Title
Report regarding consideration of an application for Design Review and Sign Permit to construct a new South San Francisco Fire Station 63 at 71 Camaritas Avenue in the T5C Zoning District in accordance with Title 20 of the South San Francisco Municipal Code (SSFMC) and determination that the Project is consistent with the 2011 El Camino Real/Chestnut Avenue Area Plan Final Environmental Impact Report (ECR/C FEIR) and no additional environmental document is required per California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15183. (Victoria Kim, Senior Planner)
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MOTION TO ADOPT STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Move to adopt the resolution making a CEQA determination; and
2. Move to adopt the resolution approving the entitlements for the Project subject to the attached draft Findings and draft Conditions of Approval.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Staff recommend that the Planning Commission conduct a public hearing and take the following actions:
1. Adopt a resolution making findings and determining that the Project is consistent with the 2011 El Camino Real/Chestnut Avenue Area Plan Final Environmental Impact Report (ECR/C FEIR), and no further environmental review is required pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15183; and
2. Adopt a resolution making findings and approving the entitlement request for Project (P25-0116) including the Design Review (DR25-0022) and Sign Permit (SIGNS26-0003), subject to the Draft Findings and Draft Conditions of Approval.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
As part of the third phase of the Community Civic Campus project, a new Fire Station 63 is proposed at 71 Camaritas Avenue in South San Francisco, California. Fire Station 63 is currently housed in the Municipal Services Building (MSB), and the proposed new facility will allow for an upgraded and modernized facility in order to provide critical public safety services for the City of South San Francisco (City).
The Civic Campus project contains the Community Civic Campus consisting of a library and recreation & wellness center (LPR), a new police station, and 6.5 acres for outdoor public use and parking, in addition to the new fire station. Originally, the fire station was planned for construction concurrently with the other components of the project but was postponed. The LPR and police station create a distinct, high-profile civic presence at the intersection of El Camino Real and Chestnut Avenue (one block from the fire station project site). The new Fire Station 63 will add to the civic presence of the other two buildings and complete the vision for the Civic Campus project.
Site Overview
The project site is an L-shaped, 46,687 square-foot (sq. ft.) (1.07 acre) property surrounded by Camaritas Avenue to the northeast, Arroyo Drive to the northwest and Westborough Boulevard to the southeast. There is an existing one-story restaurant building on the subject site, with parking and landscaping. The current parking access is primarily from Camaritas Avenue with two driveways and an encircling one-way drive. The project property is surrounded by commercial buildings (north and east), multi-family and single-family housing (west), and the California Golf Club of San Francisco (south), on the other side of Westborough Boulevard.
The site includes two easements: a utility easement maintained by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), and a stormwater easement. The easements run parallel to each other and cross on the southern portion of the site. Site access from the Westborough Boulevard side will be reserved and restricted for the SFPUC. Construction over the easements is not permitted, and the project building will be built outside of the easements and situated on the northeast corner of the parcel, mainly facing Camaritas Avenue.
Entitlements Request
• Design Review
• Sign Permit
• CEQA Determination
Proposed Project
The City proposes to demolish the existing restaurant building on the site and construct a 10,150-sq. ft. fire station with an attached fire apparatus bay support space (see Exhibit 2 to the Associated Entitlements Resolution, Project Plans). The fire apparatus bay area is designed to have enough space for a variety of equipment with three-bay wide and two-deep drive-through bays and storage rooms for personal protective and medical equipment on the west side first floor, within a double-height space. Additionally, the apparatus space includes an equipment cleaning room, and a combined area for a maintenance shop and a self-contained breathing apparatus fill station.
The firehouse will be attached to the apparatus bay, and will consist of two stories with offices and administrative and public spaces (lobby, public restroom, watch room, and captain’s office) on the first floor and a day room, dining and kitchen, study room, six double dorms, and three single bathrooms on the second floor. The first floor will also feature an antique fire engine display room at the northeast corner of the building, facing Westborough Boulevard. Outdoor space for the fire station will accommodate operations, maintenance, and training for the fire department personnel, along with an outdoor exercise patio.
ZONING CONSISTENCY
Form-Based Zoning
The project site is located in the T5 Corridor (T5C) Zoning District, and the proposed Fire Station 63 as a public safety facility is a permitted use in the T5C Zoning District, pursuant to SSFMC Chapter 20.135 (Form-Based Zoning Districts). The Project development would be compliant with the following development standards, pursuant to SSFMC Section 20.135.020.I (Development Standards - T5 Corridor Zoning District).
Table 1. Project Compliance with T5C Zoning District Development Standards
Building Type - Flex Low-Rise
To meet the City’s vision for a walkable mixed-use area near transit and intent of the form-based, transect zoning districts, the Project complies with the building type development standards for Flex Low-Rise, pursuant to SSFMC Section 20.135.030.I (Development Standards - Flex Low-Rise).
Table 2. Project Compliance with Flex Low-Rise Development Standards
Site and Building Design Standards
The Project is proposed as a double-height single-story apparatus bay attached to a two-story firehouse building. The site will have nine surface parking spaces, including five EV charging stations and two accessible parking spaces. There will be one ingress driveway from Arroyo Drive and two egress driveways along Camaritas Avenue. The total building height is 26 feet with a circular mechanical screen on the roof, which is less than the maximum allowable building height of 85 feet in the T5C Zoning District.
The Project will have six different building materials (metal panel, perforated metal screen, terracotta panels, glass, aluminum storefront, and 4-fold door coating), compliant with SSFMC Chapter 20.310 (Site and Building Design Standards). The block walls near Camaritas Avenue and on Westborough Boulevard will have a honed finish, a smooth surface with exposed aggregate to add color variation and interest per SSFMC Section 20.300.006.D (Materials Standards - Fences, Walls, and Hedge). The Project has been designed to comply with SSFMC Chapter 20.135 (Form-Based Zoning Districts) for the T5C Zoning District and as a public safety facility, is designed to remain operational after a major seismic event.
Signs
The Project contains five different sign types: monument (35 sq. ft.), wall-mounted (140 sq. ft.), awning and canopy (19 sq. ft.), regulatory (14 sq. ft.), and window (3 sq. ft.) signs. The total area of the proposed signs will be approximately 210 sq. ft. and a sign permit (SIGNS26-0003) application has been submitted, pursuant to SSFMC Chapter 20.360 (Signs). The signage proposal is included in the Project Plan set.
Landscaping and Open Space
Pursuant to SSFMC Section 20.135.050 (Public Open Space Types - Form-Based Zoning Districts), all new development projects less than three acres in lot size are required to provide a minimum of one public open space type. The Project will have two public open space types, a pocket park and a greenway of publicly accessible open spaces, approximately 25% of the total proposed landscaping area (8,099 square feet). The large pocket parks with coastal live oak trees would be in front of the main pedestrian entrance to the fire station building next to Camaritas Avenue, and these open spaces will help bring in native birds, especially hummingbirds. The greenway open spaces, which can be accessed from Arroyo Drive, are proposed to have various planting palettes in the flower drifts of the meadow, and they will also attract local birds and butterflies. Approximately 961-square-foot bioretention areas will collect and treat stormwater from the site and comply with C.3 requirements of the Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit per Water Quality Control’s conditions (Ref. Associated Entitlements Resolution, Exhibit 1).
Site Access and Parking
The proposed development is a little bit more than a half mile (0.65 mile) to the South San Francisco BART Station and less than a quarter mile (0.05 mile) to the nearest a fixed-route bus. The fire station will have nine surface parking spaces with two accessible stalls and five EV-charging spaces for fire department staff and visitors. All the personal and emergency vehicles have access to site from Arroyo Drive, and all the vehicles will egress on driveways to Camaritas Avenue.
A minimum of four short-term bicycle parking spaces is required for all uses in the public land use classification and long-term bicycle parking, in an amount equivalent to at least five percent of vehicular spaces, shall be provided per SSFMC Section 20.330.007 (Bicycle Parking). Therefore, one long-term bicycle parking space next to the south accessible parking stall with a secure bike locker and four short-term bicycle parking spaces (two feet in width and six feet in length) at the main pedestrian entrance on the ground level are proposed on the project site.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
The project site has a General Plan land use designation of Medium Density Mixed Use in the El Camino Real sub-area. The designation is intended for a mix of land uses, including commercial, office, residential uses, and public spaces serving both surrounding neighborhoods and visitors. As proposed, Fire Station 63 will provide public-safety and emergency services with ancillary living, dining, and sleeping facilities. The proposed Project is compatible with the General Plan and following guiding principles, policies, and goals:
• Guiding Principle: Provide high quality and accessible services, facilities, and amenities for residents at all stages of their lives.
• Policy LU-1.4: Maintain and expand public facilities and services.
• GOAL LU-8: A network of attractive, pedestrian-oriented, human-scale and well-landscaped streets and civic spaces throughout the city for all ages and abilities.
• Policy LU-8.4: Require street trees. Require new development to add street trees along streets
• and public spaces that provide shade, attractive landscaping, and contribute positively towards
• public health outcomes and climate mitigation and adaptation.
• GOAL LU-9: High level of quality in architecture and site design in all renovation and construction of buildings.
• Policy LU-9.5: Orient buildings to public spaces.
• Policy SA-15.1: Continue the Community Civic Campus. Continue developing the Community Civic Campus with institutional uses and public spaces.
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
The Design Review Board (DRB) reviewed the proposed Project on April 21, 2026, and supported the project design and provided recommendations for landscaping. The Board appreciated the high quality architectural and landscape design and appreciated how the building fits well with the constraints of the parcel. The Project will incorporate all the recommendations that can be found in the DRB recommendation letter (Ref. Associated Entitlements Resolution, Attachment 4).
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
In 2011, the City adopted the El Camino Real/Chestnut (ECR/C) Area Plan, covering 98 acres along El Camino Real from Southwood Drive to north of Sequoia Avenue, and published the El Camino Real/Chestnut Avenue Area Plan Final Environmental Impact Report (ECR/C FEIR) (State Clearinghouse #2010072015). A new General Plan was adopted in 2022 updating the site designation to Medium Density Mixed Use and the zoning to T5 Corridor (T5C). It is important to note that the proposed project is a permitted use under both the ECR/C Area Plan and 2022 General Plan designation and zoning. Furthermore, the proposed project is consistent with the development density of both ther ECR/C Area Plan and 2022 General Plan, and this particular use has always been permitted under both the ECR/C Area Plan and 2022 General Plan. The City made this determination with the assistance of FirstCarbon Solution, in its preparation of a Consistency Checklist that evaluates the potential impacts of the Project against the impacts identified in the ECR/C FEIR and concludes that the Project is consistent with the analysis of the ECR/C FEIR and qualifies for an exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per CEQA Guidelines Section 15183 (Ref. Associated CEQA Resolution, Exhibit 1). The exemption included in CEQA Guidelines Section 15183 provides that projects which are consistent with the development density established by existing zoning, community plan, or general plan policies for which an EIR was certified shall not require additional environmental review except as might be necessary to examine whether there are project-specific significant effects which are peculiar to the project site. As such, tiering off the ECR/C FEIR is appropriate and CEQA Guidelines Section 15183 is applicable.
The Checklist includes the following supporting technical analyses:
• Summary Table from ECR/C FEIR
• Air Quality, Greenhouse Gas, and Energy Supporting Information
• Biological Resources Supporting Information
• Cultural Resources Supporting Information
• Geology and Soils Supporting Information
• Hazards and Hazardous Materials Supporting Information
• Noise Impact Analysis
• Trip Generation and VMT Assessment
The Consistency Checklist provides substantial evidence that the Project is within the scope of the ECR/C FEIR. Therefore, the project would not have significant impacts on the environment and no subsequent environmental review is required and is eligible for CEQA streamlining per CEQA Guideline Section 15183, consistent with City Zoning and the General Plan.
IMPACT FEES
Impact fees are applied to all new residential and non-residential development, except the fees will not apply to any development projects undertaken by the City or any public or semi-public development in accordance with City Ordinances adopting impact fees. Fire Station 63 is a City project to construct a new public safety facility. Therefore, impact fees will not apply for the Project.
CONCLUSION
The proposed replacement Fire Station 63 is planned as the third phase of Community Civic Campus and will provide modern and safe infrastructure for public safety. The Project complies with General Plan goals and policies and the City’s Zoning Ordinance development standards. Thus, staff recommends that the Planning Commission take the following actions:
1. Adopt a resolution making findings and determining that the Project is consistent with the 2011 El Camino Real/Chestnut Avenue Area Plan Final Environmental Impact Report (ECR/C FEIR), and no further environmental review is required pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15183; and
2. Adopt a resolution making findings and approving the entitlement request for Project (P25-0116) including the Design Review (DR25-0022) and Sign Permit (SIGNS26-0003), subject to the Findings and Conditions of Approval.
Exhibits to Associated CEQA Resolution (File ID#26-1906)
1. 2011 El Camino Real/Chestnut Avenue Are Plan FEIR (weblinks)
2. CEQA Consistency Checklist
A. Summary Table from ECR/C FEIR
B. Air Quality, Greenhouse Gas, and Energy Supporting Information
C. Biological Resources Supporting Information
D. Cultural Resources Supporting Information
E. Geology and Soils Supporting Information
F. Hazards and Hazardous Materials Supporting Information
G. Noise Impact Analysis
H. Trip Generation and VMT Assessment
Exhibits to Associated Entitlements Resolution (File ID#26-1907)
1. Conditions of Approval
2. Project Plans
3. Project Description
4. Design Review Board Letter