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San Bruno council authorizes CMFA BOLD application for Highlands development after debate over wage commitments
Summary
Council voted 5-0 to authorize a California Municipal Finance Authority (CMFA) BOLD financing application for the 58‑unit Highlands project, after labor union testimony asking for area-standard wages and developer and bond counsel answers on costs, repayment and prepayment options.
The City of San Bruno authorized staff to allow the California Municipal Finance Authority to accept an application from City Ventures for a BOLD program bond to finance part of the Highlands housing project, following a public hearing and council discussion.
Roscoe Mata, planning manager, summarized the request: the Highlands is a 58‑unit multifamily townhome project at Glenview Drive and San Bruno Avenue. The CMFA BOLD program would form a community facilities district (CFD) to finance development impact fees that will be assessed on future property owners; Mata emphasized the special assessment would not apply to income-restricted units in the project.
During public comment, Armando Murillo of Carpenters Local 217 urged the council not to authorize public financing unless contractors on the project commit to "area standard wages and benefits," saying public subsidies should go only to developers and contractors that provide family-supporting jobs. "If a developer wants to access special public financing, then the jobs created must be good family supporting jobs," Murillo said.
City Ventures representative Darien Denler described project milestones, saying site-improvement permits were pulled in May 2025 and vertical construction had begun on parts of the site. Bond counsel Dave Fama (Jones Hall) and the developer answered council questions about repayment and prepayment. The developer estimated gross development impact fees at approximately $2,300,000 and said the financing request would be about $1.8 million; Denler told council the annual line-item on a homeowner’s tax bill would be about $3,600. Bond counsel explained homeowners may prepay CFD obligations after they take title.
Council members asked whether CFDs are common in San Bruno; staff said CMFA financing for public improvements has been used previously for affordable housing projects but that CFD approval requires a city acknowledgement because the CMFA is a member agency. Several council members asked whether developers could be asked to commit to local wage agreements; the developer said it is open to proposals but could not commit on the spot.
After questions and limited public comment, Councilmember Hamilton moved to adopt the resolution authorizing the CMFA application as read by the city clerk; the motion passed unanimously, recorded as 5-0.
The council’s action authorizes the city to participate in the CMFA application process; it does not itself set contractor wage standards or change tax law. Any final bond issuance and project-specific homeowner assessments would be determined in subsequent proceedings.
