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Resolution making findings recommending adoption of an ordinance to approve a Development Agreement for the Southline Specific Plan, and recommending approval entitlements for Phase 1 of the Southline Specific Plan including a Vesting Tentative Map, Preliminary Transportation Demand Management Plan, Precise Plan, and Design Review for the construction of two office / Research & Development (R&D) buildings totaling 615,000 square feet (sq. ft.), one amenities building totaling 69,710 sq. ft., a parking garage containing 972 parking stalls, open space improvements, and on- and off-site transportation and infrastructure improvements.
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WHEREAS, Lane Partners (“Applicant”) has proposed to construct two six-story office / R&D buildings totaling 615,000 sq. ft., a three-story amenities building totaling 69,710 sq. ft., a five-story parking structure containing 972 parking stalls, a parklet, and circulation and infrastructure improvements on a 12.4-acre site, comprising Phase 1 of the Southline Specific Plan (“Project”); and,
WHEREAS, the proposed Project is located within the Southline Specific Plan area; and,
WHEREAS, the Applicant seeks approval of a Development Agreement for the Southline Specific Plan, and for Phase 1 entitlements including a Precise Plan, Design Review, Preliminary Transportation Demand Management Plan, and Vesting Tentative Map; and,
WHEREAS, approval of the Applicant’s proposal is considered a “project” for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act, Pub. Resources Code §21000, et seq. (“CEQA”); and,
WHEREAS, on June 2, 2022 the Planning Commission for the City of South San Francisco held a lawfully noticed public hearing to solicit public comment and consider the Southline Specific Plan Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”) and the proposed entitlements, take public testimony, and make a recommendation to the City Council on the project; and,
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission reviewed and carefully considered the information in the EIR, and by separate resolution, considered the Project’s environmental impacts and recommended that the City Council certify the EIR including adoption of a Statement of Overriding Considerations and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program; and
WHEREAS, the Design Review Board reviewed the project at its meetings of January 1, 2020, March 15, 2022, and April 19, 2022 and recommended approval of the project; and,
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission reviewed and carefully considered the requested entitlements at the duly noticed public hearing on June 2, 2022, and all related testimony and evidence presented in the record and during the hearing.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that based on the entirety of the record before it, which includes without limitation, the California Environmental Quality Act, Public Resources Code §21000, et seq. (“CEQA”) and the CEQA Guidelines, 14 California Code of Regulations §15000, et seq.; the South San Francisco General Plan and General Plan EIR; the South San Francisco Municipal Code; the Project applications; the Southline Phase 1 Precise Plan set, prepared by DES Architects, dated May 6, 2022, the Preliminary Transportation Demand Management Plan, as prepared by Kimley Horn Transportation Consultants, dated May 2022; the Phase 1 Vesting Tentative Map, prepared by BKF Engineers, dated May 15, 2022, the Southline Specific Plan, the Southline Specific Plan EIR, including the Draft and Final EIR and all appendices thereto; all site plans; and any other evidence (within the meaning of Public Resources Code §21080(e) and §21082.2), the Planning Commission of the City of South San Francisco hereby finds as follows:
SECTION 1 FINDINGS
A. General Findings
1. The foregoing recitals are true and correct and made a part of this Resolution.
2. The Exhibits attached to this Resolution, including Conditions of Project Approval (Exhibit A), Phase 1 Precise Plan Set (Exhibit B), and the Preliminary Transportation Demand Management Plan (Exhibit C), Vesting Tentative Map (Exhibit D), and Development Agreement (Exhibit E) are each incorporated by reference and made a part of this Resolution, as if set forth fully herein.
3. The documents and other material constituting the record for these proceedings are located at the Planning Division for the City of South San Francisco, 315 Maple Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080, and in the custody of the Planning Manager, Tony Rozzi.
By a separate resolution, the Planning Commission, exercising its independent judgment and analysis, has found that an EIR was prepared for the Project in accordance with CEQA, in which the EIR adequately discloses and analyzes the proposed Project’s potentially significant environmental impacts, its growth inducing impacts, and its cumulative impacts, and analyzed alternatives to the Project. For those impacts that could potentially exceed CEQA thresholds of significance, where feasible the City has identified and imposed mitigation measures that avoid or reduce the impact to a level of less-than-significant. The Planning Commission has further found that the benefits of approving the Project outweigh the Project’s significant and unavoidable impacts.
4. The proposed Project is consistent and compatible with all elements in the City of South San Francisco General Plan, as proposed for amendment, as it is consistent with the Office land use designation, and will help the City implement several broad General Plan goals, including but not limited to: maintaining a balanced land use program that provides opportunities for continued economic growth, and building intensities that reflect South San Francisco’s prominent inner bay location and excellent regional access.
5. The proposed Project is consistent with the standards and requirements of the City's Zoning Ordinance, as proposed to be amended to include the Southline Campus District. The development of the Project Site would result in the construction of approximately 2.8M gross sq. ft. of R&D / office and amenity space, and would meet minimum design standards.
6. The site is physically suitable for the type of development and density proposed, as the Project will benefit from being located in a transit-rich area and will redevelop underutilized sites, and the size of the office/ R&D campus is appropriate for the location and meets the City’s land use and zoning standards, as proposed to be amended to include the Southline Specific Plan.
B. Precise Plan
1. The Southline Phase 1 Precise Plan (attached as Exhibit B) is compatible with the intent and purpose of the Southline Specific Plan because the project has been designed include high-quality office and R&D uses, an amenity building serving the campus as well as providing public retail and commercial uses, an open space amenity to serve the project as well as residents proximate to the project site, and the Phase 1 Precise Plan will create a new east-west automobile connection, and will create improved pedestrian and bicycle connections to the San Bruno BART station.
2. The proposed development and/or construction standards of the Precise Plan are designed to achieve compliance with the development standards and design guidelines Specific Plan because the site layout and overall architecture will help shape the redevelopment and character of the area proximate to the San Bruno BART station with high quality, transit-oriented development, the overall Precise Plan FAR of 1.27 is consistent with the Southline Specific Plan development standards, and the proposed parking ratio of 1.65 spaces per 1,000 square feet is consistent with the Southline Specific Plan parking requirements.
3. The Precise Plan is consistent with the Southline Specific Plan and will fulfill all conditions of approval and mitigation measures, as well as contribute monetary responsibilities including childcare fees, park in-lieu fees, public safety fees, commercial linkage fees, community benefits contributions, and TDM reporting and monitoring requirements.
4. The Precise Plan is consistent with the City of South San Francisco General Plan, as proposed with minor amendments. The 1999 General Plan includes policies and programs that are designed to encourage the development of transit-oriented commercial development adjacent to the San Bruno BART Station. Additionally, the City is in the process of updating the General Plan (Shape SSF), and the Precise Plan is consistent with the Shape SSF Preferred Land Use Alternative.
C. Design Review
1. The Precise Plan, including Design Review, is consistent with Title 20 of the South San Francisco Municipal Code because the Project has been designed as a high quality R&D / office development, which will provide a pedestrian-friendly campus, on-site amenities, new bicycle and pedestrian connections to the San Bruno BART station, a new east-west roadway connection, publicly accessible open space amenities, and sustainable building and landscape design.
2. The Precise Plan, including Design Review, is consistent with the General Plan (as proposed with minor amendments) and the Southline Specific Plan, because the proposed R&D / office development is consistent with the policies and design direction provided in the South San Francisco General Plan Office land use designation by encouraging new office/R&D facilities with campus-serving amenities and connections to transit hubs.
3. The Precise Plan, including Design Review, is consistent with the applicable design guidelines adopted by the City Council in that the proposed Project is consistent with Design Guidelines, including the design and development standards outlined in the Southline Specific Plan.
4. The Project is consistent with the applicable design review criteria in South San Francisco Municipal Code Section 20.480.006 (“Design Review Criteria”) because the project has been evaluated by the Design Review Board on January 20, 2020, March 15, 2022, and April 19, 2022, and found to be consistent with each of the eight design review criteria included in the “Design Review Criteria” section of that code provision.
D. Transportation Demand Management Plan
1. The proposed trip reduction measures contained in the TDM Plan (attached as Exhibit C) are feasible and appropriate for the Precise Plan, considering the proposed use and the project’s location, size, and hours of operation. Appropriate and feasible measures have been included in the TDM Plan to achieve a projected 45 percent alternative mode usage, as required. The TDM Plan provides incentives for employees to use modes of transportation other than single-occupancy vehicle trips, such as secure bicycle storage, shower facilities, preferential parking for carpools and vanpools, and an on-site TDM manager, among others. The TDM Plan also uses a lower parking ratio to increase ridership on BART, Caltrain, and SamTrans. Further, two mobility hubs, as well as improved connections to shuttle stops, and improvements to bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure will help encourage alternative forms of transportation.
2. The proposed performance guarantees will ensure that the target 45 percent alternative mode use established for the Project by Chapter 20.400 will be achieved and maintained. Conditions of approval have been included to require that the Final TDM Plan, which must be submitted for review and approval prior to issuance of a building permit, shall outline the required process for on-going monitoring including annual surveys and triennial reports.
E. Vesting Tentative Parcel Map
1. The proposed vesting tentative parcel map, prepared by BKF Engineering and dated May 13, 2022, (Attached as Exhibit D) including the proposed designs and improvements, is consistent with the City’s General Plan (as proposed to be amended) and the Southline Specific Plan because the vesting tentative parcel map would facilitate the redevelopment of underutilized industrial parcels with transit-oriented office and R&D development, which would implement the goals of the General Plan and the Southline Specific Plan.
2. The proposed vesting tentative parcel map is consistent with the standards and requirements of the City’s Zoning Ordinance (as proposed to be amended) and with the provisions of the Southline Specific Plan.
3. The vesting tentative parcel map complies and meets all of the requirements of Title 19 of the South San Francisco Municipal Code (“Subdivisions”) and with the requirements of the State Subdivision Map Act.
4. The Project site is physically suitable for the type of development and density proposed, as the project will redevelop underutilized industrial parcels adjacent to the San Bruno BART and will improve vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle connections which is envisioned in the General Plan and Southline Specific Plan.
5. The vesting tentative parcel map is consistent with the analysis included Southline Specific Plan EIR, certified by separate resolution.
6. The design and improvements of the vesting tentative parcel map are not in conflict with any existing public easements.
7. The property is located in a developed, urban setting, and is not subject to a Williamson Act contract, on open space easement, a conservation easement, or an agricultural conservation easement. The surrounding land uses and resulting parcels would not support agricultural uses; the resulting parcels would result in mixed-use development not incidental to commercial agricultural use of the land.
E. Development Agreement
1. The Applicant and City have negotiated a Development Agreement pursuant to Government Code section 65864 et seq. The Development Agreement, attached hereto as Exhibit E, sets forth the duration, property, project criteria, and other required information identified in Government Code section 65865.2. The Development Agreement, as proposed, is consistent with the objectives, policies, general land uses and programs specified in the General Plan (as proposed with minor amendments) and the Southline Specific Plan, both of which envision a high-quality transit-oriented employment development adjacent to the San Bruno BART station that can revitalize underused parcels and create new circulation and infrastructure improvements. Further, the land uses, development standards, densities and intensities, buildings and structures proposed are compatible with the goals, policies, and land use designations established in the General Plan, as proposed with minor amendments, (see Gov’t Code, § 65860), and none of the land uses, development standards, densities and intensities, buildings and structures will operate to conflict with or impede achievement of the any of the goals, policies, or land use designations established in the General Plan.
2. The Development Agreement, as proposed, is compatible with the proposed high intensity, transit-oriented employment use and the regulations prescribed for the land use district (Office) in which the real property is located and complies with all applicable zoning, subdivision, and building regulations and with the guiding policies of the General Plan as proposed with minor amendments, and Southline Specific Plan.
3. The Development Agreement, as proposed, remains in conformity with public convenience, general welfare and good land use practice, since the project would provide adequate parking, conform to the height, density, and floor area ratio (FAR) standards set forth in the Zoning Ordinance as proposed to be amended, and confirm the land use goals of both the General Plan and the Southline Specific Plan that support redevelopment adjacent to the San Bruno BART station.
4. The Development Agreement, as proposed, will not adversely affect the orderly development of property or the preservation of property values since the project must conform to the City’s development standards, new circulation, open space, and infrastructure improvements are proposed that will enhance the existing City infrastructure in the area, the Project will not preclude similar development from occurring on adjacent parcels, and the Project will enhance property values since long-term underutilized parcels will be redeveloped.
SECTION 2 RECOMMENDATION
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that subject to the Conditions of Approval, attached as Exhibit A to this Resolution, the Planning Commission of the City of South San Francisco hereby makes the findings contained in this Resolution, and recommends that the City Council approve the entitlements request for Phase 1 of the Southline Specific Plan and adopt an ordinance to approve a Development Agreement.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its passage and adoption.