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San Bruno council adopts intent to override airport panel for 44-acre Tanfran redevelopment
Summary
The City Council voted unanimously (4-0; mayor recused) to adopt a resolution of intent to override the Airport Land Use Commission's determination that the proposed 44-acre Tanfran redevelopment is inconsistent with airport land-use rules, launching a 30-day comment period before a final override hearing.
The San Bruno City Council on Sept. 23 adopted a resolution of intent to override the Airport Land Use Commission's finding that the proposed 44-acre Tanfran redevelopment is inconsistent with the ALUC plan for the San Francisco International Airport, moving the project to the next stage of local review.
At the first of two required hearings the council, with Mayor Rico E. Medina recused from this item, voted 4-0 to notify the ALUC and the State Department of Transportation's Division of Aeronautics and open a 30-day public comment period. A subsequent council hearing will decide whether to make the final override finding.
Planning staff and the contract planner, Lisa Casa Sanders of Good City, described the Tanfran proposal as a transit-oriented, mixed-use redevelopment that would include housing, retail, life-science and office uses. The area had previously been rezoned to allow up to 1,014 housing units; the current proposal would allow up to 500 additional units, staff said.
Lisa Casa Sanders told the council the ALUC review had raised three main areas of concern: airspace/height (FAA clearance will be required), safety (parts of the site fall in ALUC safety compatibility zones and certain life-science uses such as biosafety level 2 containment would need additional exits and findings of no feasible alternatives), and noise (the site lies within a 70-decibel exterior contour that the ALUC treats as incompatible with residential uses).
Staff said mitigation is proposed for some issues: the project would be required to achieve interior noise levels below 45 decibels using sound-insulation construction methods and to include higher-level HVAC and filtration systems as part of the environmental mitigation package. Staff also noted that many existing residences are already within high-noise contours and that ALUC overrides are a common local planning step for transit‑adjacent infill projects in the region.
A member of the public asked how indoor air quality and ventilation would be measured; staff responded that the environmental review requires higher-grade air handling systems and HEPA‑level filtration as a mitigation measure and that the applicant had agreed to those measures.
The council vote to adopt the resolution of intent starts the notification process; staff will return with a second hearing where council must make written findings about public health, safety and welfare to complete any override. The resolution was prepared by planning staff and reviewed by the city attorney.
