Hearing officer approves two bridges on Save the Redwoods League property to improve fire access

SAN MATEO COUNTY — The county’s zoning hearing officer on Jan. 15 adopted a mitigated negative declaration and approved permits to replace one bridge and build a new suspension bridge across Peters Creek on land owned by Save the Redwoods League, saying the project meets county planning and grading standards and includes mitigation measures agreed with state wildlife reviewers.

Summer Burleson, a project planner with San Mateo County Planning and Building, told the hearing officer the project seeks a Timberland Preserve Permit, a Resource Management Permit and a grading permit for work on two parcels on Slate Creek Road in the South Skyline area (county file PLN2022-00068). Burleson said staff reviewed applicable General Plan policies and the RM and TPZ zoning regulations and determined the project conforms with the county’s standards. An initial study and mitigated negative declaration was circulated in October 2022 and revised in February 2025 following consultations with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).

Burleson summarized the scope: about 1,563 cubic yards of grading and the removal of 14 trees, ranging from roughly 5 inches to 13.5 inches in diameter, of tanoak, redwood, California laurel and bigleaf maple. She described the site as part of roughly 177 acres managed by Save the Redwoods League near Portola Redwoods State Park and said the lower bridge would replace an existing old railroad flatcar bridge with a roughly 50-foot clear-span structure about 11.5 feet wide, while the proposed upper bridge would be a suspension bridge roughly 100 feet long and just under 9 feet wide.

Burleson explained that temporary water diversions, designated staging areas and a short roadway widening to 12 feet for equipment would be required, and that each bridge is expected to take about two to three months to construct, with the replacement bridge built first to provide access for the upstream work. Under the county’s protected-tree ordinance and because the project is not within a scenic corridor and the trees proposed for removal are under 55 inches in circumference, the tree removals were incorporated into the project review rather than handled through separate tree-permit procedures.

Burleson also described CDFW’s review. She said CDFW requested additional bridge-design details and raised concerns about potential effects on the marbled murrelet, a state- and federally listed species. Staff and the applicant’s biologists consulted with CDFW, revised avoidance and mitigation measures, and staff reported that CDFW concurred that the revised measures provide equivalent or improved mitigation and that recirculation of the environmental document was not required.

Anthony Castanos, senior land stewardship manager for Save the Redwoods League, spoke as the project proponent. "These bridges will improve access both with our property so that we could do critical fuels management on-site," Castanos said, adding access would also aid fuels work in the adjacent Portola Redwoods State Park.

After confirming the applicant had read and accepted the recommended conditions of approval, the auxiliary hearing officer announced his decision to adopt the mitigated negative declaration and approve the Timberland Preserve Permit, Resource Management Permit and grading permit for county file PLN2022-00068. The hearing officer said anyone wishing to appeal must file by Jan. 30, 2026, and noted the appeal fee is $1,962.

The permits authorize the described grading, tree removals and bridge construction subject to the conditions attached to the staff report and the mitigation measures adopted in the revised environmental document. No vote tally was recorded; the approval was issued by the hearing officer’s decision. The appeal period remains the next procedural step for any party wishing to contest the decision.