vibration impacts on historic structures.
New Building Construction
How Our Plan Gets Us There
A quiet noise environment can contribute to a high
quality of life, healthy living and working conditions, and positive physical and mental health impacts.
The City of South San Francisco generally has an acceptable noise environment for living and working, but it does
experience impacts that can impact quality of life. As a center of industrial and commercial activity, South San Francisco is surrounded by major streets and highways (U.S. Highway 101, Interstate 280, State Route 82, State Route 35, and Interstate 380). The proximity of these local and regional arteries, and the large amount of truck traffic serving industrial, warehousing, and freight forwarding uses in the city, make South San Francisco susceptible to traffic noise and vibration.
Other primary sources of noise and vibration around the city include the San Francisco International (SFO) Airport and rail lines (BART and Caltrain). The Noise Element is designed to provide polices that will guide development in a manner that protects the residents and employees of South San Francisco from exposure to unacceptable noise and vibration levels and make the city a healthier place for all. Through identification, preservation, and education initiatives.
PERFORMANCE METRIC
Exposure to unacceptable noise levels.
Target:
Zero noise complaints received by residents, employees, and businesses.
PERFORMANCE METRIC
Exposure to unacceptable vibration levels.
Target:
Zero complaints received by residents, employees, and businesses in the city related to groundborne vibration. 12 101 Freeway Entrance
Performance Metrics Refer to page 377 to view a full list of Performance Metrics for this chapter.
CITY TO BEGIN TRACKING DATA AND PROVIDE IN THE FUTURE.
CITY TO BEGIN TRACKING DATA AND PROVIDE IN THE FUTURE.
366 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 367
NOISE 16
KEY ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Existing Noise Levels
The primary sources of noise generated within the City of South San Francisco are vehicular traffic, rail, and industrial uses. The city is also affected by air traffic noise associated with San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
Truck on Freeway
Large Road and Freeway Entrance
Rail Traffic Noise
The number of trains passing through South San Francisco on the Southern Pacific Railroad line is expected to increase through 2040.
Caltrain is seeking to expand services to keep up with increased ridership.
The current weekday Caltrain operating schedule is comprised of a mix of 92 express (Baby Bullet), limited, and local trains. As of 2014, Caltrain had an average weekday ridership of more than 54,000.44 As of the time of writing, Caltrain ridership and service levels have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, Caltrain is seeking to implement much of its 2040 Long Range Service Plan. For example, Caltrain aims to build toward an "enhanced growth" level of service, beyond initial electrification, that includes the provision of an 8 train per hour per direction peak hour service level between San Francisco and San Jose, and enhanced service south of San Jose to the extent achievable.45 The General Plan land use map includes mixed-use development (including residential uses) along the Caltrain rail line. As such, buildout of the General Plan could expose new residents and employees to sources of noise from railroad activity along the Caltrain rail line (see Figure 51, which illustrates rail noise contours). The City will need to ensure future residents and employees in these areas are not substantially impacted by noise from railroad activity. Nonetheless, the impacts of railroad noise are negligible due to the proximity of the line to US-101, and the fact the line is generally surrounded by industrial and commercial land uses. Future electrification will reduce diesel engine noise.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) extension to SFO passes through South San Francisco. The BART route is underground before it reaches the South San Francisco Station and remains underground through the San Bruno Station. As BART remains underground through the entirety of the city, airborne noise impacts should remain minor through the 2040 planning horizon. Any future changes to the BART line in the city would be required to comply with current environmental review laws. Groundborne noise and vibration impacts have also been determined by BART to be minor, as several mitigation measures (floating trackbeds, etc.) have been implemented along this line as were determined necessary in the environmental review process.
Vehicle Traffic Noise
One of the city’s most important locational advantages is its excellent road access; however, this access also results in fairly high noise impacts over much of the city. Traffic noise depends primarily on traffic speed— high frequency tire noise increases with speed and the proportion of truck traffic—that generates engine, exhaust, and wind noise. The proximity of freeways and major streets, and the large amount of truck traffic serving industrial, warehousing, and freight forwarding uses in the city, make the city susceptible to traffic noise. Figure 51 shows the traffic noise contours for major roadways in the city. The noise contours do not take into account terrain or structure shielding.
Traffic noise depends primarily on traffic speed and the proportion of truck traffic. Traffic volume does not have a major influence on traffic noise levels; a doubling of traffic volume results in a 3 dB to 5 dB increase in noise levels. As a result, projected traffic increases on U.S. Highway 101 (US-101), Interstate 280, and major arterials within the city should not have an appreciable impact on noise levels in the city. As traditional industrial uses make way for less intensive research and development, office, and residential activities, it is expected that truck traffic will decline in the city, particularly in areas east of US-101 and in Lindenville.
Caltrain waiting at station46
South Bound Train47
44. Caltrain. 2014. Strategic Plan: FY2015-2024. Website: https://www.Caltrain.com/Assets/Caltrain+Modernization+Program/Documents/Strategic+Plan+Final+Doc.pdf. Accessed November 12, 2021.
45. Caltrain Framework for Equity, Connectivity, Recovery, and Growth. 2020. Website: https://Caltrain2040.org/wp-content/uploads/Equity-Policy-Final.pdf. Accessed November 12, 2021.
46. "Caltrain 927 at South San Francisco" by Donnie Marcos, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
47. "Southbound Train Arriving at South San Francisco Station" by Pi.1415926535, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 Truck Traffic
368 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 369
NOISE 16
Figure 51: Roadway and Railroad Noise Exposure Map
Coming soon with the Environmental Impact Report.
Industrial Noise
Industrial uses are an important part of the existing noise environment in the city. Industrial noise is generated from on-site activities or from associated truck traffic off-site. The General Plan land use map introduces mixed-use development (including residential uses) adjacent to industrial land uses in the Lindenville and East of 101 sub-areas, neighborhoods that currently do not have residential uses. As such, the City will need to ensure future residents and employees in these areas are not substantially impacted by noise generated by industrial land uses. While industrial uses in the East of 101 and Lindenville sub-areas do generate noise, impacts on noise sensitive uses is minimal due to distance from sensitive receptors.
Air Traffic Noise
The City of South San Francisco experiences air traffic noise impacts due to its close proximity to SFO. Aircraft noise in South San Francisco results from aircraft departing from Runway 28 and, to a lesser degree, southbound flights departing from Runway 1. According to the SFO Airport Master Plan Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), Runways 28 and 1 accommodate approximately 95 percent of departures from the airport. Flights departing from Runway 28 climb directly over noise sensitive land uses at altitudes between several hundred feet and 2,000 feet, resulting in high pass by noise levels in residential areas, including areas outside the contours that define noise impacted areas.
International flights bound for Pacific Rim destinations use Runway 28 exclusively, using large aircraft such as B-747s, which are heavily laden and climb slowly over the noise sensitive uses located below its flight path. A primary determinant of aircraft noise level is the aircraft classification.
The SFO Airport Master Plan established projected increases in aircraft operations as well as predicted noise contours. The SFO Airport noise contours encompass the following sub-areas:
Lindenville, Orange Park, Avalon-Brentwood, El Camino, Winston Serra, and Westborough. As aircraft operations increase over time, the areas of the city that lie within the 65 dBA CNEL noise contours of the SFO Airport are expected to expand. As such, the City will need to ensure future residents and employees in these areas are not substantially impacted by noise generated by aircraft operations.
The SFO Airport’s most recently available noise contours are shown on Figure 52.
The Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan for the Environs of San Francisco International Airport (ALUCP) specifies how land near airports is to be used, based on safety and noise compatibility considerations, develops height restrictions for new development to protect airspace in the vicinity of the airport, and establishes construction standards for new buildings near airports, including sound insulation requirements. Local plans, policy actions, or development activities that affect areas within that boundary must receive ALUC approval or have a finding of overriding considerations prior to local permit issuance.
San Francisco International Airport48
Boeing 74749
48. "San Francisco International Airport" by Gregory Varnum, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
49. "Thai Airways International Boeing 747" by Julian Herzog, licensed under CC BY 4.0 S
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Construction in East of 101 Sub-Area Altitude Apartments along Caltrain Route 370 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 371
NOISE 16
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Figure 52: 2019 San Francisco International Airport Noise Exposure Map Sources: San Francisco International Airport (2020); City of South San Francisco (2019); County of San Mateo (2019); ESRI (2021).
City of South San Francisco
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Existing Vibration Levels
The primary source of groundborne vibration generated within the City of South San Francisco is rail activity. Based on the Federal Transit Administration’s guidelines, the screening distance for conventional commuter railroad activity is 200 feet for residences and buildings where people sleep. The General Plan land use map plans for mixeduse development (including residential uses) along the Caltrain rail line.
Therefore, groundborne vibration from rail activity could result in levels of annoyance or disturbance for residential type land uses located within 200 feet of existing rail lines within the city. There are no other known major sources of groundborne vibration in the city, other than temporary construction-related vibration.
372 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 373
NOISE 16
POLICY FRAMEWORK
Caltrain at South San Francisco Station
GOAL NOI-1: Residents and employees of
South San Francisco are exposed to acceptable
noise levels.
Policy NOI-1-1: Ensure new development complies
with Noise Compatibility guidelines. Ensure that all
new development within the city complies with the
Land Use/Noise Compatibility guidelines shown in
Table 11.
Policy NOI-1.2: Enforce Noise Performance
Standards. The City enforces the Noise Ordinance
noise performance standards.
Table 11 identifies acceptable exterior and interior
noise standards for various land use categories
within the city.
Table 11:
Land Use/Noise Compatibility Matrix to Guide New Development Land Use Categories CNEL
Categories Compatible Uses Interior1 Exterior2
Residential Single-Family, Duplex, Multiple-Family, Mobile Homes, Residence Care 453 654
Commercial
Hotel, Motel, Transient Lodging 453 65
Commercial, Retail, Bank, Restaurant, Health Clubs 55 -- Office Buildings, Research and Development, Professional Offices 50 --
Amphitheater, Concert Hall, Auditorium, Meeting Hall,
Movie Theater 50 --
Manufacturing, Warehousing, Wholesale, Utilities 65 --
Open Space Parks, Neighborhood Parks, Playgrounds -- 65 Institutional/ Public Facility
Hospital, Schools, Classrooms 453 65
Churches, Libraries 453 --
Interpretation:
1. Interior environment excludes bathrooms, toilets, closets, and corridors.
2. Outdoor environment limited to private yard of single-family residential; multifamily residential and mobile home park outdoor common space area; hospital patio; park picnic area; school playground; and hotel and motel recreation area.
3. Noise level requirement with closed windows. Mechanical ventilating system or other means of natural ventilation shall be provided pursuant to UBC requirements.
4. Multifamily developments with private balconies that would not meet the 65 dB CNEL standard are required to provide occupancy disclosure notices to all future tenants regarding potential noise impacts. 374 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 375
NOISE 16
GOAL NOI-2: Prevent the exposure of
residents and employees of South San
Francisco unacceptable vibration levels.
Policy NOI-2.1: Require vibration analysis for
sensitive receptors. A vibration analysis shall be
prepared by a qualified acoustical consultant for any
construction-related activities, located within 100-feet of residential or other sensitive receptors, that require the use of pile driving or other construction method
that has the potential to produce high vibration levels.
Policy NOI-2.2: Require vibration analysis for
rail lines. A vibration analysis shall be prepared by
a qualified acoustical consultant for new land use
development located within 200-feet of existing
rail lines.
GOAL NOI-3: Historic structures are not
exposed to unacceptable vibration levels.
Policy NOI-3.1: Require vibration analysis for
historic structure protection. Prior to issuance of
grading permits for any development project that is
located within 150 feet of a historic structure and,
if construction activities will require either: (1) pile driving within 150 feet; or (2) utilization of mobile
construction equipment within 50 feet of the historic
structure, the property owner/developer shall retain an acoustical engineer to conduct a vibration analysis for potential impacts from construction-related vibration
impacts onto the historic structure. The vibration
analysis shall determine the vibration levels created by construction activities at the historic structure, and if necessary, develop mitigation to reduce the vibration
levels to within Caltrans threshold of 0.12 inches per
second PPV for historic buildings
The State Building
IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
Policy Implementation Action Priority Primary Responsibility GOAL NOI-1: Residents and employees of South San Francisco are exposed to acceptable noise levels.
Policy NOI-1.1
Action NOI-1.1.1: Enforce Exterior and Interior noise limits. Enforce the standards of Table 11 – Land Use/Noise Compatibility Matrix, which specify acceptable exterior and interior noise limits for various land uses throughout the city.
Medium Building Division (ECD)
Action NOI-1.1.2: Incorporate noise compatibility conditions of approval. Continue to assess projects through the subdivision, site plan, conditional use permit, and other development review processes and incorporate conditions of approval and mitigation measures that ensure noise compatibility where appropriate.
Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Action NOI-1.1.3: Require noise study in applicable areas. Require a noise study to be performed and appropriate noise attenuation to be incorporated to reduce interior noise levels to 45 dB CNEL or less prior to approving any multifamily or mixed-use residential development in an area with a CNEL of 65 dB or greater.
Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Action NOI-1.1.4: Enforce Noise Insulation Standards. Continue to enforce the noise insulation standards of the State of California Administrative Code, Title 24 and the Uniform Building Code, Chapter 35 for residential development.
Medium Building Division (ECD)
Action NOI-1.1.5: Require noise control for new developments. Require the control of noise at the source through site design, building design, landscaping, hours of operation, and other techniques, for new developments deemed to be noise generators.
Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Refer to the Implementation Matrix within the "Our Plan to Get There" chapter to view additional information regarding implementation actions such as timeframe and secondary department responsibilities.
376 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 377
NOISE 16
Policy Implementation Action Priority Primary Responsibility Policy NOI-1.2
Action NOI 1.2.1: Update Municipal Code section related to the Noise Ordinance. Update the Noise Ordinance in the South San Francisco Municipal Code to establish standards for permissible construction hours, and controls related to other potential nuisances such as music, dogs, special events, and mechanical/sound equipment; and encourage enforcement and penalties for violations of the Noise Ordinance. The update should not interfere with the regular course of business in commercial and industrial zones.
• General Activity Noise Performance Standards: Establish general noise performance standards for the City’s established land use zones.
• Construction Noise. Continue to restrict construction activities to acceptable time periods.
Consider constructing temporary sound walls surrounding construction sites during construction.
• Special Event Noise: Allow single-event occurrences at specific sites subject to special permit conditions which alleviate noise to the greatest extent possible. Limit the permissible hours for special single events and the number of special single events that are allowed to take place each year.
Medium Planning Division (ECD)
PERFORMANCE METRICS
PERFORMANCE METRIC: Exposure to unacceptable noise levels.
PERFORMANCE METRIC: Exposure to unacceptable vibration levels.
Target Zero noise complaints received by
residents, employees, and businesses. CITY TO BEGIN TRACKING DATA AND PROVIDE IN THE FUTURE.
Target
Zero complaints received by residents,
employees, and businesses in the city
related to groundborne vibration.
CITY TO BEGIN TRACKING DATA AND PROVIDE IN THE FUTURE.
378 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 379
OUR PLAN TO GET THERE 17
SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN
CHAPTER 17
Our Plan
to Get There
17 PART V: OUR PLAN TO GET THERE
379
Implementation Approach
Statutory
Requirements
Gateway Blvd. East of 101 Sub-Area
380 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 381
OUR PLAN TO GET THERE 17
OVERVIEW
This chapter describes actions to implement the goals and policies of Shape SSF 2040. Generally, implementation
actions are needed to direct City staff and decision makers to execute specific policies within the General Plan, such as creating an ordinance or updating a master plan. Shape SSF 2040 will be implemented over an extended period of time - estimated to be 20 years with a time horizon of 2040.
During this time, long-range planning efforts will continue using the goals and policies in the General Plan as a guide.
Although the General Plan is a living document, State
law allows it to be updated and refined over the coming decades. It encourages annual review of implementation
actions and recommends that the entire General Plan
be thoroughly reviewed every five years to ensure that
it is still consistent with the community’s goals. The
General Plan may be amended up to four times per
year to accommodate changing conditions. The below
section on statutory requirements provides more detailed information on recent State laws impacting the General
Plan.
This implementation chapter includes programmatic
actions to be completed by the City, such as updating
plans, completing studies, or implementing new programs.
At the end of this chapter, there is a matrix that identifies the responsible City Departments, a level of priority (high, medium, or low), and a suggested time frame for each
implementation program.
Person Passing Through Plaza in Downtown
IMPLEMENTATION
APPROACH
Since Shape SSF 2040 is South San Francisco’s guiding vision and blueprint for the next twenty years, the City seeks to ensure that all residents are aware of its implementation.
To achieve this goal, the City will proactively adopt strategies to advance transparency and accountability during the General Plan’s implementation, including maintaining a General Plan website, ShapeSSF.com, which will track achievement of General Plan milestones. The City has developed an open data portal and will update the General Plan’s performance metrics on an annual basis on the General Plan website to continue to track the implementation process and ensure equitable outcomes. Moreover, as part of the Mayor’s annual Town Hall meeting, the Mayor will update residents on progress of the General Plan’s implementation.
Internally, the City will develop a cross-departmental team of City staff members that meet quarterly to implement Shape SSF 2040. This implementation team will be responsible for coordinating efforts to execute implementation actions and to provide updates to the City Manager’s Office. On an annual basis, the City Manager’s Office will publish an annual staff report on the City’s progress to towards achieving the goals, policies, and actions of the General Plan, and they will share these reports with the Planning Commission, City Council, and other interested stakeholders. 382 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 383
OUR PLAN TO GET THERE 17
STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS
In addition to the high-level statutory requirements
described in Chapter 4, there has been significant changes to California’s general plan requirements since the City last updated its General Plan in 1999. This section provides brief descriptions of State laws related to general plans that have been approved by the State legislature since 1999. All of these new statutory requirements were considered during the General Plan Update process.
However, this section does not include new state legislation related specifically to housing elements. Please refer to Chapter 6 for recent statutory requirements related to
housing elements.
City Hall with Banner Celebrating Diversity
Land Use Element
Assembly Bill 1268 (Wiggins, 2004) authorizes the text and diagrams in the land use element that address the location and extent of land uses and the zoning ordinances that implement these provisions to express community intentions regarding urban form and design.
Senate Bill 244 (Wolk, 2011) requires the land use element to include analysis of the presence of island, fringe, or legacy unincorporated communities. This requirement was subsequently amended by Senate Bill 1090 (Wolk, 2012) to require the update of the land use element to be based on specified available data and to include identification of each island or fringe community that is a disadvantaged unincorporated community.
Mobility Element
The Complete Streets Act
Assembly Bill 1358 (Leno, 2008) requires circulation elements to plan for a balanced, multimodal transportation network that meets the needs of all users of streets, roads, and highways, in a manner that is suitable to the rural, suburban, or urban context of the general plan. The Complete Streets Act also requires circulation elements to consider the multiple users of the transportation system, including children, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities.
CEQA Changes to Transportation Impacts
Senate Bill 743 (Steinberg, 2013) deemphasizes auto delay, level of service (LOS), and other similar measures of vehicular capacity or traffic congestion as a basis for determining significant impacts under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). According to the legislative intent contained in SB 743, these changes to current practice were necessary to “More appropriately balance the needs of congestion management with statewide goals related to infill development, promotion of public health through active transportation, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.” SB 743 requires impacts to transportation network performance to be viewed through a filter that promotes the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the development of multimodal transportation networks, and the diversification of land uses. Some alternative metrics were identified in the law, including vehicle miles traveled (VMT) or automobile trip generation rates. SB 743 does not prevent a city or county from continuing to analyze delay or LOS as part of other plans (i.e., the general plan), studies, or ongoing network monitoring, but these metrics may no longer constitute the sole basis for determining CEQA impacts.
Safety Element
Fire
Assembly Bill 3065 (Kehoe, 2004) revises safety element requirements for State responsibility areas and very high fire hazard severity zones. It also requires that the safety element be submitted to the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection and to local agencies that provide fire protection to territory in the city or county.
Senate Bill 926 (Knight, 2004) makes several changes to planning and general plan law, including changes to procedure for military consultation, and requires consultation with the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the Office of Emergency Services (OES) prior to preparation of the safety element.
Senate Bill 1241 (Kehoe, 2012) revises safety element requirements for state responsibility areas and very high fire hazard severity zones and requires the safety element to take into account specified considerations, including the most recent version of the Office of Planning and Research’s “Fire Hazard Planning” document.
384 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 385
OUR PLAN TO GET THERE 17
Water
Assembly Bill 162 (Wolk, 2007) requires specified elements to address flood hazards and identify areas that may accommodate floodwater for purposes of groundwater recharge and stormwater management. Requires safety element to address flood hazards as specified.
Assembly Bill 1739 (Dickinson, 2014) requires, prior to the adoption or any substantial amendment of a general plan, the planning agency to review and consider certain specified groundwater plans and refer a proposed action to certain specified groundwater management agencies.
Climate Resilience
Senate Bill 1035 (Jackson, 2018) requires climate adaptation and resiliency information contained in a general plan to be regularly updated. Specifically, it requires the safety element to be revised to identify new information on fire hazards, flood hazards, and climate adaptation and resiliency strategies applicable to the city and county that was not available during the previous revision of the safety element. Further, requires this revision to occur upon each revision of the housing element or local hazard mitigation plan, but not less than every eight years.
Evacuation
Senate Bill 99 (Nielsen, 2019) requires local governments to review and update the safety element during the next revision of the housing element occurring on or after January 1, 2020, to identify residential developments in hazard areas that do not have at least two emergency evacuation routes.
Furthermore, Assembly Bill 747 (Levine, 2019) and Assembly Bill 1409 (Levine, 2021) requires local governments, beginning on or after January 1, 2022, to identify evacuation locations in their safety element updates. Specifically, both legislations require the safety element to be reviewed and updated as necessary to identify evacuation routes and their capacity, safety, and viability under a range of emergency scenarios.
Environmental Justice Element
The Planning for Healthy Communities Act
Senate Bill 1000 (Leyva, 2016) requires jurisdictions with disadvantaged communities to develop an environmental justice element, or related environmental justice goals and policies, as part of their general plans. The goal of SB 1000 is to help identify and reduce risks in communities disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and other hazards that can lead to negative health effects, exposure, or environmental degradation. A general plan must address, at minimum, six topic areas: reduce pollution exposure, promote public facilities, promote food access, promote safe and sanitary homes, promote physical activity, and promote civic engagement. In doing so, SB 1000 offers an opportunity to address existing community health concerns and mitigate the impacts of future health issues.
Noise Element
Senate Bill 1462 (Committee On Governance and Finance, 2014) eliminates the requirement that the noise element recognize the guidelines established by the Office of Noise Control.
Cross-Cutting Legislations
The Global Warming Solutions Act
Assembly Bill 32 (Nunez and Pavley, 2006) established a comprehensive program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change. This bill requires the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) to 1990 levels by 2020. The AB 32 Scoping Plan contains the main strategies California will use to reduce greenhouse gases, which include direct regulations, alternative compliance mechanisms, monetary and nonmonetary incentives, voluntary actions, market-based mechanisms (e.g., cap-and-trade system), and an AB 32 program implementation regulation to fund the program.
CARB recognizes cities as “essential partners” in reducing GHGs. As such, the Air Resources Board has developed a Local Government Toolkit with guidance for GHG reduction strategies, such as improving transit, developing bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure, and increasing city fleet vehicle efficiency, among other strategies. The City of South San Francisco seeks to be a leader in striving to achieve the goals of AB 32 and implement GHG reduction strategies into the City’s General Plan.
The Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act
Senate Bill 375 (Steinberg, 2008) provides incentives for cities and developers to bring housing and jobs closer together and to improve public transit. The goal is to reduce the number and length of automobile commuting trips, which will help to meet the statewide targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions set by AB 32.
SB 375 requires each Metropolitan Planning Organization to add a broader vision for growth, called a Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS), to its transportation plan. The SCS must lay out a plan to meet the region’s transportation, housing, economic, and environmental needs in a way that enables the area to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The SCS should integrate transportation, land-use, and housing policies to plan for achieving the emissions target for their region. The SCS for the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) was adopted in 2021.
The City of South San Francisco has incorporated SCS components to comply with SB 375 by incorporating components into the General Plan.
Applicable components of the SCS include:
• Support transit-oriented development.
• Support infill housing development and redevelopment. • Support mixed-use development that improves community walkability. • Improve jobs-to-housing ratio.
• Promote land use patterns that encourage the use of alternatives to single-occupant automobile use.
• Apply Transportation System Management (TSM) and complete streets practices to arterials to maximize efficiency.
• Improve modes through enhanced service, frequency, convenience, and choices.
• Expand and enhance Transportation Demand Management (TDM) practices to reduce barriers to alternative travel modes and attract commuters away from single occupant vehicle travel.
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IMPLEMENTATION MATRIX
The following tables identify the programs, policy updates, planning efforts, coordination efforts, and other actions that will help implement the vision, goals, and policies of Shape SSF 2040. These implementation actions are organized by timeframe (i.e., ongoing, 1–2 years, 3–5 years, 6–10 years, and 10+ years). The tables below include information on priority status, type of activity, and the departments with primary and secondary responsibilities for implementing each action.
Ongoing
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
5 Action LU-1.2.1: Department coordination for complete neighborhoods planning. Ensure coordination between the Economic & Community Development and Public Works Departments to align needed transportation improvement projects with land use planning in complete neighborhoods.
Ongoing Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Engineering
Division (PW)
5 Action LU-2.3.4: Upgrade pedestrian/bicycle scaled lighting. Determine areas where pedestrian- and bicyclescaled lighting could be installed to create safe and dynamic corridors and destinations. Ongoing Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Maintenance
and Operations
Division (PW)
5 Action LU-9.1.4: Periodic review of development procedures. Review the city’s design guidelines, development standards and development review procedures on a periodic basis to allow for new and innovative design techniques and evolving technologies.
Ongoing Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
6 Action SA-33.1.1: Brush management. Proactively manage brush and vegetation in the Sign Hill open space to reduce fire risk. Ongoing Low Parks Division (P&R)
8 Action PE-1.1.1: Monitor constraints to biotechnology and related businesses. Through business, broker, and developers contacts, monitor and address potential constraints to ongoing growth of biotechnology and related businesses, including zoning, land supply, transportation, and infrastructure.
Ongoing Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-1.2.2: Biotechnology outreach. Gauge and pursue opportunities to support attraction and retention of businesses in the broader biotechnology and life science cluster through participation in industry organizations and one-on-one contacts with businesses, developers, and real estate brokers.
Ongoing Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-2.1.1: Conduct outreach to industrial property owners. Conduct outreach to property owners seeking relevant permits to determine opportunities for the City to facilitate reinvestment. Ongoing Medium Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
8 Action PE-2.2.1: Identify obstacles to redevelopment. Conduct outreach to property owners to identify specific obstacles to redevelopment to inform strategies for supporting property owners through the redevelopment process.
Ongoing High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
• City Manager
8 Action PE-2.5.1: Monitor regional business and employment trends. Monitor regional business and employment trends to explore emerging and/or growing economic development opportunities, with a focus on professional services, research and development, technology, biomedical and life sciences, and advanced manufacturing.
Ongoing Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-2.5.2: Focus efforts on emerging technology industries. Focus attraction and retention efforts on emerging technology businesses, such as those in artificial intelligence, “Big Data,” financial technology, health technology, and other software services.
Ongoing High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-2.5.3: Focus efforts on emerging industrial technologies. Focus attraction and retention efforts on emerging industrial technologies, such as those in industrial design services, transportation engineering, robotics, autonomous vehicles and drones, instrumentation, mechanical engineering, and related fields.
Ongoing High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-2.5.4: Focus efforts on advanced food industries. Focus attraction and retention efforts on advanced food production and food technology businesses, such as specialty food manufacturers, businesses developing new food products, and businesses implementing higher efficiency agricultural technologies.
Ongoing High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-2.6.1: Facilitate hotel investment and development. Provide supportive City services to facilitate hotel owner/developer efforts to expand and upgrade local hotels, with a focus on upper upscale brands with higher daily rates.
Ongoing High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
City Manager
8 Action PE-2.6.2: Promote the city as a hotel destination. Support hotel stays through promotion of South San Francisco as a lodging destination via the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and partnerships with hotel operators and the San Mateo County/Silicon Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Ongoing High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
• Capital Projects
(CM)
• Communications
(CM)
8 Action PE-2.6.3: Engage in marketing efforts to attract events to the South San Francisco Conference Center. Ongoing High Communications
(CM)
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Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
8 Action PE-3.1.2: Conduct regular outreach with the business community. Conduct regular outreach and meetings with business and organizations such as the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and districtbased organizations (or groups of businesses) to share information and to identify challenges and opportunities.
Work through promotores, community navigators, and the Economic Advancement Center to ensure businesses owned by people of color and historically disenfranchised community members are reached.
Ongoing Medium City Manager
Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
8 Action PE-3.2.1: Monitor business license data. Modify business license monitoring system to permit analysis of business license data. Ongoing Medium Finance
Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
8 Action PE-3.2.3: Ensure City staff have access to appropriate data sources. Ensure that key City staff have access to data sources required to track business conditions and opportunities (e.g. ensure that GIS analysts have access to sales tax and business license data, to the extent allowed by law).
Ongoing Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
• Finance
• Information
Technology
8 Action PE-3.3.1: Maintain an accessible public database of economic development projects, goals, and city demographics. Ongoing Medium Information
Technology
• Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-3.4.1: Communicate trends and news to the business community. Communicate economic development trends and news to the business community, including multilingual communications and communication channels focused on businesses owned by people of color and historically disenfranchised community members.
Ongoing Low
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-3.4.3: Provide siting assistance. In partnership with real estate brokers, provide site location information to prospective businesses. Ongoing Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
8 Action PE-3.4.5: Promote the city’s “business friendly” reputation in all promotional materials. Ongoing High Communications (CM)
8 Action PE-4.3.1: Expand transit and active transportation alternatives. Maintain efforts to coordinate across departments and agencies to share business concerns about the need for expanded alternatives to automobile access to businesses, including improved bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and support for regional public transportation improvements.
Ongoing High Capital
Projects (CM)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
• Engineering
Division (PW)
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
8 Action PE-4.4.1: Partner with impacted property owners. Partner with impacted property owners to explore potential mitigations and funding mechanisms for mitigating the risk of sea level rise; communicate property owner responsibilities to protect their own properties.
Ongoing Medium Sustainability
(CM)
Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
8 Action PE-4.4.2: Regional collaboration. Monitor and join (as appropriate) regional/state efforts to fund and address mitigations for the impacts of climate change and sea level rise. Ongoing High Sustainability (CM) 8 Action PE-5.1.1: Create design and building standards for ground-floor space. Create design and building standards for ground-floor commercial space in new mixed-use development projects that promote spaces which are sufficiently flexible to meet the needs of multiple kinds of tenants, including consideration of restaurant needs.
Ongoing Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
8 Action PE-5.3.1: Ensure appropriate zoning. Ensure that appropriate zoning and land use regulations are in place to allow for the redevelopment of shopping centers as mixed-use centers. Ongoing High Planning Division (ECD) 8 Action PE-5.3.2: Monitor sales tax performance. Identify underperforming shopping centers and retail properties by monitoring reductions in sales tax revenue generated at each center. Ongoing Medium Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Finance
8 Action PE-5.5.3: Ensure zoning accommodates arts and culture uses. Ensure zoning and other city regulations accommodate arts and culture uses such as artist studios, performance spaces, and offices of related non-profit organizations to support local artists and arts organizations.
Ongoing High Planning
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-5.5.4: Support retention and attraction of resident-serving businesses. Provide services and outreach that support retention and attraction of businesses that provide affordable goods and services and goods and services representing South San Francisco’s diverse population.
Ongoing High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-5.5.5: Expand use of public facilities. Explore expanded use of public facilities in Downtown for arts and culture event programming that highlights the city’s existing cultural diversity. Ongoing High City Manager 8 Action PE-5.6.1: Maintain goods and services inventory. Identify the goods and services missing in each city neighborhood that would contribute toward meeting a more complete set of needs in “20-minute neighborhoods.”
Ongoing Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
8 Action PE-5.8.2: Prioritize recruitment and retention of anchor businesses. As needed, prioritize recruitment and retention of “anchor” businesses in retail districts and shopping centers; anchors should draw visitors either from a larger geographic area or on a regular basis, and can potentially include large retail stores, gyms, entertainment and games, and even medical offices.
Ongoing High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
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Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
8 Action PE-6.1.1: Determine skills needs of South San Francisco residents. Regularly reassess the skills needs of businesses and industries in South San Francisco, San Mateo County, and San Francisco to determine what kinds of training programs may be most beneficial for South San Francisco residents, including residents with a high school degree or partial college completion.
Ongoing High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-6.1.2: Seek funding and partnerships for workforce development programs. Seek out new funding streams and partnerships for workforce development programs, such as funding from federal sources and partnerships with companies located in South San Francisco and with trade unions.
Ongoing High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-6.1.3: Coordinate with workforce development agencies. Continue working with local workforce development agencies that provide rapid re-employment services, training services, and other workforce development services as needed.
Ongoing High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-6.1.4: Provide customized local workforce training. Coordinate with local job training providers to ensure that programs are aligned with middle- and high-wage industries located in South San Francisco. If mismatches exist between the focus areas of countywide or regional workforce development agencies versus unique skill needs in South San Francisco, continue to pursue the creation of local customized workforce development services.
Ongoing High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-6.1.5: Expand partnerships with major local employers. Expand partnerships with major local employers that create pathways for job training and placement for residents and students, such as Genentech’s Gene Academy, Futurelab, and other STEM initiatives.
Ongoing High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-6.1.6: Support community wide efforts to provide English as a Second Language education. Ongoing High City Manager 8 Action PE-6.2.1: Develop shared work program with SSFUSD. Develop and maintain a shared work program and agreement with the South San Francisco Unified School District to coordinate education, employer skill needs, and on-the-job internship/training opportunities.
Ongoing High City Manager
8 Action PE-6.2.2: Establish youth job training with local employers. Establish agreements with major city employers to provide job training for local youth. Ongoing High City Manager 8 Action PE-6.2.3: Continue City practice of providing internships and mentoring. Ongoing High City Manager 8 Action PE-7.1.1: Disseminate resources. Introduce available resources through all contacts with businesses.
Examine additional opportunities to broaden access to information about these resources, such as providing materials to all establishments receiving City business licenses.
Ongoing Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
8 Action PE-7.4.1: Conduct targeted engagement. Conduct outreach to and share technical and other resources with these entrepreneurs through partnerships with culturally relevant organizations and via the promoters, community navigators, and the Economic Advancement Center.
Ongoing High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
City Manager
8 Action PE-8.1.1: Periodically update impact fees. Periodically update the City’s impact fee schedule to reflect changing development conditions and supportable fee levels. Ongoing High Finance • Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
• City Manager
8 Action PE-8.3.1: Maintain and expand density bonus incentive program. As appropriate, maintain and expand the City’s existing density bonus incentive program for commercial properties. Ongoing High Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
9 Action MOB-2.2.1: Implement Safe Routes to Schools program. Collaborate with the South San Francisco Unified School District to implement Safe Routes to Schools programs and improvements, with an emphasis on schools serving equity priority communities.
Ongoing High Engineering
Division (PW)
9 Action MOB-2.2.3: Incorporate equitable prioritization process. Incorporate equity in identifying and prioritizing Capital Improvement Program (CIP) transportation projects. Ongoing High Engineering Division (PW) City Manager 9 Action MOB-3.1.1: Implement and enforce TDM Ordinance update. Implement, monitor, and enforce compliance with the City’s TDM Ordinance. Incorporate a fine structure for noncompliance. Ongoing High Planning Division (ECD) 9 Action MOB-3.2.1: Update traffic operations metrics. Use appropriate metrics (e.g. travel time, vehicle queues, vehicle delay/level of service, and/or person delay) to evaluate and advance projects that manage traffic flow in coordination with the implementation of complete streets.
Ongoing Medium Engineering
Division (PW)
Planning Division
(ECD)
10 Action PR-4.2.2: Provide recreational programming in joint use facilities. Coordinate with the South San Francisco Unified School District and San Mateo County Health Department, as well as local health providers and other community organizations, to provide recreational programming not offered in nearby public parks or recreation centers, such as after-school fitness and education programs.
Ongoing High Recreation
Division (P&R) City Manager
10 Action PR-4.2.3: Expand afterschool and summer childcare. Continue to work with the South San Francisco Unified School District to expand after-school and summer childcare. Ongoing High Recreation Division (P&R) City Manager
10 Action PR-9.1.1: Implement Child Care Master Plan. Adopt and implement the Child Care Master Plan, updating the Plan every 5-to-10 years. Ongoing High Recreation
Division (P&R)
Planning Division
(ECD)
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Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
10 Action PR-9.3.1: Update the Zoning Code to:
• Allow large family care homes by right in residential units as required by Senate Bill 234 (2019). • Allow childcare facilities by right in all residential land use designations when located within one-quarter of a mile from public and institutional uses, e.g., schools and churches. • Allow childcare facilities in residential neighborhoods that meet specified performance standards. • Allow childcare facilities in mixed use districts East of 101 and in Lindenville. • Allow childcare facilities by right in the business technology park land use designation.
Ongoing High Planning
Division (ECD)
10 Action PR-9.3.3: Explore parking reductions for childcare facilities. Ongoing Low Planning Division (ECD)
11 Action ECS-1.1.1: Hire multilingual staff. Hire staff who speak multiple languages including Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Tagalog. Ongoing Medium City Manager Human Resources 11 Action ECS-1.3.1: Provide navigation of City services. Recruit and hire diverse promotores who can provide culturally and linguistically responsive navigation of City services, resources, and public input opportunities to low-income residents and residents of color.
Ongoing High City Manager
11 Action ECS-2.1.1: Maintain dedicated staff for equity and inclusion. Maintain a dedicated staff position (e.g., an Equity and Inclusion Officer) to institutionalize accountability, advance equity initiatives, and monitor equityrelated outcomes throughout South San Francisco.Ongoing High City Manager 11 Action ECS-2.1.4: Create equity trainings for City staff. Create equity trainings and require that City staff from all departments take part in capacity building trainings to equip them to understand and apply an equity lens in their day-to-day work.
Ongoing High City Manager Human
Resources
11 Action ECS-3.1.1: Expand placement of events. Program community events, special programs, festivals, and classes at parks, libraries, and public gathering spaces throughout the city, and especially in disadvantaged communities, either funded by the City or in partnership with community organizations.
Ongoing Medium City Manager
• Recreation
Division (P&R)
• Library
11 Action ECS-5.1.1: Collaborate with life sciences industry: Continue to partner with life science companies and associations to provide South San Francisco Unified School District students with internships, science awards, and upgraded lab equipment. Partner with life science companies to provide job training for current residents through Life Science Associations.
Ongoing Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
• Recreation
Division (P&R)
• Library
11 Action ECS-5.2.1: Target placement of programming. Provide youth development programming in neighborhoods with high proportions of young people, especially low-income youth and youth of color. Ongoing Medium Recreation Division (P&R) Library
11 Action ECS-6.1.1: Maintain community fire stations. Maintain equitable distribution of Fire Stations so that each neighborhood is equally and adequately served. Ongoing Medium Fire City Manager 11 Action ECS-6.1.3: Strengthen community cohesion through engagement with Police and Fire. Strengthen community cohesion through community engagement efforts to build cross-cultural trust between the Police and Fire Departments and residents of color and low-income residents.
Ongoing High Police • Fire
• City Manager
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
12 Action CHEJ-1.1.1: Assist in navigation of health and social services. Recruit and hire promotores who can provide culturally and linguistically responsive navigation to help low-income residents and residents of color learn about, connect to, and navigate healthcare and social services.
Ongoing Medium City Manager Human
Resources
12 Action CHEJ-1.1.2: County health partnerships. Continue to work with San Mateo County and healthcare service providers to educate residents about existing services throughout the city and encourage them to provide culturally and linguistically competent services. Work with San Mateo County to explore opportunities to improve access to mental health services, especially for youth and young adults.
Ongoing Medium City Manager City Council
12 Action CHEJ-1.1.3: Offer health literacy programs. Continue to offer programs, collections and outreach initiatives in the libraries, recreation centers, senior centers, and in public schools as educational support for community members seeking information on health and medical needs; partner with the South San Francisco Unified School District, County, and local non-profits in providing these resources.
Ongoing Medium Recreation
Division (P&R) Library
12 Action CHEJ-1.1.4: Partner with SSFUSD to provide school-based health centers. Continue to partner with the South San Francisco Unified School District to promote the flexible use of community spaces (e.g., community centers, libraries, schools) to provide preventive health services for children, youth, and families. Explore opportunities to expand services in neighborhoods with the greatest deficiencies.
Ongoing Medium City Manager City Council
12 Action CHEJ-3.2.1: Maintain truck route maps to minimize exposure. Maintain an up-to-date truck routes map that minimizes exposures to sensitive land uses. Prohibit the designation of new truck routes on local neighborhood streets in South San Francisco.
Ongoing Medium Engineering
Division (PW)
Planning Division
(ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-4.1.1: Maintain map of hazardous sites. Maintain a map and database of contaminated, hazardous waste and substance sites (e.g., Cortese list). Ongoing Medium Planning Division (ECD) 12 Action CHEJ-6.1.1: Continue working with San Mateo Fall Prevention Task Force. Continue working with San Mateo Fall Prevention Task Force in creating safer homes for older adults. Ongoing Medium Building Division (ECD)
Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-6.4.4: Provide services for unhoused families. Work with homeless service providers to prioritize legal help, housing assistance, and other social services for unhoused families in South San Francisco. Ongoing Medium Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
City Manager
12 Action CHEJ-7.1.1: Provide renter education and assistance. Continue to connect low-income residents to city, county, state, and non-profit resources that provide technical, legal, and financial assistance for renters facing eviction.
Ongoing High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
City Manager
13 Action CR-1.2.1: Continue funding regional sea level rise and flood protection agency. Continue to fund and contribute to the San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District. Ongoing High City Manager 394 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 395
OUR PLAN TO GET THERE 17
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
13 Action CR-1.3.1: Participate in the countywide Hazard Mitigation Plan. Actively participate in the San Mateo County Hazard Mitigation Plan maintenance protocols and County-wide initiatives. Adopt the Hazard Mitigation Plan by reference upon update. Update emergency operations plans and protocols to account for regularly updated hazard information.
Ongoing High Fire
Maintenance
and Operations
Division (PW)
13 Action CR-1.3.2: Conduct municipal building and facility sea level rise studies. Conduct site-specific vulnerability assessments of municipal buildings and facilities at risk to sea level rise and flooding, including the Water Quality Control Plant and Oyster Point Marina.
Ongoing High
Water Quality
Control Plant
Division (PW)
Engineering
Division (PW)
13 Action CR-1.6.5: Maintain evacuation route plans. Maintain and communicate evacuation route plans for businesses and residents. Ongoing High Fire Police
13 Action CR-1.7.1: Foster Community Emergency Response Team – Promotores collaboration. Work closely with the promotores program to deepen and expand relationships and partnerships with community members and organizations that serve diverse South San Francisco community members including those who do not speak English as their first language, the Latinx, and faith-based communities. Collaboration can serve to identify needs and solutions and communicate on programs.
Ongoing High Fire City Manager
13 Action CR-2.2.1: Pursue shoreline protection for existing and future development. Continue ongoing collaboration with the US Army Corps of Engineers to protect existing and future development by raising levees or seawalls in accordance with the Continuing Authorities Program Study. Implement any future City-prepared sea level rise adaptation plan for the Oyster Point Marina and landfill.
Ongoing High Engineering
Division (PW)
• Water Quality
Control Plant
Division (PW)
• Capital
Projects (CM)
13 Action CR-2.2.2: Use nature-based solutions for ecosystem resilience. Explore nature-based solutions appropriate for the South San Francisco shoreline, particularly at the mouth of Colma Creek, to provide protection for the built environment and ecosystems.
Ongoing Medium Sustainability
(CM)
• Parks Division
(P&R)
• Capital
Projects (CM)
• Engineering
Division (PW)
13 Action CR-4.1.2: Continually update the Building Code for seismic and other hazard safety. Regularly update the City’s Building Code to incorporate current earthquake standards. Ongoing High Building Division (ECD)
13 Action CR-4.4.1: Require site-specific soils and geologic reports for projects located in high-hazard areas.
On a parcel-by-parcel basis, require that permit applications for projects located within areas susceptible to geologic hazards, as shown on Figure 43, prepare site-specific soils and geologic reports for review and approval by the City Engineer, and incorporation of the recommended actions during construction.
Ongoing High Planning
Division (ECD)
Engineering
Division (PW)
13 Action CR-7.4.1: Offer educational programing on hazardous materials disposal and pesticides. Continue to offer educational programming on the harmful effects and proper disposal of hazardous materials and pesticides and recommend alternatives that can be used at home and in businesses.
Ongoing Medium
Maintenance
and
Operations
Division (PW)
City Manager
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
14 Action CP-1.1.1: Update greenhouse gas reduction measures. Regularly (every 3-5 years) refine goals, policies, and actions designed to achieve the greenhouse gas reduction goal. Ongoing Medium Sustainability (CM) Planning Division
(ECD)
14 Action CP-1.1.2: Establish greenhouse gas emission thresholds. Establish greenhouse gas (GHG) emission thresholds for use in evaluating non-exempt discretionary project consistent with the California Environmental Quality Act and require projects above that threshold to substantially mitigate all feasible GHG emissions and to reduce emissions below the established thresholds.
Ongoing High Planning
Division (ECD) City Manager
14 Action CP-1.2.1: Update the community greenhouse gas inventory every five years. Ongoing Medium Sustainability (CM)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
• Maintenance
and Operations
Division (PW)
14 Action CP-3.1.1: Incentivize energy efficient new construction. Provide incentives to encourage new construction to exceed California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards outlined in Title 24, Part 6. Ongoing Medium Planning Division (ECD) Building Division
(ECD)
14 Action CP-6.1.2: SSF Scavenger partnership. Continue to work with SSF Scavenger to ensure implement waste reduction targets. Ongoing Medium
Maintenance
and
Operations
Division (PW)
Sustainability
(CM)
15 Action ES-1.4.1: Manage vegetation at parks and open space for biodiversity. Manage vegetation at parks and open spaces in South San Francisco to support biodiversity by reducing pesticide use, reducing light pollution, reducing non-native species, and planting native species that provide valuable resources for native wildlife and to increase resilience.
Ongoing High Parks Division
(P&R)
15 Action ES-4.1.1: Implement Urban Forest Plan: Implement the City’s Urban Forest Plan. Ongoing High Parks Division (P&R)
15 Action ES-7.2.1: Implement the Green Infrastructure Plan. Implement the City’s Green Infrastructure Plan. Ongoing High Engineering Division (PW)
• Maintenance
and Operations
Division (PW)
• Parks Division
(P&R)
16 Action NOI-1.1.1: Enforce Exterior and Interior noise limits. Enforce the standards of Table 11 – Land Use/ Noise Compatibility Matrix, which specify acceptable exterior and interior noise limits for various land uses throughout the city.
Ongoing Medium Building
Division (ECD)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
• Maintenance
and Operations
Division (PW)
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Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
16 Action NOI-1.1.4: Enforce Noise Insulation Standards. Continue to enforce the noise insulation standards of the State of California Administrative Code, Title 24 and the Uniform Building Code, Chapter 35 for residential development.
Ongoing Medium Building
Division (ECD)
Maintenance
and Operations
Division (PW)
16 Action NOI-1.2.1: Update Municipal Code section related to the Noise Ordinance. Update the Noise Ordinance in the South San Francisco Municipal Code to establish standards for permissible construction hours, and controls related to other potential nuisances such as music, dogs, special events, and mechanical/sound equipment; and encourage enforcement and penalties for violations of the Noise Ordinance. The update should not interfere with the regular course of business in commercial and industrial zones. • General Activity Noise Performance Standards: Establish general noise performance standards for the City’s established land use zones.
• Construction Noise. Continue to restrict construction activities to acceptable time periods. Consider constructing temporary sound walls surrounding construction sites during construction. • Special Event Noise: Allow single-event occurrences at specific sites subject to special permit conditions which alleviate noise to the greatest extent possible. Limit the permissible hours for special single events and the number of special single events that are allowed to take place each year.
Ongoing Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
1–2 Years
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
5 Action LU-1.1.2: Implement mixed use rezoning. Identify key activity areas that currently feature single-use commercial or residential zoning designations, and re-zone to allow for mixed use development that could provide more convenient access to local commercial.
1–2 yrs High Planning
Division (ECD)
5 Action LU-1.6.1: Zone for Childcare and pre-K. Revise the Zoning Ordinance to allow childcare and pre-K facilities throughout the city. 1–2 yrs High Planning Division (ECD) 5 Action LU-2.1.1: Explore incentives to increase the provision of affordable housing. Explore updates to the City's Inclusionary Housing Ordinance that would provide incentives to increase the provision of affordable housing units throughout the city.
1–2 yrs High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
5 Action LU-2.1.3: Update existing Specific Plans. Following adoption of the General Plan, review the existing Oyster Point Specific Plan (2011) and others and make changes to ensure consistency. 1–2 yrs High Planning Division (ECD) 5 Action LU-3.1.2: Allow housing on sites with institutional uses. Revise the Zoning Ordinance to allow housing development on sites used for institutional purposes, such as educational facilities and churches. 1–2 yrs High Planning Division (ECD) 5 Action LU-3.9.2: Explore equity homeownership models. Explore expanded use of shared equity homeownership models, including a community land trust, to increase home ownership. 1–2 yrs Low Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
5 Action LU-9.1.2: Form-based codes. Develop form-based codes for the new mixed use and high-density residential areas proposed in the Lindenville, East of 101 and El Camino Real sub-areas. 1–2 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) 6 Action SA-8.1.1: Remove ground floor retail requirement. Update the Zoning Ordinance to remove ground floor retail requirement along the corridor to allow for residential-only buildings with a focus on active ground-floor uses and design.
1–2 yrs High Planning
Division (ECD)
6 Action SA-9.1.1: Allow mixed use development along Mission Road. Update the Zoning Ordinance to allow mixed use development, including housing and non-residential uses, along portions of Mission Road. 1–2 yrs High Planning Division (ECD)
6 Action SA-11.1.1: Reduce building heights to be consistent with residential height allowances Downtown.
Update the El Camino Real/Chestnut Avenue Specific Plan to reduce maximum allowable building heights in the Chestnut Avenue corridor, but not the allowable residential densities. 1–2 yrs High Planning
Division (ECD)
6 Action SA-12.1.1: Increase residential densities in proximity to El Camino Real and South Spruce Avenue.
Update the Zoning Ordinance to increase maximum allowed densities near the intersection of South Spruce Avenue and El Camino Real to accommodate higher-density mixed use development at and around this intersection. 1–2 yrs High Planning
Division (ECD)
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Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
6 Action SA-22.1.1: Develop Lindenville master or specific plan. Develop a master plan or specific plan for new mixed use neighborhoods in Lindenville. 1–2 yrs High Planning Division (ECD) 8 Action PE-3.2.5: Identify vulnerable businesses. Use sales tax data, employment data, and qualitative information to identify declining businesses and businesses likely to close or relocate. 1-2 years High Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-3.4.2: Conduct regular outreach. Conduct outreach to businesses found to be likely to close or relocate to share available resources and identify needs. 1-2 years High Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-5.3.3: Conduct outreach and enforcement for underperforming shopping centers. Encourage redevelopment of antiquated and underperforming shopping centers and retail locations through a combination of ongoing owner outreach and appropriate code enforcement actions. 1-2 years Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-5.5.1: Target growth of arts and culture uses to Downtown and Lindenville. Target growth of arts and culture uses in Downtown and Lindenville, with particular focus on attracting uses that are culturally relevant to city residents.
1-2 years High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
8 Action PE-5.5.2: Collaborate with Downtown community to support events. Collaborate with merchants and merchant organizations to support cultural festivals and events that draw customers to Downtown businesses. 1-2 years High City Manager Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
8 Action PE-5.6.2: Coordinate with real estate community on space needs of goods and services businesses.
Coordinate with real estate brokers to develop an understanding of what types of spaces are required by businesses providing goods and services needed in 20-minute neighborhoods. 1-2 years Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
8 Action PE-5.6.3: Identify existing shopping destinations and services. Identify existing shopping centers and retail nodes that are critical for supporting individual complete neighborhoods and prioritize retention of retail uses at these locations.
1-2 years Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
8 Action PE-5.7.1: Provide resources and training in online marketing. Work with technical assistance partners to provide resources and training to assist retail and restaurant businesses in online marketing and integration of e-commerce operations.
1-2 years Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
8 Action PE-7.2.1: Consider creation of a program that provides low-cost business loans. Explore the creation of a low-cost business loan program for local small businesses and entrepreneurs, administered and/or funded by the City of South San Francisco or outside partners.
1-2 years Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-7.3.1: Increase coordination with business organizations. Increase cooperation and coordinate with the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, the regional ethnic chambers of commerce, and other local business groups.
1-2 years Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-7.3.2: Ensure informational materials for businesses are published in multiple languages. 1-2 years High Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Communications
(CM)
9 Action MOB-1.1.1: Develop a Vision Zero Action Plan. Develop and implement a Vision Zero Action Plan that incorporates a prioritization approach for the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and maintenance response process and identifies safety countermeasures to incorporate into all development projects and capital improvements.
1–2 yrs High Engineering
Division (PW)
• Maintenance
and Operations
Division (PW)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
9 Action MOB-2.1.1: Complete multimodal design and impact analysis. Ensure that all roadway and development projects are designed and evaluated to meet the needs of all street users, and that development projects contribute to multimodal improvements in proportion to their potential impacts on vehicle miles traveled. 1–2 yrs High Engineering
Division (PW)
Planning Division
(ECD)
9 Action MOB-2.1.2: Create multimodal prioritization process. Develop Capital Improvement Program (CIP) prioritization criteria to strategically advance multimodal complete streets projects. 1–2 yrs Medium Engineering Division (PW) Planning Division
(ECD)
9 Action MOB-2.1.3: Implement Active South City Plan. All capital improvements and development projects incorporate bicycle and pedestrian improvements identified in the Active South City Plan, such as trails, bikeways, bicycle detection at traffic signals, high-visibility crosswalks, and pedestrian-oriented site plans. 1–2 yrs High Engineering
Division (PW)
Planning Division
(ECD)
9 Action MOB-3.3.1: Incorporate parking maximums. Incorporate maximum parking requirements for new residential and office/R&D projects that align with TDM Ordinance goals. 1–2 yrs High Planning Division (ECD)
9 Action MOB-5.1.3: Expand bicycle parking at activity centers. Expand bicycle parking at major activity centers throughout the city. 1–2 yrs Medium Parks Division
(P&R)
Engineering
Division (PW)
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Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
10 Action PR-2.1.1: Adopt and implement Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Adopt and implement the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, updating the Plan every 5-to-10 years. Develop the proposed parks identified in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Include new categories in parks classification system: San Mateo County-owned park trailheads, SSFUSD properties the public can access per joint use agreements, and privately-owned public open spaces, among others.
1–2 yrs High Parks Division
(P&R)
• Recreation
Division (P&R)
• Facilities
Division (P&R)
• Capital
Projects (CM)
10 Action PR-4.2.1: Establish Sunshine Gardens Shared use agreement. Establish a partnership with the South San Francisco Unified School District to provide access to Sunshine Gardens Elementary School open space areas. 1–2 yrs High City Manager Parks Division (P&R) 10 Action PR-5.1.1: Fund Downtown pop-up parks. Establish and fund a Downtown pop-up park program as a temporary measure until new parks are opened. Encourage local food and art vendors, e.g., “Off the Grid”. 1–2 yrs High Parks Division (P&R) • Recreation
Division (P&R)
• City Manager
10 Action PR-6.1.5: Require new development to link to trails. Require new development to tie into the park and trail system by providing linkages to existing parks or dedicating new park land or trail easements. 1–2 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) 10 Action PR-7.6.1: Complete pool design and financing studies. Move forward with design and financing studies for a new pool. 1–2 yrs High Capital Projects (CM)
• Recreation
Division (P&R)
• Facilities
Division (P&R)
10 Action PR-7.7.1: Adopt Public Art Master Plan. Adopt and implement the Public Art Master Plan, updating the Master Plan every 5-to-10 years. 1–2 yrs High Recreation Division (P&R) 10 Action PR-8.10.2: Target locations for enrichment programs. Use targeted locations and coordinate with existing programs/organizations to strengthen/expand youth development opportunities specifically for youth of color and youth from historically disenfranchised communities. 1–2 yrs Medium Recreation
Division (P&R) Library
11 Action ECS-1.1.2: Create multilingual hub. Create a centralized and multilingual online hub that aggregates all public resources and services available for all residents. Include resources and services offered by the City, County, State, local non-profits, and other agencies.
1–2 yrs High City Manager
• Information
Technology
• Library
11 Action ECS-1.3.2: Create partnerships to improve outreach. Partner with local organizations and institutions, such as churches and community-based organizations, to increase outreach opportunities. 1–2 yrs Medium City Manager Communications (CM)
11 Action ECS-2.1.2: Join national race / equity network membership. Join the Government Alliance on Race and Equity or a similar national network, such as the Living Cities “Closing the Gaps” network. 1–2 yrs Medium City Manager 11 Action ECS-2.2.1: Implement Racial and Social Equity Action Plan. Continue to implement the 2021 South San Francisco Racial and Social Equity Action Plan. 1–2 yrs High City Manager Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
11 Action ECS-3.2.2: Pilot equitable involvement in services. Identify and pilot new ways to engage young people and their families who have not previously participated in City-run enrichment programs. Ensure that young people, especially youth of color and youth from other historically disenfranchised communities, are involved in City-run enrichment programs.
1–2 yrs Medium City Manager
• Recreation
Division (P&R)
• Library
11 Action ECS-3.2.3: Target locations of services. Use targeted locations and coordinate with existing programs and organizations to strengthen youth development opportunities specifically for youth of color and youth from other historically disenfranchised communities.
1–2 yrs Medium Recreation
Division (P&R)
• Parks Division
(P&R)
• Library
11 Action ECS-5.1.4: Mitigate summer learning slide mitigation. Develop partnerships with San Mateo County, local libraries and South San Francisco Unified School District to provide Summer Learning Challenge and Big Lift Inspiring Summers learning and literacy support for local students. 1–2 yrs Medium Library Recreation
Division (P&R)
11 Action ECS-5.2.2: Create summer internship pilot. Pilot summer youth/teen internship program within South San Francisco City departments, with targeted recruitment of low-income youth and youth of color, to address opportunity gaps via exposure to government.
1–2 yrs Medium City Manager
• Human
Resources
• Parks Division
(P&R)
• Recreation
Division (P&R)
• Recreation
Division (P&R)
11 Action ECS-5.2.3: Create youth pilot programs to address resource gaps. Meaningfully engage low-income students, students of color, and other historically disenfranchised community members to identify specific resource gaps (e.g., internet access and digital literacy) in the community. Pilot youth programming to address specific resource gaps or barriers.
1–2 yrs Medium City Manager
11 Action ECS-6.1.2: Establish Community Safety and Equity Advisory Board. Establish a Community Safety and Equity Advisory Board to review data, provide recommendations, and build trust. The Board may make recommendations related to public safety or to any equity issue throughout City departments and programs. 1–2 yrs High Police City Manager
12 Action CHEJ-1.1.8: Reduce documentation for healthcare access. Work with San Mateo County and other agencies to minimize the documentation required to access healthcare services in order to reduce barriers to seeking and utilizing services, including eliminating requirements whenever possible. 1–2 yrs Medium City Manager City Council
12 Action CHEJ-1.2.1: Continue to participate in mental health crisis response pilot. Continue to participate in a community wellness and crisis response team pilot program to respond to emergency calls related to mental health, substance use, homelessness, and domestic violence. This response team will be focused on conflict management, de-escalation, and linking residents to supportive services. 1–2 yrs High City Manager • Fire
• Police
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# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
12 Action CHEJ-1.2.2: Connect health and homeless services. Continue to work with homeless service providers to conduct outreach and connect unhoused individuals to health care, housing and shelter, and other services. 1–2 yrs Medium City Manager Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-1.4.2: Develop healthy development guidelines. Conduct a review of existing development guidelines to promote healthy living and working environments. 1–2 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) 12 Action CHEJ-2.1.1: Explore economic incentives for food access. Utilize economic development incentives to encourage existing stores to sell fresh, healthy foods in disadvantaged communities. Pursue funding and partnerships and develop incentive programs to encourage the equitable availability of healthy food options. 1–2 yrs Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-2.1.4: Expand farmers’ markets. Partner with County agencies and non-profit organizations to expand farmers markets in South San Francisco, including in Downtown. 1–2 yrs Medium Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
City Manager
12 Action CHEJ-2.5.1: Adopt an ordinance that requires City-funded events offer healthy food choices to participants. Adopt an ordinance that requires City-funded events offer healthy food choices to participants. 1–2 yrs Medium City Manager 12 Action CHEJ-6.4.1: Provide safe restroom facilities. Provide mobile shower, bathroom, and needle exchange sites and facilities for unhoused residents. 1–2 yrs Medium City Manager Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-7.1.3: Create a rental and eviction registry. Explore creation a rental and eviction registry to assess rental market and eviction trends. 1–2 yrs Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-7.2.1: Connect residents to mortgage assistance resources. Provide mortgage assistance to help low-income homeowners at risk of foreclosure with financial or counseling support. Provide residents with resources and connections to HEART of San Mateo County, a countywide homeowner assistance program, and other non-profit homeowner assistance programs.
1–2 yrs Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
City Manager
12 Action CHEJ-7.5.1: Provide resident housing rights education. Provide education, outreach, and referral services for residents regarding their rights as tenants and buyers. 1–2 yrs Medium Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
12 Action CHEJ-7.5.2: Provide landlord housing rights education. Provide education and outreach to landlords, property managers, real estate agents, and others on their obligations as they make or manage properties available for housing.
1–2 yrs Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
13 Action CR-1.7.2: Increase Community Emergency Response Team outreach in community. Target outreach for South San Francisco CERT offerings in specific South San Francisco neighborhoods, such as Downtown. 1–2 yrs High Fire 13 Action CR-1.7.3: Expand Community Emergency Response Team outreach at the library. Partner with library to ensure that key populations have access to information about Community Emergency Response Team and other South San Francisco programs and resources.
1–2 yrs High Fire Library
13 Action CR-2.4.1: Conduct Fire Station 61 and 62 relocation feasibility study. Evaluate the feasibility of relocating Fire Station 61 and 62 outside of the flood zone. 1–2 yrs High Fire • Capital
Projects (CM)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
13 Action CR-4.1.1: Conduct seismic assessments for municipal assets. Regularly complete seismic assessments of critical municipal buildings, facilities, and infrastructure. Develop locally specific seismic hazard maps to improve mapping resolution and support more informed and nuanced decision-making about development and hazard mitigation, particularly where other hazards like sea level rise compound the risk. 1–2 yrs High Building
Division (ECD)
• Facilities
Division (P&R)
• Capital
Projects (CM)
13 Action CR-6.1.1: Review and update funding programs for resilient building design. Review and update existing funding programs, such as the Property-Assessed Clean Energy program to promote climate-resilient design and retrofits.
1–2 yrs High Sustainability
(CM)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
• Building
Division (ECD)
13 Action CR-6.2.2: Work with utilities to prevent shutoff during extreme events. Work with Pacific Gas & Electric and Peninsula Clean Energy to prevent utility shutoff during extreme heat events. 1–2 yrs High City Manager 13 Action CR-6.4.1: Prepare a cooling and warming centers distribution plan. Maintain the capability to operated cooling and warming centers equitably throughout the city when needed. 1–2 yrs Medium Fire • City Manager
• Facilities
Division (P&R)
14 Action CP-1.2.2: Prepare Municipal Greenhouse Gas inventory. Prepare an inventory of emissions from municipal operations, establish a greenhouse gas reduction target, and develop a work plan to reduce municipal emissions.
1–2 yrs High Sustainability
(CM)
Maintenance
and Operations
Division (PW)
14 Action CP-3.2.2: Update landscaping water requirements. Require all new landscaping to use low-water plants and efficient irrigation, planting native and non-native species that provide valuable resources for native wildlife. 1–2 yrs Medium Building Division (ECD)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
• Parks Division
(P&R)
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# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
14 Action CP-4.2.2: Adopt Burnout Ordinance. Adopt a Burnout Ordinance that requires a gas appliance (e.g., stove or furnace) be replaced with an electric version when it stops working. 1–2 yrs High Sustainability (CM) Building Division
(ECD)
14 Action CP-6.1.1: Adopt a Zero-waste plan. Adopt an SB 1383 compliant zero-waste plan for municipal operations and the community that includes:
• Mandatory residential and commercial recycling and collection of organics/food waste. • Mandatory commercial edible food recovery program (per MOU with San Mateo County Office of Sustainability • Update trash enclosure space and access requirements based on hauler recommendations to accommodate all waste streams (e.g., recycling, trash, and organics).
1–2 yrs Medium
Maintenance
and
Operations
Division (PW)
Sustainability
(CM)
14 Action CP-6.1.3: Establish waste reduction compliance pathways. Establish compliance pathways and enforcement mechanisms for mandatory organics and food waste diversion. 1–2 yrs High Maintenance
and
Operations
Division (PW)
Sustainability
(CM)
15 Action ES-2.2.1: Require bird safe design East of 101. Develop a bird safe design ordinance to minimize the adverse effects on native and migratory birds and require new development East of 101 to incorporate design measures.
1–2 yrs High Planning
Division (ECD)
Building Division
(ECD)
15 Action ES-5.3.1: Update the planting guidelines. Evaluate and update existing guidelines for landscape design and planting to support native species and non-native species that provide valuable resources for native wildlife and reduce water use.
Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Parks Division
(P&R)
16 Action NOI-1.1.2: Incorporate noise compatibility conditions of approval. Continue to assess projects through the subdivision, site plan, conditional use permit, and other development review processes and incorporate conditions of approval and mitigation measures that ensure noise compatibility where appropriate.
Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
3–5 Years
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
5 Action LU-1.1.3: Complete neighborhoods study. Initiate a study to determine appropriate locations for siting everyday needs, including services, healthy food, public facilities, and shopping within a short walk, bike, or transit trip of all residents.
3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
5 Action LU-1.2.2: Develop infrastructure improvement program for complete neighborhoods. Develop a formal program and structure to evaluate and facilitate the repair, maintenance, and expansion of bicycle, pedestrian, and transit infrastructure in complete neighborhoods. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Engineering
Division (PW)
5 Action LU-1.3.1: Rezoning and public easements for healthy foods. Identify parcels and areas in public rights-ofway that can facilitate community gardens and re-zone to allow urban agriculture. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Parks Division
(P&R)
5 Action LU-1.5.1: Funding for neighborhood events. Seek funding, sponsors, and partnerships to provide community involvement programs such as Light Up the Night, Neighbors Night Out, and other similar activities and programs designed to strengthen neighborhoods.
3–5 yrs Medium City Manager
• Recreation
Division (P&R)
• City Council
5 Action LU-1.6.2: Fund and expand childcare and pre-K. Coordinate with public institutions, including San Mateo County, and seek State, federal, and private funding sources to maximize resources to fund and expand childcare, including after-school care, and pre-K in South San Francisco. 3–5 yrs High Recreation
Division (P&R) City Manager
5 Action LU-2.1.2: Develop Specific Plans around transit centers. Initiate a request for proposals (RFP) process to develop specific plans around key transit centers, including Caltrain and BART. 3–5 yrs High Planning Division (ECD) 5 Action LU-2.1.4: Community benefits framework. Continue to update the community benefits framework that requires new non-residential development near transit centers to contribute to community goals and amenities, including parks and public spaces, affordable housing, and transportation demand management. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
5 Action LU-2.1.5: Community engagement near transit centers. Engage closely with residents, business owners, and other stakeholders to ensure the community receives desired benefits from new development at transit centers and to ensure the community is apprised of development. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD) City Manager
5 Action LU-2.3.1: Coordination with local and regional transit agencies. Ensure coordination between local agencies including Community Development Department, Transportation Department, and Public Works, along with regional transit agencies including Caltrain, BART, and SamTrans to align mobility and infrastructure improvements efforts.
3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Engineering
Division (PW)
5 Action LU-2.3.2: Incorporate wayfinding signage. Incorporate wayfinding signage near transit to guide people to local destinations, including schools, Downtown, parks, shopping, healthcare, and public facilities. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Engineering
Division (PW)
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# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
5 Action LU-2.3.3: Incorporate gateway elements near transit centers. Incorporate local art, gateway signage, and landscaping near major transit centers to welcome people to South San Francisco and imbue these areas with local identity.
3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
• Parks Division
(P&R)
• Recreation
Division (P&R)
5 Action LU-2.4.1: Mobility hubs study. Conduct study to determine financial costs, infrastructural needs, economic feasibility, and community desire for mobility hubs. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) Engineering
Division (PW)
5 Action LU-3.1.1: Coordinate with SSFUSD regarding housing on closed school sites. Work with the South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) to study the potential of developing housing and community services, such as childcare, on closed school sites, including the former Foxridge school site. 3–5 yrs Medium City Manager
• City Council
• Planning
Division (ECD)
5 Action LU-3.1.3: Develop workforce housing program. Partner employment growth with residential development through partnerships with large employers, density bonuses, height bonuses, transfer of development rights, and other similar incentives.
3–5 yrs Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
5 Action LU-3.9.1: Encourage preservation and upkeep of naturally-occurring affordable housing. Study and implement programming and regulations to encourage preservation and upkeep of existing naturally-occurring affordable housing (NOAH), such as rental protections for residents in NOAH units. 3–5 yrs Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
5 Action LU-6.3.1: Encourage property assemblage and master planning. Encourage the assemblage of adjacent parcels by providing greater development incentives for master planned redevelopment of specific locations than would be available for development on a parcel-by-parcel basis. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
5 Action LU-6.3.2: Provide density bonuses for assembled parcels. Develop density bonus program for assembled parcels and/or master planned parcels of former industrial uses or commercial transitioning to residential uses.
3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
5 Action LU-6.5.1: Establish flexible development standards for industrial uses. Establish flexible development standards (including FAR) that allow industrial uses to make building improvements and change with market conditions.
3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
5 Action LU-6.7.1: Online permitting. Seek efficiencies to make development permitting as simple and efficient as possible, including incorporating online permitting. 3–5 yrs Medium Building Division (ECD)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
• Information
Technology
5 Action LU-6.7.2: Streamline permitting for specific uses. Identify industrial uses that benefit from proximity to the airport and life sciences cluster and create streamlined permitting to attract such uses. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
5 Action LU-7.6.1: Develop programs related to building upkeep and maintenance. Develop programs, such as the formation of Business Improvement Districts, to support building upkeep and maintenance, signage, and façade improvements for neighborhood commercial and small businesses. 3–5 yrs Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Building Division
(ECD)
5 Action LU-7.6.2: Support formalization of business associations. Support formalization of several local business associations to better coordinate with SSF Chamber of Commerce in addressing neighborhood or district-specific challenges.
3–5 yrs Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
5 Action LU-7.8.1: Create standards for mobile food markets. Support greater street life by allowing food vendor markets at centrally located spots. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) 5 Action LU-8.1.1: Identify arts and cultural districts. Identify areas and cultural resources that make up distinct cultural districts. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) Recreation
Division (P&R)
5 Action LU-8.1.2: Create design policies for arts and cultural areas. Identify actions that can bring the arts, culture, and significant natural features closer to the community. Implement small-scale public realm projects, such as identifying graphics, sidewalk and streetscape improvements, wayfinding, and public art. 3–5 yrs Low Recreation
Division (P&R)
Planning Division
(ECD)
5 Action LU-8.1.3: Identify financing for arts and cultural programming. Study potential of financing public art and cultural programming in public spaces, along roadways, and along Colma Creek through the development of an Arts and Cultural Program.
3–5 yrs Medium Recreation
Division (P&R) City Manager
5 Action LU-8.2.1: Consider a city-wide streetscape master plan. 3–5 yrs High Planning Division (ECD)
• Engineering
Division (PW)
• Parks Division
(P&R)
5 Action LU-8.2.2: Street corridor design standards. Identify corridors of visual significance in the city and develop a set of cohesive standards for landscaping, lighting, street furniture, sidewalk and crosswalk design, utility placement and treatment, and other elements for the respective corridors. This action is related to the street typology concept presented in the Mobility Element.
3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Engineering
Division (PW)
5 Action LU-9.1.1: Aspirational design standards. Consider creating aspirational design standards, rather than minimum standards, that lead to more successful developments. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD)
5 Action LU-9.1.3: Create location-specific design guidelines. Create location-specific design guidelines that help to reinforce the character of a neighborhood, such as the industrial history of Lindenville. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD)
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# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
5 Action LU-9.3.1: Create building materials list. Establish a list of preferred and discouraged building materials for different building, walls, and fence types. Consider developing distinctive standards for different zoning classifications, emphasizing durability, aesthetics, and visual continuity in materials and design. 3–5 yrs Low Planning
Division (ECD)
5 Action LU-9.4.1: Develop utility equipment design standards. Develop and adopt new standards to minimize the detrimental appearance of accessory utility equipment (transformers, cable cabinets, utility meters, utility lines, etc.) by integrating them into less prominent areas of the site or by screening them with landscaping, artistic features, or architectural materials compatible with the primary structures. Ensure that such facilities are sited so as not to impede pedestrian access.
3–5 yrs Low Planning
Division (ECD)
6 Action SA-1.3.1: Create space for community-based organizations. Study the potential to incentivize retention of commercial spaces affordable for community-based organizations through development requirements. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
6 Action SA-2.1.1: Establish arts and cultural district. Explore establishing an Arts and Cultural District in Downtown and Lindenville to support artists and creative businesses. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) 6 Action SA-2.1.2: Incentivize artist and makers spaces. Incentivize growth of commercial spaces suitable and affordable for makers and artists through development requirements and community benefits. 3–5 yrs Low Planning Division (ECD) 6 Action SA-2.1.3: Downtown marketing and branding. Strengthen Downtown’s cultural identity by marketing and branding art, public spaces, wayfinding signage, community markers, and other informational signage in culturallyrelevant ways.3–5 yrs Medium Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
• Parks Division
(P&R)
6 Action SA-2.1.4: Develop Downtown Gateways: Develop design elements and gateways that celebrate Downtown’s unique arts and cultural identity. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) Parks Division
(P&R)
6 Action SA-2.1.5: Encourage community events and programming. Encourage community events and programming Downtown, including youth activities and opportunities for cultural programming. 3–5 yrs Medium Parks Division (P&R)
Recreation
Division (P&R)
6 Action SA-4.1.1: Homeownership expansion. Evaluate potential for community land trusts and/or other shared equity homeownership models to expand homeownership Downtown. 3–5 yrs Medium Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
6 Action SA-5.2.1: Support Downtown business upkeep and maintenance. Develop a mechanism, such as a business improvement district or similar program, to support building upkeep and maintenance, signage, and façade improvements for Grand Avenue and Linden Avenue businesses. 3–5 yrs Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
6 Action SA-10.1.2: Create station area access plan. Prepare a station area access plan for the South San Francisco BART Station that includes street, sidewalk, biking, and infrastructure improvements. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) 6 Action SA-13.1.1: Business support for El Camino Real businesses. Develop a mechanism to support building upkeep and maintenance, signage, and façade improvements for El Camino Real businesses. 3–5 yrs Medium Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
6 Action SA-14.3.1: Implement El Camino Real wayfinding signage. Add wayfinding signage to improve connections to the South San Francisco BART station, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Colma Creek, and the Centennial Way Trail.
3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Engineering
Division (PW)
6 Action SA-14.4.1: Chestnut Avenue and Antoinette Lane intersection improvement. Provide and maintain safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle connections, including via improved signage, lighting, and flashing beacons, along Antoinette Lane across Chestnut Avenue to link the two ends of the Centennial Way Trail. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Engineering
Division (PW)
6 Action SA-16.2.1: Develop retail, restaurants, and vendors strategy. Develop a retail, restaurant, and mobile vendors strategy to support diverse populations, including residents and workers. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
6 Action SA-17.1.1: Designate residential priority sites. Designate residential priority sites, which require a specific amount of future development projects be dedicated to residential land use. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) 6 Action SA-17.1.2: Remove parking minimums in East of 101. Remove parking minimums in East of 101. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD)
6 Action SA-17.1.3: Encourage property assemblage and master planning along South Airport Boulevard.
Encourage the assemblage of adjacent parcels by providing greater development incentives for master planned redevelopment along South Airport Boulevard than would be available for development on a parcel-by-parcel basis. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Engineering
Division (PW)
6 Action SA-17.1.4: South Airport Boulevard Specific Plan. Develop a Specific Plan with design guidelines for residential uses for South Airport Boulevard. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD)
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Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
6 Action SA-18.4.2: Study other potential roadway connections. Study potential for creating the following roadway connections:
• Utah Avenue and San Mateo Avenue, across US-101.
• Haskins Bridge connecting Haskins Way in the north to N. Access Road to the south • Oyster Point Bridge connecting Oyster Point Boulevard cul-de-sac to Sierra Point • Connect Gateway Boulevard to Sylvester Road and Littlefield Avenue using railroad right-of-way • Extend Littlefield Avenue from E. Grand Avenue to Cabot Road cul-de-sac, Forbes Boulevard, Carlton Court, and Eccles Avenue
• Eccles Avenue and Forbes Boulevard between Rozzi Place and 560 Eccles Avenue driveway • Replace Poletti Way off-ramp with Grand Ramp flyover to provide direct access to Grand/Dubuque intersection for US 101/NB
• Point San Bruno Boulevard and E. Grand Avenue dead-end • Connect W. Harris Avenue cul-de-sac with E. Harris Avenue and extend E. Harris Avenue to Littlefield Avenue • Extend Roebling Road across E. Grand Avenue to connect to new connection using railroad right-of-way 3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Engineering
Division (PW)
6 Action SA-18.4.3: Create roadway maintenance schedule. Prioritize roadway maintenance in the sub-area by developing a schedule in collaboration with Public Works. Where feasible, align this effort with new construction projects.
3–5 yrs Medium Engineering
Division (PW)
Maintenance
and Operations
Division (PW)
6 Action SA-20.1.1: Create Community Facilities District. Explore development of a Community Facilities District to finance district improvements, such as infrastructure improvements, management of a parking facilities district, and fund public spaces and amenities.
3–5 yrs Medium City Manager
• Engineering
Division (PW)
• Parks Division
(P&R)
6 Action SA-20.1.2: Identify funds for roadway maintenance and repairs. Explore development of a district-wide fund with annual contributions from local businesses designated for roadway maintenance and repairs. 3–5 yrs Medium City Manager Engineering Division (PW) 6 Action SA-20.1.3: Support building upkeep and maintenance. Develop a mechanism to support building upkeep and maintenance, signage, landscaping, placemaking elements, lighting, and façade improvements for businesses along South Airport Boulevard.
3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
6 Action SA-21.2.1: Update Non-Conforming Regulations in Zoning Ordinance. Develop zoning regulations that encourage non-conforming warehousing and distribution uses north of East Grand Avenue or in areas designated as Business Technology Park or Business Technology Park High to transition to conforming uses. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
6 Action SA-22.1.2: Designate residential priority sites. Designate residential priority sites, which require a specific amount of future development projects be dedicated to residential land uses. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
6 Action SA-22.1.3: Require context-sensitive design. Require context-sensitive design for new buildings developed along Colma Creek, such as height step backs and building setbacks. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) 6 Action SA-27.3.1: Establish design and development standards for frontage. Establish design and development standards for frontage along Lindenville streets. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) 6 Action SA-27.3.2: Prepare and implement streetscape improvement plan: Prepare and implement a streetscape improvement plan for South Linden and South Spruce Avenues that recognizes the streets’ role as a connector between the San Bruno BART station and Downtown. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Engineering
Division (PW)
6 Action SA-27.4.1: Study potential roadway connections. Study the following potential roadway connections in Lindenville:
• Spruce Avenue, S. Maple Avenue, and S. Linden Avenue using the access road behind 245 South Spruce Avenue • Extension from South Airport Boulevard to San Mateo Avenue with connection to Produce Avenue 3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Engineering
Division (PW)
6 Action SA-27.4.2: Support implementation of the new east-west roadway connection. Support implementation of the new east-west roadway connection between Sneath Lane and S. Linden Avenue, that is included and analyzed in the Southline Specific Plan.
3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Engineering
Division (PW)
6 Action SA-28.1.1: Create publicly accessibly open spaces. Create new publicly accessible open spaces including plazas, courtyards, and green spaces within the Specific Plan area for the use of employees, residents, and visitors. 3–5 yrs Medium Parks Division (P&R) 6 Action SA-28.2.1: Provide campus pedestrian network. Provide an extensive pedestrian network that links buildings and outdoor recreational spaces through paving, wayfinding signage, street furniture, and lighting 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) 6 Action SA-28.2.2: Create convenient and safe pedestrian and bike access. Create convenient and safe pedestrian and bike access to the San Bruno BART station and the Centennial Way Trail. 3–5 yrs Medium Engineering Division (PW) Planning Division
(ECD)
6 Action SA-3.1.1: Engage with community on Downtown growth. Engage with the Downtown community to understand priorities and desired benefits resulting from Downtown growth. 3–5 yrs Medium City Manager Planning Division (ECD)
6 Action SA-31.1.1: Coordinate with Cal Water to purchase or lease land. Coordinate with Cal Water to purchase or lease land along Chestnut Avenue and Colma Creek to expand Orange Park. 3–5 yrs Medium City Manager Parks Division (P&R)
6 Action SA-35.2.1: Implement designated bicycle lane on Mission Road. Consider the feasibility of creating two designated bike lanes along Mission Road between McLellan Road and Chestnut Ave. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Engineering
Division (PW)
6 Action SA-36.4.1: Support the development of a new park and bicycle and pedestrian trails along Skyline Boulevard in collaboration with Caltrans. Support the development of a new park and bicycle and pedestrian trails along Skyline Boulevard in collaboration with Caltrans. 3–5 yrs Medium Parks Division
(P&R)
Engineering
Division (PW)
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Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
6 Action SA-39.1.1: Implement linear parks in Winston Serra. Develop a new linear park as outlined in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. 3–5 yrs Medium Parks Division (P&R) Engineering
Division (PW)
6 Action SA-39.1.2: Develop new park at SFPUC site. Develop a new park on the existing SFPUC site that provides pedestrian connections to Alta Loma Middle School. 3–5 yrs Medium Parks Division (P&R) 8 Action 2.4.1: Attract tenants to ground floor spaces that support day-to-day services in the neighborhood.
Explore incentives, opportunities, forecast demand, and identify barriers to attracting small businesses and tenants to ground floor spaces outside of the city’s best-located retail nodes (such as on blocks of Downtown away from Grand Avenue).
3-5 years Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-3.1.1: Establish business districts. In partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, conduct outreach to businesses to encourage local district-based efforts to establish business organizations and form business improvement districts that can raise funding to provide enhanced district services; potential locations include Downtown South San Francisco, Lindenville, segments of El Camino Real, the BART station area, and portions of East of 101.
3-5 years High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
City Manager
8 Action PE-3.2.2: Engage businesses. Use active mechanisms to stay informed of business needs through such tools as business surveys, customer surveys, personal contact, and business functions. 3-5 years Medium Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-3.3.2: Prepare/update economic development strategic plans. Regularly prepare/update a multiyear economic development strategic plan to provide a comprehensive understanding of current economic and market conditions and to guide City staff economic development activities. 3-5 years High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action 3.4.4: Promote the city’s “business friendly” reputation in all promotional materials. 3-5 years Medium Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-3.4.6: Increase and improve communication with the public about new business developments. 3-5 years Low Communications (CM)
• Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-3.5.1: Create a Downtown marketing program. Create a marketing program for Downtown that can be subsequently expanded to promote the entire city. 3-5 years Medium Communications (CM)
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
8 Action PE-3.5.2: Develop and implement a “shop local” program. 3-5 years Medium Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-3.5.3: Promote recreational opportunities. Promote recreational activities available in South San Francisco as an attractive amenity for workers. 3-5 years Medium Recreation Division (P&R) 8 Action PE-5.1.2: Identify reinvestment opportunities in retail properties. Work with retail property owners to identify and encourage opportunities for reinvestment in and modernization of their properties. 3-5 years Medium Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-5.2.1: Create ground floor requirements. Create requirements to provide ground-floor retail in mixeduse development projects only in the strongest retail locations, including at street intersections, near existing highperforming shopping centers, and in areas with high visibility, vehicle or pedestrian traffic, and easy access. 3-5 years Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
8 Action PE-5.4.1: Provide public investment for streetscapes and façades. Enhance the public realm of retail districts through public investments in the streetscape and mobility, potential façade improvement loans or grants, and collaboration with merchants or business organizations to create wayfinding and branding signage. 3-5 years High Capital
Projects (CM)
Planning Division
(ECD)
8 Action PE-5.6.4: Attract retail and services to emerging residential areas. Work with developers, brokers, and site locators to attract retail and services to areas targeted for significant residential growth where little housing previously existed—including near the Caltrain Station, portions of East of 101, and the northern portion of Lindenville.
3-5 years Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
8 Action PE-5.8.1: Develop a neighborhood retail business attraction and retention program. 3-5 years Medium Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-7.1.2: Provide targeted resources to home-based businesses. Explore providing targeted resources to home-based businesses regarding opportunities for support and for expansion into commercial and industrial spaces.
3-5 years Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-8.1.2: Establish district-based financing tools. Explore establishing community facilities districts and other district-based financing mechanisms East of 101 and in other rapidly growing areas to ensure that new development adequately covers the costs of new infrastructure and facilities needs. 3-5 years High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
• City Manager
• Finance
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Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
9 Action MOB-1.2.2: Evaluate reducing speed limits. Evaluate reducing speed limits on the city's high injury network, transit priority streets, school areas, and other streets with high concentrations of vulnerable street users. 3–5 yrs Medium Engineering Division (PW) 9 Action MOB-2.1.4: Implement transit speed, reliability, and access improvements. All capital improvements and development projects near regional transit stations or bus/shuttle routes incorporate improvements to advance speed, reliability, and access, such as in-lane far-side bus stops, bus-only lanes, queue jumps, and pedestrian/bicycle gap closures.
3–5 yrs High Engineering
Division (PW)
9 Action MOB-2.1.5: Address ADA accessibility. Address ADA accessibility gaps in the City’s transportation infrastructure, including at sidewalks, curb ramps, crosswalks, and bus stops. 3–5 yrs High Engineering Division (PW) 9 Action MOB-3.1.2: Implement East of 101 Trip Cap. Implement an East of 101 area trip cap with triennial monitoring and corrective actions if exceeded. Implement project-specific trip caps for large campus developments. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) 9 Action MOB-3.3.2: Evaluate curb management practice. Evaluate the current and best use of curb space in the City’s activity centers and repurpose space to maximize people served (i.e. for loading, bikeways, bike parking, bus lanes, or parklets)
3–5 yrs Medium Engineering
Division (PW)
Planning Division
(ECD)
9 Action MOB-3.4.1: Create funding and staffing plan for the Residential Parking Permit Program. Create a funding and staffing plan for a Residential Parking Permit (RPP) Program in higher density neighborhoods. 3–5 yrs Medium City Manager • Police
• Planning
Division (ECD)
10 Action PR-1.4.1: Provide targeted recreational services. Explore opportunities to provide and subsidize more recreational services to targeted populations (e.g., youth, older adults, persons with disabilities, and low-income populations).
3–5 yrs High Recreation
Division (P&R)
10 Action PR-2.1.2: Complete update of the Orange Memorial Park Master Plan. 3–5 yrs Medium Parks Division (P&R)
• Capital
Projects (CM)
• Facilities
Division (P&R)
10 Action PR-5.1.2: Designate new Downtown/Lindenville park site. Designate a site for a new neighborhood park adjacent to Downtown and Lindenville on the block bounded by Railroad Avenue, Spruce Avenue, Colma Creek, and Linden Avenue and require parkland dedication.
3–5 yrs Medium Parks Division
(P&R)
• Capital
Projects (CM)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
10 Action PR-5.1.3: Study City Hall park space opportunities. Study opportunities to expand active park space on the City Hall property. 3–5 yrs Low Capital
Projects (CM)
Parks Division
(P&R)
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
10 Action PR-7.7.2: Facilitate community engagement on public art selection. Establish a process to allow community input into public art selection. 3–5 yrs Low Recreation Division (P&R) 10 Action PR-7.7.4: Support community-based creation of public art. Develop and coordinate community-based efforts to create public art pieces. 3–5 yrs Low Recreation Division (P&R) 10 Action PR-8.10.1: Identify and pilot enrichment programs. Identify and pilot new ways to engage young people and their families who have not previously participated in City-run enrichment programming – and use these efforts to identify common reasons youth and families have not participated in these community resources. 3–5 yrs Medium Recreation
Division (P&R) Library
10 Action PR-9.3.2: Maintain land inventory for childcare. Conduct an inventory of property that may be converted or developed into public or private Early Childcare Education facilities. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Recreation
Division (P&R)
10 Action PR-9.3.4: Provide incentives for new development to create childcare facilities. Provide incentives to new development to create childcare facilities as a community benefit. Encourage new development to provide onsite childcare facilities rather than paying an in-lieu fees.3–5 yrs High Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
10 Action PR-9.3.5: Coordinate citywide childcare programs. Coordinate and integrate childcare programs with existing housing, community, and social programs as described in the Child Care Master Plan. 3–5 yrs High Recreation Division (P&R) Planning Division
(ECD)
10 Action PR-9.4.1: Explore grant funding for childcare. Explore the provision of one-time grants to Family Child Care homes for zoning permit application or to update homes to be ready for babies and toddlers, including removing penalties for those who want to legalize their Family Child Care homes. 3–5 yrs High Recreation
Division (P&R)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
• Finance
10 Action PR-9.4.2: Create and maintain online portal for childcare. Create and maintain an online portal and resources for childcare business development. 3–5 yrs Medium Recreation Division (P&R)
• Information
Technology
• Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
• Communications
(CM)
11 Action ECS-1.3.3: Develop ongoing feedback portal. Develop an online, multilingual portal where residents can provide feedback on an ongoing basis regarding the General Plan, City services, and other needs and barriers that the City may be able to address.
3–5 yrs Medium City Manager
• Information
Technology
• Planning
Division (ECD)
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Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
11 Action ECS-2.1.3: Partner regionally to support equity priorities. Work closely with other jurisdictions in San Mateo County and throughout the Bay Area to build capacity on racial and social equity, and to advance regional equity priorities.
3–5 yrs Medium City Manager
11 Action ECS-2.2.2: Develop standardized reporting. Develop a standardized approach to tracking data to address racial and social inequities. 3–5 yrs Medium City Manager 11 Action ECS-3.1.3: Explore Downtown Resource Center. Study the feasibility of a Community Resource Center in Downtown where multiple services will be offered. 3–5 yrs High Capital Projects (CM) Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
11 Action ECS-3.2.1: Conduct ongoing evaluation of services. Regularly evaluate impact of public investments to ensure equitable distribution of services and programming moving forward. 3–5 yrs Medium City Manager 11 Action ECS-5.1.2: Identify special education opportunities. Partner with life science companies and art organizations to provide special education students with internships, awards, and equipment in order to provide high-quality special education to South San Francisco children and youth. 3–5 yrs Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
• Recreation
Division (P&R)
• Library
11 Action ECS-5.1.3: Expand arts education. Develop partnerships with art organizations and associations to provide students with internships, awards, and upgraded visual and performing arts equipment. 3–5 yrs Medium Recreation Division (P&R) 12 Action CHEJ-1.1.6: Assist in the provision of nonprofit and community health centers. Assist San Mateo County in their provision of nonprofit and community health centers to provide free or low-cost health care to lowincome households.3–5 yrs High City Manager Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-1.3.1: Maintain and report health data. Continue to maintain and report out indicators and metrics about the health status of residents over time by race/ethnicity. Work with the City’s Equity and Inclusion Officer to develop a standardized approach to tracking health data to address racial and social inequities in health outcomes. 3–5 yrs Medium City Manager Planning Division
(ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-1.4.1: Require health impact assessment. Require health impact assessments for all specific, neighborhood, and master plans and major transportation investments to examine the health and equity implications of policy decisions.
3–5 yrs Low Planning
Division (ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-2.1.2: Provide healthy food education. Work with other local non-profit organizations and public agencies, such as the San Mateo County Health, to create a Healthy Food Awareness campaign that educates the community about healthy and culturally relevant food options within the community. 3–5 yrs Low City Manager
• Library
• Recreation
Division (P&R)
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
12 Action CHEJ-2.5.2: Partner with SSFUSD to implement school nutrition education programs. Partner with the South San Francisco Unified School District to create and implement educational programs for children on healthy eating, such as edible school yards and healthy cooking classes. 3–5 yrs Medium City Manager City Council
12 Action CHEJ-3.1.1: Monitor air quality in Lindenville, East of 101, and Downtown. Work with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to establish and identify funding for air quality monitoring and reduction strategies.
This action may include purchasing fine particulate matter (PM2.5) monitors to track local air quality data in Lindenville, East of 101, and Downtown.
3–5 yrs High Planning
Division (ECD)
Maintenance
and Operations
Division (PW)
12 Action CHEJ-3.2.2: Adopt an ordinance establishing vehicle idling restrictions. Establish a local ordinance that exceeds the state vehicle idling restrictions where appropriate, including restrictions for bus layovers, delivery vehicles, trucks at warehouses and distribution facilities and taxis, particularly when these activities take place near sensitive land uses (schools, healthcare facilities, affordable housing, and elder and childcare centers). Manage truck idling in new residential neighborhoods in Lindenville and East of 101. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-3.3.2: Reduce indoor air pollution. Explore opportunities to work with property owners to rehabilitate existing buildings and require that new buildings adjacent to production, distribution, and warehousing uses; highways; or rail to implement appropriate mitigation measures to reduce indoor air pollution such as air filtration/ventilation systems, landscaping, and other physical improvements as recommended by the California Air Resources Board and/or the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. 3–5 yrs Medium Building
Division (ECD)
Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-4.1.2: Precautions for Oyster Point Landfill. Implement any future City-prepared sea level rise adaptation plan for the Oyster Point Marina and landfill to prevent the release of toxins into the Bay. 3–5 yrs High Capital Projects (CM) • Maintenance
and Operations
Division (PW)
• Parks Division
(P&R)
• Engineering
Division (PW)
12 Action CHEJ-6.4.3: Implement permanent supportive housing. Implement the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing First program once permanent supportive housing is available within the city. 3–5 yrs Medium Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-7.1.2: Develop anti-displacement plan. Develop an anti-displacement plan to halt displacement in the city, particularly in Downtown, Sign Hill, El Camino, and Sunshine Gardens, which may include tenant and landlord mediation programs, right of first refusal, rental assistance, tenant legal counseling, and a rent board to implement the program.
3–5 yrs High
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
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Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
12 Action CHEJ-7.1.4: Provide housing for people with disabilities. Consider adding disability to the existing livework preference policy to prioritize providing housing to people with disabilities. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD)
Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
13 Action CR-1.3.3: Require multi-hazard real estate disclosure. Enact an ordinance to require real estate disclosures of all hazards identified in the Hazard Mitigation Plan, including hazards associated with anticipatory sea level rise and flooding, geologic hazards, groundwater inundation, or wildfire for commercial and residential properties, including ownership and rental.
3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
13 Action CR-1.6.1: Develop a resiliency hub program. Develop a resiliency hub program to help community members with disaster planning assistance and supplies. 3–5 yrs Medium Fire City Manager 13 Action CR-1.6.2: Upgrade the Emergency Operations Center. Add second floor to the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and a warehouse to store supplies to support the city in the event of a disaster. Ensure the EOC has the necessary capabilities and can continue operations after all future hazards. 3–5 yrs High Fire Capital Projects
(CM)
13 Action CR-1.6.3: Establish a resilience education program. Establish a community resilience education program in collaboration with San Mateo County and local community partners. Work with the Community Emergency Response Team and promotores programs to disseminate the information. 3–5 yrs Medium City Manager Fire
13 Action CR-1.6.4: Identify locations for post-disaster emergency housing. Identify locations for emergency housing, siting locations in areas with lower hazard risk. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) Fire 13 Action CR-1.8.1: Prepare a post-disaster recovery plan. Create a post-disaster recovery framework that establishes post-disaster policies and programs designating when, where, and how rebuilding will occur. 3–5 yrs Medium Fire • City Manager
• Facilities
Division (P&R)
• Maintenance
and Operations
Division (PW)
13 Action CR-1.8.2: Adopt post-disaster repair standards for existing buildings. Develop and adopt special repair and upgrade standards for existing buildings, in the case of post-disaster reconstruction and/or conversion to mixed use or more compact residential use.
3–5 yrs Low Building
Division (ECD)
13 Action CR-4.1.3: Maintain a soft-story buildings inventory. Maintain and regularly update a database of soft story / fragile housing. 3–5 yrs Medium Building
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
13 Action CR-4.1.4: Expand seismic retrofit incentive program expansion. Expand efforts to incentivize retrofits of buildings and other mitigation measures in seismic and geologic hazards zones. Explore developing a specific program to address seismic retrofit needs within South San Francisco’s affordable housing stock. 3–5 yrs Medium Building
Division (ECD) City Manager
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
13 Action CR-6.1.2: Create a community engagement for weatherization programs. Develop a targeted outreach regarding weatherization assistance program for low-income households. 3–5 yrs Medium Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Communications
(CM)
13 Action CR-6.3.1: Identify heat island priority areas. Identify areas of greatest risk of urban heat island effect and target resources in these areas, including tree planting, cool roofs, and installation of cool pavement. 3–5 yrs Low Planning Division (ECD) 14 Action CP-3.1.2: Require non-residential all-electric new construction. Adopt an ordinance (reach code) requiring all new nonresidential buildings to be all-electric and prohibit new gas infrastructure for new buildings.
Exempt occupancies must install electric building systems (e.g., space and water heating equipment) where feasible. 3–5 yrs High Building
Division (ECD)
• Sustainability
(CM)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
14 Action CP-3.1.3: Retrofit all-electric in existing buildings during major renovations. Require residential major renovations to retrofit to all-electric. 3–5 yrs High Building Division (ECD) • Sustainability
(CM)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
14 Action CP-3.2.1: Require high-efficiency indoor water fixture. Require high-efficiency fixtures in all new construction, like CALGreen Tier 1 or 2. 3–5 yrs Low Building Division (ECD) • Sustainability
(CM)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
14 Action CP-4.1.1: Energy audits for homes and businesses. Work with Peninsula Clean Energy, San Mateo County Energy Upgrade to provide free to low-cost energy audits. 3–5 yrs Medium Sustainability (CM) Building Division
(ECD)
14 Action CP-4.1.2: Adopt Commercial Benchmarking ordinance. Adopt energy and water benchmarking ordinance for commercial buildings over 10,000 square feet to empower owners to control utility costs. 3–5 yrs Medium Building Division (ECD)
• Sustainability
(CM)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
14 Action CP-4.1.3: Retrocommissioning partnership. Work with PG&E to expand deep retrofit and retrocommissioning programs in South San Francisco. 3–5 yrs Medium Sustainability (CM)
Planning Division
(ECD)
14 Action CP-4.2.1: Require electric panel upgrade at point of sale. Adopt an ordinance that requires electric panel upgrades upon sale and/or rental turnover. 3–5 yrs High Building Division (ECD)
• Sustainability
(CM)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
15 Action ES-7.2.2: Identify opportunities to implement green Infrastructure in parks and open space. Identify opportunities for nearby parks and open spaces to support water management with stormwater infrastructure 3–5 yrs High Parks Division (P&R)
Engineering
Division (PW)
420 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 421
OUR PLAN TO GET THERE 17
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
15 Action ES-9.1.2: Prepare Downtown urban design guidelines. Institute Downtown urban design guidelines and require design review of developments in the proposed Downtown South San Francisco Historical Commercial District to ensure that the height, massing, and design of buildings furthers Downtown’s character. 3–5 yrs Low Planning
Division (ECD)
15 Action ES-9.1.3: Expand historic markers and maps to promote and celebrate history. Expand resources such as historic maps, historic markers, or self-guided walking tours to promote and celebrate historic preservation in South San Francisco.
3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
15 Action ES-9.1.4: Expand historic resources education through partnerships. Work with neighborhood groups and historic preservation advocacy groups on events, materials, and efforts to educate the public on the positive benefits of historic preservation generally and in specific neighborhoods. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
15 Action ES-9.1.5: Preservation resources. Prepare a vision for the preservation of historic resources using the Mills Act, State Tax Credit Program, or other available tools. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD) 16 Action NOI-1.1.3: Require noise study in applicable areas. Require a noise study to be performed and appropriate noise attenuation to be incorporated to reduce interior noise levels to 45 dB CNEL or less prior to approving any multifamily or mixed-use residential development in an area with a CNEL of 65 dB or greater. 3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
16 Action NOI-1.1.5: Require noise control for new developments. Require the control of noise at the source through site design, building design, landscaping, hours of operation, and other techniques, for new developments deemed to be noise generators.
3–5 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
Building Division
(ECD)
6–10 Years
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
5 Action LU-1.1.1: Maintain vacant building inventory. Maintain an inventory of vacant buildings and encourage developers and potential business owners to locate their development/businesses in areas most in need of their resources.
6–10 yrs Medium
Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
5 Action LU-2.5.1: Study parking strategies near transit centers. Study potential parking strategies near transit centers, including parking maximums, park-once strategies, parking fees, and shared parking. 6–10 yrs Low Planning Division (ECD)
5 Action LU-6.6.1: Cleanup of Hazardous sites. Seek funding to finance cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated sites. 6–10 yrs Medium Sustainability (CM) • Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
6 Action SA-8.5.1: Facilitate affordable housing development on the Municipal Services Building site. Facilitate development of affordable housing with community-serving amenities, such as open space or recreational facilities, on the Municipal Services Building site.
6–10 yrs Low Planning
Division (ECD)
Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
6 Action SA-10.1.1: Coordinate with BART on developing housing at SSF BART station. Coordinate with BART to conduct studies to determine the feasibility of developing the surface parking lot on Mission Road into housing. 6–10 yrs Low Planning Division (ECD) 6 Action SA-11.1.2: Continue to implement the El Camino Real/Chestnut Avenue Area Plan. Continue to implement the El Camino Real/Chestnut Avenue Area Plan and update as necessary. 6–10 yrs Low Planning Division (ECD) 6 Action SA-12.6.1: Review consistency with San Francisco International Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan.
Review the San Francisco International Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP) and as needed, update the City of South San Francisco’s General Plan to be in conformance with land use compatibility standards in the ALUCP.
In the event that updates to the ALUCP allow residential land uses on suitable sites on the El Camino Real corridor where residential is not currently permitted, update the General Plan to allow Urban Residential uses. 6–10 yrs Low Planning
Division (ECD)
6 Action SA-14.5.1: New Roadway connection in El Camino Real in SFPUC / Kaiser area. Study potential to connect Sequoia Avenue and Las Flores Avenue across El Camino Real. 6–10 yrs Low Planning Division (ECD)
Engineering
Division (PW)
6 Action SA-16.1.1: Introduce shared district parking. Introduce shared, district parking facilities to support visitors and employees. 6–10 yrs Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
422 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 423
OUR PLAN TO GET THERE 17
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
6 Action SA-18.4.1: Create new connection between Lindenville and East of 101. Study potential for creating a roadway connection from Utah Avenue to San Mateo Avenue over US-101 to connect Lindenville with East of 101. 6–10 yrs Medium Engineering Division (PW) Planning Division
(ECD)
6 Action SA-27.1.1: Develop a park near Colma Creek. Develop a park to serve Lindenville and Downtown residents near Colma Creek. 6–10 yrs Medium Parks Division (P&R)
Planning Division
(ECD)
6 Action SA-29.1.1: Minimize El Camino Real parking overflow. Introduce clearer and more frequent signage along residential streets to prevent parking overflow from El Camino Real or major thoroughfares. 6–10 yrs Medium Maintenance
and
Operations
Division (PW)
6 Action SA-29.1.2: Coordinate with the County of San Mateo on infrastructure. Coordinate with the County of San Mateo to standardize infrastructure between the unincorporated area and the remainder of the city, including consistent sidewalks, roadways, and utility infrastructure. 6–10 yrs Low Engineering
Division (PW)
6 Action SA-29.2.1: Conduct annexation planning study. Conduct a study that considers long-term planning for the unincorporated Sphere of Influence. 6–10 yrs Low City Manager 6 Action SA-32.4.1: Coordinate with local and regional open space agencies. Collaborate with County of San Mateo Parks Department regarding upkeep and expansion of pedestrian facilities to connect to the San Bruno Mountains.
6–10 yrs Low Parks Division
(P&R)
6 Action SA-39.1.3: Maintain “Button Property” as Open Space. Continue the previous General Plan policy to maintain the open space designation of the County of San Mateo’s “Button Property”, located on the northeast corner of Westborough Boulevard and Junipero Serra Boulevard. 6–10 yrs Low Planning
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-2.1.2: Support infrastructure improvements. Pursue infrastructure and placemaking improvements that enhance the functionality of industrial districts. 6–10 yrs Medium Planning Division (ECD)
• Engineering
Division (PW)
Economic
• Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
8 Action PE-2.6.4: Implement public realm improvements along South Airport Blvd. Implement infrastructure, placemaking, and safety investments to improve the pedestrian experience along South Airport Boulevard for visitors traveling between the South San Francisco Conference Center, hotels, and nearby businesses in East of 101 and Downtown South San Francisco.
6–10 yrs High Capital
Projects (CM)
• Engineering
Division (PW)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
9 Action MOB-2.2.2: Develop free bus and shuttle services for residents. Develop a dedicated funding source or leverage private sector contributions to fund the South City shuttle and free bus service for South City residents. 6–10 yrs High City Manager Finance Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
9 Action MOB-3.2.2: Incorporate new street connections. Incorporate new street connections to better distribute vehicle trips across South San Francisco’s street network, especially in the East of 101 Area (as illustrated in Figure 14 and Table 6).
6–10 yrs Medium Engineering
Division (PW)
Planning Division
(ECD)
9 Action MOB-5.1.1: Complete Rails to Trails project. Leverage public-private partnerships to complete the conversion of the City’s freight rail lines to multi-use trails. 6–10 yrs Medium Capital Projects (CM)
• Parks Division
(P&R)
• Engineering
Division (PW)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
9 Action MOB-5.1.2: Building bicycle boulevards and Slow Streets. Grow network of bicycle boulevards/ Slow Streets that prioritize direct access to recreation and active transportation within the city’s residential neighborhoods.
6–10 yrs Medium Engineering
Division (PW)
Planning Division
(ECD)
10 Action PR-6.1.2: Implement active transportation improvements to parks and open space. Implement new active transportation connections to the Centennial Way Trail, Colma Creek, and the San Francisco Bay Trail. 6–10 yrs Low Planning Division (ECD) • Parks Division
(P&R)
• Engineering
Division (PW)
• Capital
Projects (CM)
10 Action PR-6.1.3: Implement Centennial Trail Vision Plan. Implement the Centennial Trail Vision Plan. Seek opportunities to create more mid-block access to Centennial Way trail. 6–10 yrs Medium Parks Division (P&R) • Capital
Projects (CM)
• Engineering
Division (PW)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
10 Action PR-6.1.4: Develop Pacific Gas and Electric and Union Pacific trails. Partner with Pacific Gas & Electric and Union Pacific to reuse utility corridors and rail rights-of-way as trails. 6–10 yrs Low Parks Division (P&R)
• Engineering
Division (PW)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
• Capital
Projects (CM)
10 Action PR-7.7.3: Educate community on public art. Produce public art educational materials for each artwork in the City’s collection and make these available to the public. Detail the locations of public art installations in materials such as walking tour guideposts, physical markers, web-based maps, or podcasts. 6–10 yrs Medium Recreation
Division (P&R)
10 Action PR-9.2.1: Expand funding for universal preschool. Continue exploring possible funding to establish and maintain universal preschool or to establish universal preschool for lower-income families. 6–10 yrs High Recreation Division (P&R)
• City Manager
• Finance
424 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 425
OUR PLAN TO GET THERE 17
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
11 Action ECS-3.1.2: Expand internet connection. Offer free high-speed internet inside and outside City facilities, especially in disadvantaged communities. 6–10 yrs Low Information Technology • Facilities
Division (P&R)
• Library
• Maintenance
and Operations
Division (PW)
12 Action CHEJ-1.1.5: Explore healthcare public private partnerships. Explore innovative private and public partnerships to provide pharmacies and medical, dental, and mental health services in underserved areas like Downtown and in new residential areas of Lindenville and East of 101. 6–10 yrs Medium City Manager
Economic
Development and
Housing Division
(ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-1.1.7: Establish community paramedicine program. Explore the establishment of a community paramedic program to help identify residents who suffer from chronic illness and educate and connect them with appropriate healthcare services.
6–10 yrs Low City Manager Fire
12 Action CHEJ-2.1.3: Work with developers to provide a grocery store. Work with developers to bring a fullservice grocery store to Downtown or East of 101. 6–10 yrs High Economic
Development
and Housing
Division (ECD)
Planning Division
(ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-3.2.3: Transition the City's vehicle fleet to lower-emission fuel technologies. Transition the City’s vehicle fleet to lower-emission fuel technologies. 6–10 yrs High Maintenance
and
Operations
Division (PW)
Sustainability
(CM)
12 Action CHEJ-3.3.1: Explore incentives for pollution reduction. Explore opportunities for production, distribution, and warehousing uses in Lindenville and East of 101 to reduce pollution, such as greener trucks, energy efficient buildings, and other strategies.
6–10 yrs Low Sustainability
(CM)
Planning Division
(ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-6.1.2: Establish lead and asbestos removal program. In cooperation with San Mateo County and other regional agencies, establish a lead-based paint and asbestos removal program for affordable housing units built before 1980.
6–10 yrs Low Building
Division (ECD)
13 Action CR-1.2.2. Coordinate utility redundancy. Continue to work with regional water and energy agencies to ensure redundant water and energy supplies in case of an emergency 6–10 yrs Low City Manager Fire 13 Action CR-3.1.1: Implement Colma Creek adaptation pilot. Develop a program to work with public and private landowners to decrease the risk of flooding by implementing engineered and nature-based shoreline protection projects in coordination with watershed management projects that reduce and/or store runoff during rainfall events and improve the condition of the flood plain.
6–10 yrs Medium Sustainability
(CM)
• Parks Division
(P&R)
• Capital
Projects (CM)
• Engineering
Division (PW)
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
13 Action CR-6.2.1: Develop an early warning systems for heat and air quality. Develop early warning systems for heat and air quality alerts, in multiple languages and through culturally relevant media. 6–10 yrs Medium Fire City Manager 14 Action CP-3.1.4: Require installation of photovoltaic panels. Require installation of photovoltaic panels on multifamily and nonresidential new construction. 6–10 yrs Low Building Division (ECD) • Sustainability
(CM)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
15 Action ES-3.1.1: Implement Colma Creek interpretive signage. In coordination with the Flood and Resiliency District and other partners, incorporate interpretive signage that educate community members and visitors about the history and the unique biological resources around Colma Creek. 6–10 yrs Low Parks Division
(P&R)
15 Action ES-9.1.1: Explore the feasibility of a Downtown Historic Commercial District development. Explore the feasibility of establishing a Downtown South San Francisco Historical Commercial District to promote the revitalization and redevelopment of the area while supporting existing small business owners in the district from being displaced.
Medium Planning
Division (ECD)
10+ Years
Ch.
# Implementation Action Timeframe Priority Primary Responsibility Secondary
Responsibility
10 Action PR-6.1.1: Create Colma Creek trail. Create a trail along Colma Creek from the Bay Trail to Orange Memorial Park, incorporating lighting, public art, and native and high-value landscaping. 10+ yrs Medium Parks Division (P&R) • Engineering
Division (PW)
• Capital
Projects (CM)
• Planning
Division (ECD)
12 Action CHEJ-1.2.3: Develop pandemic preparedness plan. Work with San Mateo County Health and local jurisdictions to develop a local pandemic preparedness plan in case of future pandemics. 10+ yrs Low City Manager • Fire • Finance
426 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 427
GLOSSARY
A
SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN
Glossary A
APPENDICES
A
Active transportation
This is a non-motorized form of transportation, primarily made up of walking and bicycling.
Adaptation
Adaptation is an adjustment in natural or human
systems to a new or changing environment.
Affordability
Affordability refers to a household’s ability to pay for housing costs, where housing is commonly understood
to be affordable if households are paying less than 30% of their income towards housing costs
Anti-displacement
Strategies to reduce and stop the number of low-income
residents who are forced to move out of rental housing
units or cannot move into certain neighborhoods due to
economic or physical barriers.
Aquifer
A saturated area below the water table that stores
water underground.
Archaeological Resources
Archaeology is the study of artifacts and material culture with the aim of understanding human activities and
cultures in the past. Archaeological resources may be
associated with prehistoric indigenous cultures as well as historic periods.
B
Biodiversity
The biological variety of life in an ecosystem.
Biogas
Gases (usually methane and carbon dioxide) emitted
from organic materials, typically agricultural waste, food waste, or municipal waste. These gases are a type of
renewable energy source.
Bioswales
Channels designed to receive rainwater runoff and has
vegetation to capture water and remove pollutants
before releasing to a storm sewer. Bioswales can
also be designed for water to infiltrate and recharge
groundwater.
Bird safe design
Design choices that minimize the adverse effects
of new development & construction on native and
migratory birds.
Burial Sites and Cemeteries
Burial sites and cemeteries are formal or informal
locations where human remains have been interred.
C
Carbon farming
The practice of using agricultural methods to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and into the soil and crops.
Carbon neutrality
The balance between carbon emissions and carbon
absorption from the atmosphere.
Carbon sequestration
The process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Climate change
Climate change refers to changes in the average and/or the variability of temperature, rainfall, and extreme weather that persist for an extended period.
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
CERT is a volunteer-based organization that trains
individuals in emergency preparedness and basic disaster response techniques.
Community resilience
The ability of a group to prepare for, withstand, adapt, and recover from disruptions or harmful situations.
Community solar
A solar power project where the energy and benefits of
that project go towards multiple energy customers (e.g., individuals, businesses, nonprofits).
428 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 429
GLOSSARY A
C
Complete neighborhoods
Neighborhoods where residents can reach community
amenities (e.g., grocery stores and retail), transit, public facilities (e.g., parks and community centers) and services (e.g., health care and affordable childcare) within a
20-minute walk
Complete streets
A transportation strategy where streets are designed and operated to be safe and accessible to all people. This involves infrastructure improvements to public transportation
networks, sidewalks and trails, and bicycle networks, while also prioritizing historically disadvantaged communities.
Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL)
The average sound level in a 24-hour period derived from a variety of single-noise events, with weighting factors of 5 and 10 dBA applied to the evening (7 PM to 10 PM) and nighttime (10 PM to 7 AM) periods, respectively, to allow for the greater sensitivity to noise during these hours.
Cooling and warming center
An air-conditioned or heated public space hosted by the City that serves as a refuge during excessive heat and cold days.
Creative economy
"An economic sector that involves careers and activities at the intersection of arts, culture, and technology. The creative economy is made up of the businesses and individuals
involved in producing cultural, artistic, and design goods and services, as well as supportive organizations that provide artistic venues, education, and funding."
D
Decarbonized buildings
New or existing buildings that reduce the amount
of greenhouse gas emissions produced through the
implementation of efficiency upgrades. This includes
eliminating the use of fossil fuels within the building and can go as far as eliminating fossil fuels from the energy used to electrify the building.
Decibel (dB)
A unit used to express the relative intensity of a sound as it is heard by the human ear. The lowest volume a
normal ear can detect under laboratory conditions is 0
dB, the threshold of human hearing. Since the decibel
scale is logarithmic, 10 decibels are ten times more
intense, and 20 decibels are a hundred times more
intense, than 1 dB.
Decibels A (dBA)
The “A-weighted” scale for measuring sound in decibels, which weighs or reduces the effects of low and high
frequencies in order to simulate human hearing. Every
increase of 10 dBA doubles the perceived loudness even
though the noise is actually ten times more intense.
Density bonus incentive
This incentive-tool allows qualifying developers
to increase their development in allowed dwelling
units per acre, floor area ratio, or height, typically
in exchange for community benefits in the form of
funding or in-kind support.
Disadvantaged Communities
A disadvantaged community is defined as “a low-income
area that is disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and other hazards that can lead to negative
health effects, exposure, or environmental degradation.” Disaster
A natural, technological, or human-caused event that
results in deaths, injuries, property damage/loss, and/ or destruction resulting in serious disruptions and that exceeds the ability of local authorities to cope without outside assistance
Displacement
Displacement is the process through which households
and businesses are forced to leave their residence and/ or place of business in response to the economic and
social pressures of gentrification.
Distributed Energy Resources (DERs)
These resources are small, modular energy generation
and storage systems that provide electricity or energy
and can be connected or independent from the larger
electrical power grid.
Distributional equity
Strategies to fairly distribute resources, benefits, and burdens. Prioritize resources for communities that
experience the greatest inequities, disproportionate
impacts, and have the greatest unmet needs.
Dwelling units per acre (du/ac)
The number of dwelling units allowed on one acre of land.
Often used by cities to regulate allowed residential density.
E
Ecosystem
The collection of organisms and the natural elements
with which they interact.
Environmental Justice
Environmental justice is defined in California’s
Government Code (Section 65040.12(e)) as “the
fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and
incomes with respect to the development, adoption,
implementation, and enforcement of environmental
laws, regulations, and policies.”
Existing Building Electrification Plan
A strategy to electrify and eliminate natural gas use
from existing buildings.
F
Floor Area Ratio (FAR)
The development intensity of buildings can be
measured through floor area ratio (FAR), which divides
gross building area by lot area. A higher FAR indicates greater development intensity, or greater building
height and/or lot coverage.
G
Gentrification
Gentrification is the process of change that
neighborhoods experience when they begin to attract
new private and public investments.
Graywater
The water generated from buildings that is not
contaminated (e.g., sinks, dishwashers).
Graywater systems
This system collects domestic, uncontaminated
wastewater and reuses it for irrigation or toilet
flushing. Sources of graywater include sinks, showers,
washing machines, and dishwashers.
Green infrastructure
This type of infrastructure uses permeable surfaces,
vegetation, stormwater harvest systems, or
landscaping to capture and filter stormwater before
releasing water to the sewer system or surface
water sources.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
These are gases within the atmosphere that accelerate
the warming of the Earth and are released from human
activities that burn fossil fuels or from historic carbon sinks, such as melting permafrost.
H
Hazard
It is something that is potentially dangerous or harmful.
Hazard mitigation
Any action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term
risk to human life and property from hazards
Health in All Policies
“Health in All Policies (HiAP) is a collaborative approach to improving the health of all people by incorporating
health, equity, and sustainability considerations into
decision-making across sectors and policy areas.” HiAP
recognizes that health is influenced by many factors
beyond healthcare and, in many cases, beyond the
scope of traditional public health activities.
Healthy Communities
Healthy communities are places that foster positive
health outcomes for all who live, work, and play in
them. Good nutrition, physical activity, and access to
healthcare all influence health. However, health is also influenced by many other factors, including access to
economic opportunities, safe and sanitary housing,
high-quality education, and low exposure to pollution.
Historic Architectural Resources
Historic resources are those buildings, structures,
features, and landscapes that have reached a sufficient age (generally over 50 years) to be evaluated for their importance to the history of the city and eligibility
for inclusion in the California Register of Historic
Resources (CRHR).
430 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 431
GLOSSARY A
I
Impact Fee
A fee charged to a developer by the City according
to the proposed development project, typically by
number of units, square footage or acreage. The
fee is often used for City services and infrastructure
development such as schools, roads, police and fire
services, and parks.
Impervious
An impervious surface does not allow for the
infiltration of liquids. Impervious materials include
concrete, brick, and stone.
Infill
A pattern of construction that builds on unused or
underutilized parcels within an area that has preexisting development.
Innovation district
A neighborhood made up of employment-generating
technology companies and creative start-ups,
research-oriented institutions, and community
amenities for residents who live and/or work in that
neighborhood.
Invasive plants
These plants are non-native to the ecosystem being
examined, can spread quickly, and are likely to cause
harm to the ecosystem's native plant species.
K
King tide
Exceptionally high tides that typically occur during a
new or full moon.
L
LEED
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) green building rating system is used to evaluate the sustainable design strategies of new and
retrofitted projects.
M
Mobility
The movement from one place to another through one
or more modes of transportation.
Mobility hubs
Places where different travel networks (including
walking, biking, transit, and shared mobility) meet and provide convenient connections to destinations.
Multimodal
Having different types of travel options within a
transportation network.
Multi-layered cluster planting
This landscape design technique involves planting in
layered groupings so that tree canopy, shrubs, and
groundcover overlap and interconnect.
N
Native plants
These plants have adapted to their ecosystem or
region over hundreds of years and have a symbiotic
relationship with other native wildlife.
Naturally-Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH)
Existing residential units that have maintained
affordable costs for middle to lower income households.
Noise contour
A line connecting points of equal noise level as
measured on the same scale. Noise levels greater than
the 60 Ldn contour (measured in dBA) require noise
attenuation in residential development.
P
Permanent supportive housing
A housing strategy that pairs affordable housing
assistance with health and social services for
households experiencing homelessness.
Potable water
Drinking water that is safe to drink or use in the
preparation of food.
Procedural equity
Processes that are transparent, fair, and inclusive in
developing and implementing any program, plan, or
policy. They ensure that all people are treated openly
and fairly.
Promotores
Is the plural form of Promotor or Promotora. A
promotor is often referred to as a Community Health
Worker. Promotores are members of the community
who are involved in championing health and social
services in their own communities. They bridge
communities to tangible services, provide support and
peer education, and are fully vested in improving the
overall well-being of their community.
Public Safety Power Shutoffs
A preventative strategy used by utility companies when
extreme weather conditions could lead to their utility
system to ignite a fire.
R
Rainwater harvesting
The collection and storage of rain, where it is then
stored in a tank, cistern, or reservoir. This water can be used to recharge groundwater supply, treated and
used in buildings, or used for irrigation.
Reach code
A local building energy code that sets targets beyond
the state requirements for energy use or energy
efficiency.
Regional Housing Need Allocations (RHNA)
A projection of the total amount of housing units
needed over time to accommodate households at
different income levels within a city, county, or region.
Research and Development (R&D)
Innovative activities that work towards the
development of new - and improvement of existing -
products, processes, and services.
Resilience
Resilience is the ability of an individual, a
community, an organization, or a natural system
to prepare for disruptions, to adapt to changing
conditions, withstand and rapidly recover from
shocks and stresses, and to adapt and grow from
a disruptive experience.
Resilience Hubs
A centralized program that coordinates disaster
recovery planning, assistance, and supplies.
Retro-commissioning
The process of improving and retrofitting building
equipment and operation systems.
Risk
The potential for an adverse outcome assessed
as a function of hazards/threats, assets and their
vulnerabilities, and consequences.
432 SHAPE SSF: 2040 GENERAL PLAN 433
GLOSSARY A
S
Safe Routes to School
A strategy to promote walking and bicycling to
school for students and families. This program
is supported by infrastructure improvements,
education, and incentives.
Safety countermeasures
Actions meant to prevent collisions and injuries on
transportation networks.
Sea level rise
The increase in the level of the ocean due to the effects of global warming, such as the melting of glaciers and
ice sheets.
Senate Bill 1000 (Environmental Justice)
This bill requires cities and counties with
“disadvantaged communities” to develop an
Environmental Justice element, or related
environmental justice goals and policies, as part
of their general plans. The goal of SB 1000 is to
help identify and reduce risks in communities
disproportionately affected by environmental pollution
and other hazards that can lead to negative health
effects, exposure, or environmental degradation.
Sensitive receptors
Locations where occupants are more sensitive to noise
such as residential areas, hospitals, convalescent
homes and facilities, and schools.
Social equity
Social equity is when socioeconomic and
environmental factors (race, gender, income, place,
education) can no longer be used to predict life
outcomes and outcomes for all groups are improved.
These factors are not decided by an individual alone,
but by policies and laws that negatively impact certain communities. In the United States, race, income,
and wealth are connected, but when we hold income
constant, we still see inequalities across races.
These inequalities are apparent in education, jobs,
incarceration, health, and housing.
Sphere of Influence (SOI)
The planning boundary and service area of a city, as
determined by the Local Agency Formation Commission.
Structural equity
Structural equity strategies make a commitment to
correct past harms and prevent future unintended
consequences. They also address the underlying
structural and institutional systems that are the root
causes of social and racial inequities.
T
The Cortese List
The Hazardous Waste and Substances Sites (Cortese)
List is a planning document used by the State, local
agencies, and developers to comply with the California
Environmental Quality Act requirements in providing
information about the location of hazardous materials
release sites.
Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
Strategies and policies implemented to reduce the
amount of traffic and improve the efficiency and use of transportation services and options.
Tribal Cultural Resources
Tribal cultural resources include sites, features, places, or objects that are of cultural value to one or more
California Native American Tribes.
Trip cap
A limit on the number of vehicles that can enter a
specific area.
U
Universal preschool or pre-K
Publicly funded preschools that are available to
all families.
Urban ecology
The study of humans in cities, of wildlife & nature in
cities, and the relationship between humans & wildlife
in an urban context.
Urban forest
The collection of trees and vegetation within a city,
town, or suburb.
V
Vulnerability
A qualitative or quantitative expression of the level
to which an entity is susceptible to harm when it
experiences a hazard.
W
Walkability
The ability of a built environment - including sidewalks, spaces between buildings, and crosswalks - to
encourage pedestrian use and connectivity.
Watershed
An area of land that channels rainfall and snowmelt
through stream and rivers into a larger body of water
or waterway.
Wayfinding signage/stations
Individual or centralized signage designed to help
people navigate a space by providing relevant
information on nearby destinations, transit systems,
and more.
X
Xeriscaping
A form of landscaping that requires little or no irrigation.
Z
Zero waste
A closed loop system where the production,
consumption, reuse, and recovery of materials does
not impact natural resources or human health.
2040
GENERAL
PLAN