Millbrae City Council interviews two applicants for planning commission; vote set for 7 p.m.

The Millbrae City Council on a special session Wednesday interviewed two applicants to fill openings on the city’s planning commission and scheduled a vote on the appointments for the council’s regular meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Mayor Holliber opened the session with roll call and explained the interview format: each council member would ask one question of each applicant and interviews would run about 20 minutes. The council heard from Amin Saran first and later from a second applicant introduced as Terrence; both described professional experience they said would inform planning decisions.

Amin Saran, who said he has lived in Millbrae for eight years and previously served on the city’s enhancements and beautification committee, emphasized technical familiarity with development review. “When I did my remodeling for my house, I did a drawing all by myself,” Saran said, adding that his engineering background helps him read project drawings and ask precise questions of applicants. He told the council he values “transparency” and “honesty” and said he would weigh competing interests by digging into details and considering neighborhood impacts.

Council members pressed Saran on practical priorities and vision. Council member Fan asked what Millbrae should look like in 10–20 years; Saran pointed to downtown redevelopment near the station and suggested incremental incentives — such as fee discounts for improved front-yard landscaping — to beautify streetscapes and encourage investment.

The second applicant, Terrence, described himself as a Bay Area native and as a landscape architect and watershed planner who works on projects for larger municipalities. He said he is drawn to Millbrae’s “sense of place” and walkability and advocated for public spaces, tree canopy expansion and transit-oriented development to support access and community gathering. “There’s a distinctive look and feel, especially of the older houses that have that character,” Terrence said when asked about balancing historic character with new development, adding that a balance is needed to preserve character while allowing modernization.

When asked whether he had active projects in Millbrae, Terrence said he did not and said he would recuse himself from any Millbrae project presenting a conflict: “If I were to be a commissioner, I would likely recuse myself of that project since there would be a potential conflict of interest,” he stated.

No appointments were made during the special-session interviews. Mayor Holliber said the council would take public comment and “eventually vote” on the applicants at the regular meeting beginning at 7:00 p.m. The council took a short break and resumed later for the evening session.

The council’s next procedural step is the public-comment period followed by discussion and a vote at the 7:00 p.m. regular meeting; the transcript ends with the break called so no formal appointment votes are recorded in this excerpt.