SFO planning manager briefs Millbrae council on Airport Development Plan; presentation informational only

San Francisco International Airport officials briefed the Millbrae City Council on their Airport Development Plan (ADP) during the Sept. 23 meeting, describing a package of terminal and landside projects intended to accommodate future passenger demand within the airport’s existing runway layout. Christopher de Parma, acting airport planning manager at San Francisco International Airport, told the council the presentation was “informational only.”

The ADP would add an all-airside boarding concourse (referred to in SFO materials as Boarding Area H) with multiple wide-body contact gates, redevelop the central garage into a multimodal center with consolidated bus and curb operations, expand a consolidated rental-car center and increase air-train capacity and maintenance storage. De Parma said the program is designed to match terminal and landside capacity to the airport’s existing runway system and “does not change runway configurations or flight paths.” He also said SFO projects are funded from airport sources and must meet federal funding rules, meaning the funding structure does not call on San Mateo County general revenues.

Why it matters: Millbrae sits adjacent to SFO and neighbors raised questions during and after the presentation about traffic staging, vehicle queuing on Millbrae Avenue, construction staging and noise. Council members pressed airport staff on how the ADP would affect ride-hailing (TNC) staging, property the airport uses near the BART station, and timing of environmental review and implementation triggers.

Key details from the presentation - Recent and forecast activity: De Parma said SFO handled about 52.3 million passengers in the most recent calendar year and that forecast growth could reach roughly 71 million annual passengers under the airport’s current runway geometry. He said the airport supports roughly 28,000 onsite jobs and generated about $6.1 billion in business revenue in the fiscal year cited in the presentation. (Figures were presented by SFO staff during the briefing.) - Headline projects: Boarding Area H (an all-airside concourse with new contact gates), redevelopment of the central garage into a multimodal center with a consolidated bus center, a larger consolidated rental-car center and expanded maintenance/storage for the all‑electric air-train. - Funding and scope: De Parma said the ADP “does not increase the airport’s property footprint, and it will not increase runway capacity.” He stressed the plan’s projects are triggered by demand and are funded within the airport enterprise in compliance with federal grant and funding rules. - Environmental review and schedule: De Parma said SFO issued a Notice of Preparation for an environmental impact report in 2019 and that the draft/final ADP documentation process dates back to prior planning steps; he said public hearings occurred earlier in 2025 and the airport is “hoping for adoption later this year.”

Questions from Millbrae officials - Ride-hailing and curbside congestion: Councilmember Ronaldi asked about rideshare staging and backups on Millbrae Avenue. De Parma said the ADP concept for a central hub includes a “ring” or additional lower-level curb that would create an additional curbside (a “third curbside”) and help relocate modes to reduce backups at the freeway ramps. To address ride‑hail staging, he described a virtual queuing system (similar to systems used elsewhere) that would prevent vehicles from approaching the airport until they have a guaranteed staging spot. - Millbrae property and Site 7: The vice mayor asked about airport-owned property behind the Millbrae BART station (referred to in public comment and the meeting as “Site 7”). De Parma said “no changes foreseen by the ADP” for that site. During public comment, resident Anne Schneider urged Millbrae officials to press SFO for mitigation related to Site 7, saying heavy construction staging there would damage local roads and increase noise and other impacts. - Technology and future modes: Councilmember Muñoz asked whether the ADP anticipates autonomous or robotic taxis (advanced air mobility, robo‑taxis). De Parma said the ADP was drafted before many of those technologies matured and does not specifically accommodate robo‑taxis, but the central hub’s flexible curb and ring road concept is intended to allow mode shifts over time. He also noted a limited automated vehicle pilot currently operating on SFO’s north side.

Public comment and concerns Anne Schneider, a Millbrae resident who said she previously served as the city’s airport roundtable representative, urged the council to press SFO on mitigation for Millbrae impacts, including construction staging on Site 7, and raised concerns about noise and sea‑level rise planning. Schneider said relevant EIRs have flagged “overriding considerations” affecting Millbrae and argued the city should seek stronger mitigations. Her remarks were part of the public-comment period following the informational presentation.

Where things stand The ADP presentation was informational; Council members did not take formal action on the ADP at the Sept. 23 meeting. De Parma and his SFO team said project implementation would be phased and triggered by observed demand (for example, recurring use of bus gates) and remain subject to environmental review and future approvals.

What to watch next SFO’s environmental review and any locally relevant mitigation or project staging agreements; city follow-ups on Site 7, ride‑hail queuing and potential traffic impacts on Millbrae Avenue; and future public hearings if and when the airport seeks formal approvals or permit decisions that would affect neighboring jurisdictions.