County executive: Hillsdale site to centralize client services, ease lease burden

County Executive Kahlilge told supervisors that the Human Services Agency wants a single location to co-locate eligibility, employment and veteran services and to improve coordination for residents who use multiple programs. He said the county is pursuing the site to reduce lease spending, citing a 57% increase in rent at the current Quarry location since 2024.

Kahlilge described programmatic and operational details: approximately 3,665 Foster City residents currently use HSA eligibility services, HSA serves roughly 140,000 people countywide, and the county expects about 150 customers per day at the Hillsdale site and roughly 300 employees who could provide local economic activity. He noted the building has about 365 parking spaces and existing transit access (SamTrans route 251 and the Hillsdale connector shuttle). Regarding facility changes, he said the county expects mostly interior renovations and that most exterior conditions would remain the same; a loading dock might be added to support a work center. "A centralized client service center would allow residents to access multiple services during a single visit, reducing transportation barriers," Kahlilge said.

The county also presented a financial framing: a $29 million purchase price vs. a claimed present value of $49 million, yielding a substantial discount and an estimated payback horizon of about 7.8 years when measured against rental savings. Supervisors asked follow-up questions about transportation demand management, specific closing dates in escrow instructions (09/30/2026 was cited), and what interior renovations would be required; staff said they would return with more detailed floor plans and renovation estimates.

This article focuses on programmatic uses, transit access and the county’s financial rationale rather than on procedural objections raised by public comment.