The Daily Journal (San Mateo County), Angela Swartz, 12/22/14. "Downtown draws new interest: South City infrastructure changes down the line, but new businesses coming to town now."
| Revitalizing South San Francisco downtown, whereas will Pacifica find a way to build a downtown. |
Rising home prices are causing great concern for residents in
general, Futrell said. Still, even if the city wasn’t working on plans
to revitalize downtown, housing prices would still be an issue. “If we are successful, it could cause property values to rise
even more,” he previously said. “We’re wrestling with that issue and we
don’t yet really have an answer to the rising rent crisis on the
Peninsula.” New housing would amount to 1,400 dwelling units as part of the
plan. There would be 800,000 square feet of commercial space, 21,000
square feet for industrial uses and 1.2 million square feet of new
office/research and development space." Read article.
Reference - City of South San Francisco, and Everything South City/Editor, 7/9/14, City of South San Francisco Press Release: "South San Francisco unveils proposed downtown plan." "South San Francisco’s proposed downtown plan embodies a community-based
vision for the downtown area of the City and will guide future
developments in portions of South San Francisco that lie within a
1/2-mile radius of the Caltrain Station. The plan incorporates elements
of the City’s General Plan, Climate Action Plan, Pedestrian Master Plan,
Caltrain Gateway Urban Design, Downtown Housing Focus Group, Downtown
Strategy, Housing Element Update, the Redevelopment Agency Five-Year
Implementation Plan, Citywide Zoning Ordinance Update and the Bicycle
Master Plan. The plan is funded by a grant from the Metropolitan
Transportation Commission. ... or more information about South San Francisco’s proposed Downtown Plan, please visit click here." Related - Search Fix Pacifica: "South San Francisco".
Note graphic: draft rendering of the proposed downtown from the Everything South City, South San Francisco Press Release.
Posted by Kathy Meeh
34 comments:
What happened to Pacifica's street scape. Oh, right the money disappeared.
Friends, Romans and Pacificans: Downtown revitalization you say? It's all about the library. Today I received this letter from Library Foundation:
"Dear Friends and Foundation Members: First the bad news: In 2015, the Sharp Park Library and Sanchez Library hours will be cut....The County library system pays for 60 hours of service a week in Pacifica. These hours must be shared between our two library buildings. For many years, the city and the county library paid for 14 extra hours a week. The city can no longer fund these hours. So what's the good news?The good news is that when Pacificans vote to build one modern library, it will be open seven days a week with longer hours each day......As we await Coastal Commission approval of our site at the corner of Palmetto and Montecito, and work towards bringing the library project to a vote, we ask for your support."
I hate to be a killjoy, but the One Library Strategy AT PALMETTO (Mary Ann Recusal Zone) which tastes bad to me, is very alive the well, much to the dismay of those who want to keep Sanchez Library open and preserve nearby library services serving over 50% of Pacificans living in Linda Mar and Park Pacifica. Major point I make is: The single library strategy is inappropriate for a geographically balkanized city such as Pacifica.
This Cramdown is not going to come easy for the palmetto palace proponents, and as one of the legions of advocates for two, three or even four modest sized libraries serving all parts of Pacifica, I hope you will join me in coming months to OPPOSE the One Library Strategy, $50 million dollar taj majal boondoggle that we cannot afford.... and instead SUPPORT REHAB, REVITALIZATION AND RENEWAL of both libraries. It's cheaper and more simple.
If necessary, a competing ballot measure can be developed to increase library hours and rehab the existing libraries, to give the voters a real choice.
I hope to see John Keener be a leader against the One Library Strategy, as he made campaign statements against closing Sanchez Library and building a new library at such a great cost on Palmetto.
Pacifica cannot afford a new library and it is unlikely to improve Palmetto on it's own, or be the much heralded magnet of new development on Palmetto it's made out to be. The residents of West Sharp Park have clearly stated that they do not want hotels, more housing, or franchised formula businesses on Palmetto. A new 50 million dollar library will only lead to gentrification, encouraging all of the above, and lead to the ultimate displacement of the many renters akin to what is happening now in San Francisco.
Remember too Mr. Keener, if you are reading this, that the Single Library Strategy places more cars on Highway One. It inconveniences Seniors, Youth and families. In this sense, keeping two libraries is an effective Highway One Widening Alternative, in addition to not widening! I think most Pacificans would rather backfill the lost hours, than build a library in an environmentally questionable location subject to climate change and sea level rise, let alone dubious coastal plan conformance.
649 Be of good cheer! Look on the bright side. Yes, the money has disappeared, and, it apparently came as a shock to our crackerjack council and staff, but at least the money wasn't wasted on their screwball plan to make a tiny section of funky Palmetto Pacifica's downtown. Dig down deep in that money pit on Beach Blvd and you might find a million of the missing bucks.
933 Yeah, that's a real lulu of a letter they sent out. So a new library on the OWWTP site would be open longer hours and 7 days a week. What bullshit! The library Tinfow built in WC struggles to stay open. Hours cut and constantly begging for money. BTW don't forget that library was built by a simple council vote after the bond measure was soundly defeated by the voters. I'd love to see Keener go to war on this one. He'd have a lot of support.
I believe a New State of the Art Library at the WWTP will be a success. I support it. I do not support multiple libraries that are outdated. Time to move into the 21st Century. SSF is littered with Gangbangers from third world countries. The area SSF is revitalizing will chase those gangbangers away and bring in nicer clientele. Grow up people.
The new library would be closer to the highway than the other two outdated library's. It will not bring more traffic into Pacifica. The old library is difficult to get to for seniors because of it's steep hillside. What a pain in the ass and the way it is pushed back into the homes it was never an ideal location. The sanchez library is way too small and can not accommodate all. Get with it people. If you want young people to read you need to keep up with the times and update the system. I voted for Keener because I don't want a fat highway, but if I hear he is against updating our Library I will not be happy with him for I never heard him say he was against a new library in the WWTP area. That place is such an ugly eyesore and I want it gone. I don't want hotels there. I would like to see a library, high end apartments and maybe a health food smoothie place, new City Council chambers and Chamber of Commerce office. This I will fight for. Stay out of our quarry. Fix our Highway. Build a new library.
People! On the OWWTP site I'd like to see a big transporter unit like Captain Kirk had. Beam you suckers who favor a new library right outta here. Take your smoothie with ya!
I like the previous comment to let the voters decide if they want A) new library or B) revitalize existing libraries. 8:32 is just crazy, because the new library site is across the street from the existing sharp park library, in fact is further away from the highway. Keener said he was against the new library, he wants to Save Sanchez Library, smart man, how can we help? look here people:
https://sites.google.com/site/johnkeenerforpacificacc/home/libraries
Love libraries, might even support a new one or two, but.....
NOT ON BEACH BOULEVARD!
How crazy do you have to be to tie up priceless ocean front urban property with a non-revenue producing development.
The current municipal storage/junk yard is embarrassing enough, let's not compound it by dealing away a tourist serving opportunity that could bring in desperately needed revenue and anchor a very nice walkable Olde Town just a block from the beach.
This is a perfect site for a pocket boutique hotel with conference amenities.
The library can replace Recology which should be relocated for obvious reasons.
Rumor has it Recology leased office space up in Serramonte Plaza. The new part with Sprouts Market.
They did however, miss out on taking over Daly City's Garage contract.
LMAO Mike Bell. How crazy? Just as crazy as the Nihart/Stone council that poured buckets of money into those plans. Just like the previous bad old hippie council.
Can't help thinking somewhere in city hall a plan is being hatched to bypass a public bond vote and use council approval to build that library. Walnut Creek did it. Who needs millions in TOT and visitor dollars from a hotel and public plaza with shops? Not us!
I think that going against the will of the people and bypassing the voters a la Tinfow's Walnut Creek modus operandi is easily grounds for a Recall. Just saying, let me know if you agree or not.
After reading the letter the California Coastal Commission sent the Planning department in regards to the Beach Blvd. Property I have my doubts that any economically feasible project will be built there.
1. They want an increase in the open space area
2. They want the number of houses reduced (15-52 instead of 80)
3. they want the house built for low and moderate income levels.(given the cost of material that can survive the coastal environment not a good cost to return ratio.)
4. they want the hotel to be priced more to the moderate end of the income spectrum.
Add up all the limiting changes an you come up with a project that will be a hard sell to any developer.
Casper, at the risk of starting a shit storm, IMHO, recalls in Pacifica wither and die. The process tainted and ruined by notoriety. Better you, as a ghost, should haunt City Hall. I'm reading up on Voodoo. Pins, dolls, chickens. Keener could be the hero. An unlikely political phenom, but look where he is.
402 Who's to say what the will of the people is? And, do you really think our politicians care? We're talking legacy. It's like catnip. In WC, council went ahead after the bond measure was defeated. They claimed funds had become available and no bond was required, and, therefore, council had the power to decide to build or not to build. If creative financing became available, ie, not a bond, I don't think anyone could stop this. Skip the vote, finance creatively, cut the ribbon. Just my opinion.
Exactly, Tom. Can't make the bucks, why would anyone build it? CCC would like a simple hostel and lots of public space, and a little affordable oceanfront housing. Too bad the city has committed to this library fiasco. Spent maybe a million bucks on two sets of plans drawn up over the last decade. CCC might go for a moderate priced hotel of 150-200 rooms surrounded by some sort of public plaza and nothing else on the parcel. Even at a nightly rate of $200 and 70% occ 150 rms would bring Pacifica about a million dollars yearly in TOT alone. Plus other revenue and jobs. That's double the most optimistic revenue projection this council has given for their hare-brained project. Compare it to the lousy $75K share of property tax this city will get from a fully built Harmony. Oh, WTH, it'll fill with sea water before Pacifica makes a dime.
Just to be clear the C.C.C. did not rule out the library.
No one wants to invest money into a parcel with the ugly poop pump plant in the corner.
Think about it.
The single library strategy is inappropriate for a geographically balkanized city such as Pacifica
People MIGHT vote for a bond if it were to renovate our existing two libraries. I'm not even sure about that, but there's no way in hell a fancy new non revenue producing library is getting built at the WWTP on the back of P Town taxpayers. No. Way.
@8:17 wrote: "The single library strategy is inappropriate for a geographically balkanized city such as Pacifica"
Maybe, but the problem is that that's what the funding is for a city of our size. That's why we have two libraries that are each only open about half the time, in buildings that no longer meet our needs and with duplication of everything - books available, staffing, etc. You might not like the idea of a single library, but it would be a far, far better library than either of the ones we have now, and it's what we can afford. We need to break away from the Pacifica disease of letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Someone help 934. Poor thing is trapped under the Dome of Stupid that descends over this town when our wants are mistaken for our needs and we forget we
can't even pay for what we have.
New Year prediction. Pacificans snooze through the slow, quiet demise of any revenue producing project at Beach Blvd. Brilliant financing scheme found for a new library. We don't need no stinkin' bond. Various careers receive incredible boosts!
2020 New library opens. Very briefly.
I love that phrase "geographically balkanized". Brilliantly descriptive of
a problem the one-library crowd chooses to ignore.
Somehow, other local "geographically balkanized" communities like Belmont and Millbrae do just fine with one modern library.
I think the council should be polled, as a lithmus test, on their views of Sanchez library closure. Will Mike O'neill and Karen be able to answer angry neighbors who do not want to see sanchez close? This will be an opportunity for Karen to show independence from Mary Ann. We need to write to and encourage John Keener not to abandon his views on keeping sanchez open.
Balkanization, or Balkanisation, is a geopolitical term, originally used to describe the process of fragmentation or division of a region or state into smaller regions or states that are often hostile or non-cooperative with one another.
I want to know where Tinfoil is finding all this money. First she hires an assistant city manager now she hires Barney Fife code enforcement officer.
Btw did they ever find the "unaccounted for" 4 million bucks.
For now, I think Tinfow is on the right track. Bringing city staff to effective and efficient levels is a good idea. But if she doesn't hire a qualified accounting staff asap, I question the hiring of admin staff to make her job easier, the organization larger and her resume more impressive. I'd also be very suspicious about the 4 million, the facts about it and the timing of the reveal. Was the audit done? What are the findings? Basically, there is no trust.
12:41
You still believe in Santa Claus also?
Do you know she left Walnut Creek due to scandal right?
129, give it a rest, and do some research (we've been here before). No personal "scandal" stuck to Lorie Tinfow period. And this city manager is a great, needed asset. So, let's support her effort.
And next time sign your name to such stupidity, so we know who we're dealing with. The city council at the time of Lorie Tinfow's hire chose well, kudos to them!
I don't see Ms. Tinfow staying on very long, she's gonna be a short timer. Why? She has not moved here yet. How long is that housing allowance going to on for?. For perpetuity? That is money that could be going to the Resource Center to feed the hungry. As far as Pacifica goes, Lorie Tinfow demonstrates a fear of committment. Maybe she does not have confidence or comfort. I'm underwhelmed by her performance. The communication plan was laughable, just look at the blowback on Harmony.
I've seen it happen before with part-time Councils and charismatic city managers who spoon feed them everything they think they need to know. They learn to trust and love their city managers and get a little too cozy with them. Vreeland and Stone did vigorous jobs managing the city manager. Wonder who on the council is on Tinfow's back now, if anyone. Council manager manages City manager, or City manager manages Council. The latter, and not the former.
216, 129 well let's see, in one year Lorie Tinfow has managed to initiate closing loopholes in the city budget, initiate a forensic audit, and establish a more accountable budget system. And she has overseen dealing with the city financial shortfall, refinancing city loans at a lower rate.
Lori Tinfow and staff are in the process of creating a new personnel infrastructure with guidelines and accountability, advancing needed city economic development. An Assistant City Manager has been hired, and an Economic Development Manager will be hired.
Much of your comment smacks of NIMBY fiction, as if a "cozy relationship" with fixing the city is questionable (ha); equating Len Stone with Jim Vreeland (ha, ha); equating the city manager's contractual "housing allowance" with the city NGO Resource Center commitment (even "feeding the hungry") is just weird.
Who knows what your comments represent. You say you are "underwhelmed" by Tinfow's performance, but again, there is no substance to support that comment as credible. And is "fear of commitment" something like posting blog comment confusion under an anonymous pseudonym? I think so.
The good news is that Lorie Tinfow is smart, knows her business and has powerful reasons to do a good job in Pacifica. That WC mess was not her fault, she acted correctly in it. Nonetheless, by association it's not good for the old career. To her credit, she moved up to the CM role, albeit here in notorious Pacifica. Nihart and Stone must have swooned when they learned she got a library built even after the voters rejected the bond measure. Right place, right time for Tinfow. That library skill set may come to naught in Pacifica, but she's already got credit for being in charge when council decided to reveal their four million dollar deficiency. Council gets to claim their new hire is a stellar upgrade who will straighten out everything and the new hire gets a nice line on her resume. And Pacifica snoozes. It's beautiful, really.
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