Looking for ways to add more downtown parking, South San Francisco officials considered building an underground parking garage in the City Hall or converting a lot into a new parking lot.
The South San Francisco city council discussed plans to build a two- or three-story lot under Citizens’ Headquarters or build a six-story garage on an urban lot at 319 Baden Ave.
While no decision was made at the meeting, officials weighed cost concerns against an interest in adding more parking space, which is needed for an increase in downtown development.
“As surface parking becomes residential and the economy grows, downtown parking will be a bigger problem,” said City Manager Mike Futrell. “So this is definitely a worthwhile company.”
At 400 Grand Ave. Officials are considering building a parking lot under City Hall, which could open the door to additional amenities that have also been built on the site.
A two-story underground car park could offer 230 parking spaces, plus 146 new parking spaces from the parking spaces currently available on the site. The development could also give way to the construction of more office space in the outbuilding of the town hall as well as the development of a childcare center and a new park on the site.
A three-story garage below the town hall would result in 318 spaces, an increase of 234 spaces as well as more office space in the outbuilding and a larger childcare facility.
Proponents of the three-story project see it as an opportunity to add the 220 new spaces that officials claim will be needed to meet downtown demand, while adding essential amenities like childcare facilities and open space in a neighborhood where they do Resources are lacking.
However, critics have weighed the potential benefits against the substantial cost of building the project, which would require an initial $ 10 million investment and a creative financing model to build and operate.
Officials are advocating a public-private partnership for the project that would allow a third party to build, operate and maintain the facility at an annual cost to the city. Should councilors push the deal forward, it would likely take about 15 years for the garage to generate revenue for the city, according to a report.
Alternatively, officials reckoned that building the garage on Baden Avenue, which could provide 220 parking spaces or 180 additional parking spaces than the current property, would generate revenue in about two or three years.
Officials envision that the garage on Baden Avenue would rely entirely on an automatic parking mechanism that would allow it to accommodate more space in a confined space.
In view of the large price differential for the projects, Vice Mayor Mark Nagales supported the Baden Avenue plan.
“If the purpose is to generate parking spaces in the most appropriate time and also to generate income, the property in Baden makes the most sense in my opinion,” he said.
Mayor Mark Addiego apparently also favored the Baden Avenue location, noting that it is in a part of downtown that has a strong development that could soon struggle with a parking shortage.
Alternatively, he said City Hall is a short distance from another municipal parking garage on Miller Avenue. And while admiring the vision of adding new open space downtown, he questioned the wisdom of building a new park in an area known for high winds and adverse weather conditions.
For his part, Councilor James Coleman suggested that a compromise could be for officials to push ahead with the construction of the Baden Avenue garage while later further exploring the possibility of partnering to rebuild the town hall.
Looking ahead, officials agreed to look into the matter and find ways to meet the variety of interests.
“We should continue the journey,” said Councilor Eddie Flores.
