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Report regarding an update and seeking feedback in regards to the ongoing and developing Sign Hill Master Plan. (Joshua Richardson, Parks Division Manager)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council be apprised of the development of the Sign Hill Master Plan, and provide feedback.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
Towering over the City of South San Francisco, Sign Hill is the last true open space left in South San Francisco. Sign Hill is a foothill to the larger San Bruno Mountain, located just to the north of the city, with both being geologically and ecologically linked. In many ways the hill has stood as a testament to the enduring legacies of South San Francisco. It is home to the historic sign stating, "South San Francisco The Industrial City," which celebrates its centennial anniversary this year, and is also recognized as a registered national historic landmark. In a somewhat paradoxical manner, the hill proclaims the city as the industrial city, while itself being home to some of the rarest endangered endemic habitat left in California and the nation: Franciscan grassland.
Historically, much of the San Francisco Peninsula was covered in Franciscan grassland, but urban sprawl, cattle grazing, and invasive species encroachment has reduced this habitat type drastically. The City's Parks Division recognizes the importance of this critical habitat on Sign Hill which is home to two endangered butterfly species, the Callippe silverspot and Mission blue butterfly, as well as many rare native plants.
In 2018, the Parks Division received grant funding, totaling $75,600 over two years, from San Mateo County's Measure K to begin restoration of endangered habitats primarily focusing on the Mission blue butterfly. In the fall of 2019, this restoration program began and grew rapidly despite the COVID-19 pandemic starting in early 2020. In the first two years of the program, over two-hundred volunteers participated in restoration...
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