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Millbrae representative says SFPUC has paused Millbrae Operations Center design; urges independent alternatives review
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Summary
Anne Schneider told the Millbrae City Council the SFPUC has placed the Millbrae Operations Center (MOC) at 35% design on a three‑month pause while seeking alternatives meant to preserve the OSH building; she warned of inconsistent cost estimates and urged a third‑party review of alternatives to protect ratepayers and local businesses.
Anne Schneider, Millbrae’s representative to the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency, told the City Council on April 14 that the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has placed the Millbrae Operations Center project on a three‑month pause at the 35% design stage.
“Their general manager sent a letter saying they're putting a 3 month pause at the 35% design level for the Millbrae Operations Center,” Schneider said, adding that SFPUC staff will use that window to look for alternative sites or designs with the expressed intent of keeping the OSH building open.
Schneider said the pause was announced after large and inconsistent cost estimates surfaced. She described numbers that ranged from roughly $3.66 million in early documents to hundreds of millions in later materials, and said committee and board discussions have not included a deep‑dive evaluation of capital costs, rate impacts or alternatives.
“This comes back to the Millbrae Operations Center,” Schneider said. “We need an alternative analysis.”
Council members pressed city staff and Schneider on environmental review and rate effects. One council member asked whether an adaptive‑reuse approach would require a full environmental impact report; Schneider said SFPUC has argued adaptive reuse would likely avoid a full EIR and might yield a negative declaration, while city staff said Millbrae will review any initial study and advise the council on the CEQA process.
Vice Mayor Steven Rinaldi and others focused on ratepayer consequences if the project proceeds. Schneider and Rinaldi noted that the SFPUC’s capital improvement plan vote could lead to a roughly 7% wholesale increase that—when combined with local adjustments—could push retail rates higher for Millbrae customers.
Rinaldi urged that the 26 wholesale agencies who fund SFPUC projects be engaged in a broader evaluation and called for an independent third‑party alternatives analysis, including consideration of leasing existing PUC land or off‑site properties that would keep fleet traffic off El Camino Real.
Schneider said she will review project cost histories for major SFPUC capital projects paid for by BAWSCA members and continue advocating for oversight and alternatives. The pause is expected to last about three months, with further work and potential staff reports to follow.
