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Millbrae neighbors say SF Water sale of adjacent parcels would harm homes; PUC staff say issue not on the agenda
Summary
Millbrae residents told the SFPUC that three SF Water parcels adjacent to their properties have been advertised for sale without notice, disrupting households who say they have used the land under permits since the 1950s and asked the Commission to consider leases instead of sales; City Attorney's Office said the matter is not agendized and staff can follow up offline.
Neighbors from Millbrae told the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission they were blindsided by the advertised sale of three SF Water parcels next to their homes and asked the Commission to pause sales and negotiate leases or permits.
Sumanth Ranji, speaking with his wife Usha and on behalf of five neighbors, said the parcels are integrated with adjacent yards and have been permitted for neighborhood use since 1956. “The land is now being advertised for sale, to developers, and ‘for sale’ signs have been put up on the land, which is causing us a lot of inconveniences,” Ranji said. He told commissioners the neighbors received no prior notice from SF Water and only learned of the sale from a real estate agent.
Ranji asked the Commission to remove the parcels from sale and allow the neighbors to negotiate a lease or permit. He said he and his neighbors possess copies of long‑standing permits and that development of the sites — which they were told contain Hetch Hetchy pipes — would put development uncomfortably close to their homes.
City Attorney’s Office representative Nori (Nori Namro) told the podium the matter is not calendared for closed session and cannot be discussed on the record at the meeting because it is not an agendized item, but offered that the Office and staff can follow up with the general manager to explore next steps.
The Commission did not take action on the sale at the meeting; staff noted they would follow up with the residents outside the public meeting process.
