Millbrae council accepts CBD plan with amendments, removes condo parcels from proposed assessment

Millbrae — The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to accept an informational report on a proposed Millbrae Downtown and El Camino Real Community Benefit District and to return an amended plan after several map and assessment changes requested by council members.

The council’s action, taken after a lengthy presentation by consultant Marco Lemandri of New City America and extensive public comment, directs staff to remove residential condominium parcels and some single-family parcels from the proposed assessment rolls and to shift several commercial properties from the lower-assessed Zone 2 into the higher-assessed Zone 1. Mayor Andrew Fung made the motion and Council Member Steven Rinaldi seconded it; the vote was 5-0.

The Community Benefit District (CBD) would levy an annual property assessment on parcels inside a defined boundary to fund sidewalk cleaning, public-space improvements, district identity/marketing and administration. Consultant Marco Lemandri told the council the petition phase requires signatures from property owners representing at least 30% by dollar amount of assessed parcels to trigger a community-wide ballot; the ballot itself is decided by a weighted, dollar-amount vote of the affected property owners.

Council members said they supported the concept but pressed for changes to reduce the burden on small residential owners. After back-and-forth about the draft map and assessment menu, the council directed staff and the consultant to exclude condominium parcels from the assessment and to remove single-family parcels on Hemlock Avenue and certain Park Boulevard/Park Place lots. Council also asked staff to reassign several high-footprint commercial properties — including…