Millbrae City Council held a special meeting on June 10, 2025, to interview two candidates for two open four-year seats on the Millbrae Planning Commission, with terms scheduled to end June 30, 2029. The council interviewed Samuel Choi and Catherine Quig; each candidate was given about 20 minutes to answer questions from council members.

The interviews focused on land-use priorities for Millbrae, downtown and station-area plans, transportation and connectivity between the station area and the city’s West Side, strategies for housing affordability and density, permitting improvements, and potential conflicts of interest. Councilmembers said the council planned to take action on the appointment later in the evening under agenda item 13.

Samuel Choi, a planning commission applicant, said he favors mixed-use development to leverage Millbrae’s transit connections to BART, Caltrain and the airport, and stressed public engagement and adherence to city policy when reviewing projects. He described mixed-use as “the way to go” for Millbrae’s location and demographics and said the commission’s role is to provide a public forum and to ensure decisions comply with the general plan and public meeting requirements. Choi told the council, “It's an honor.” He said he would recuse himself from any airport-related project because he is employed by Saint John in San Francisco and said he regularly files a Form 700; he also supported implementing a digital permitting platform to streamline approvals.

Catherine Quig, a long-time Millbrae resident and planning commission applicant, said she is experienced with city projects and aims to balance new development and preservation. Quig emphasized careful, measured planning and said transportation and parking remain top concerns; she suggested improvements to pedestrian connections and said rising occupancy in transit-area buildings could help bridge the perceived disconnect between the Millbrae Station area and the West Side. Quig said, “I think planning is very important,” and described a permitting process she characterized as more user-friendly when it includes direct, personal communication between staff and applicants. She told the council she does not foresee conflicts of interest and said she avoids ex parte discussions about projects before they come to the commission.

Council members asked each candidate similar questions about how they would weigh personal preferences against standing city development standards, how to maintain neighborhood character while allowing density near transit, and what concrete permitting reforms they would support. Choi emphasized following city standards and facilitating community dialogue; Quig emphasized adherence to development standards while trying to mediate competing views and to keep projects moving from approval to construction.

No appointment or vote was taken during the interview portion of the special meeting; the council indicated it would return later in the evening to act on appointments (agenda item 13). The interviews were recorded for the city record and not televised.

Details from the interview session are on the public record; the council scheduled the appointment vote later the same evening.