Help Preserve San Bruno Mountain

Rare and Endangered Diablo Rock Rose, Helianthella castanea

Step out anywhere in Brisbane and you can't help but behold the picturesque landscape provided by San Bruno Mountain. That's exactly why San Bruno Mountain Watch is asking for volunteers to join them in an upcoming and ongoing event - weeding the mountain of non-native, invasive plants from the habitat on City-owned open space. The event will be taking place this Saturday, February 3rd (heavy rain will postpone the event until the following week). Meet at 12:45 pm at the San Bruno Mountain Watch office located at 44 Visitacion Ave., 2nd Floor. This will be an ongoing event, taking place monthly on the first Saturday of each month, at various locations on the Mountain. It's a great opportunity to get some exercise, see some great views, and lend a hand to preserve the native habitat on the Mountain. Sturdy shoes and gloves are recommended. For more information, contact Mtn. Watch at 467-6631 or Mary Gutekanst at 468-1548.

Events Scheduled to Sweep Through Brisbane…

The 64^th annual Monte Carlo Night will be coming to the Mission Blue Center tomorrow night, from 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm. Don’t miss out on the Las Vegas Strip coming exclusively to you! The Brisbane Parks & Recreation Department will be making sure the community enjoys an enchanting evening which will include a full beer and wine no-host bar, live music, and of course, plenty of scrumptious snacks throughout the evening. Hope to see you there!

Also, plan on attending this coming Monday’s meeting at the Community Center (7:30 pm) where the topic of discussion will be updating the Local Economic Development chapter of the City’s General Plan. Learn about your City’s Tax Base and General Fund Revenues, Employment Opportunities, Environment & Natural Resources, and which of these areas Staff recommends for Council to review as this second elective chapter of Brisbane’s General Plan is brought up-to-date.

Lastly, several guest speakers have committed to join the City during this time where updates to the General Plan are being made. We are excited to have them share with us their expertise regarding some highly relevant issues…of which include the 3 E’s of Sustainability – economics, environment, and social equity. You may want to mark your calendars for these dates…

2/13: Solo Presentation with John Crompton, Professor of Recreation Parks and Tourism Science, Texas A & M University

3/12: Panel discussion on alternative energy systems

Paul Fenn, Local Power
George Wagner, Vice-President, Wind Harvest

3/22: Panel discussion on the economics of development

John Murphy, Senior Resident Fellow, ULI
Michael Cohen, San Francisco Redevelopment Agency

Stay tuned for more on the Brisbane “University”
Speakers Forum.

General Plan Update to Kick Off at this Monday’s Council Meeting

For the next 3 months or so until the end of April, Staff will be meeting with the City Council on non-regular business Council Mondays. The purpose of these meetings will be to mainly receive direction from Council as chapters to the General Plan are brought up to date. Citizen involvement during this process is also strongly encouraged, with Monday’s (1/22) meeting focusing on “Community Character”, one of two elective chapters Brisbane’s General Plan is comprised of. Given the remarkable history of this City, its General Plan wouldn’t be complete without a section dedicated to the history of Brisbane, how the community sees and expresses itself, and how it wishes to be governed. With that, please plan on participating during this exciting time of Brisbane’s history as its General Plan is updated…and see how Brisbane’s independent spirit lives on.

The Quarry's Current Quandary

In lieu of there being a definitive “next step” for the Guadalupe (Brisbane) Quarry, at the time of this posting, the Quarry’s future remains uncertain. Rather, the prospects of the century-old Quarry, which encapsulates 157-acres of land about a mile up from the City’s center, rests with its property owner, California Rock & Asphalt. In November, 73% of Brisbane’s citizens voted No on Measure B, which would have resulted in 173 housing units built in the Quarry’s base. Since the elections took place, there have not been any development proposals brought forth by either the property owner or any other party. Because the Quarry sits atop the unincorporated land of San Mateo County, and thus beyond the jurisdictional limits of the City of Brisbane, the City has no legal authority to control the land use of this property or regulate the operations conducted by the Quarry.


Photo Courtesy of San Bruno Mountain Watch

But the City is aware that there are two basic scenarios that can occur regarding the future of the Brisbane Quarry. The first would be that the property owner decides to sell the land, which could potentially lead to an application for additional commercial space, similar to that of Crocker Industrial Park. The second scenario would be for the property owner to keep the land, and that the site would continue to operate as a quarry, with the County likely re-issuing the property owners a permit to do so. If the latter scenario were to take place, the same issues felt by citizens today such as pollution and truck traffic would remain as relevant concerns, but the benefit would be that no new development would occur. This would ensure that native and endangered plant species would not be threatened by the construction of large office buildings, and that no additional traffic would arise due to a heightened population of business park employees. Whatever the property owner decides, it will remain the chief concern of the City that Brisbane residents and businesses continue to be given the highest level of service, respect, and care.

** Temperatures are expected to drop to the 20s and 30s tonight and tomorrow. Visit the City’s OES page to find out how you can protect yourself and your family during these extreme cold-weather conditions. **

Opting for a New Schedule in the New Year

To ensure that the most relevant and reliable information is relayed to the community in the most cohesive manner possible, the City Council has elected to hold one City Council Meeting for regular business every month instead of a meeting held every other Monday. For the month of January, the Council Meeting will be taking place next Monday, January 8th. February’s meeting is proposed to take place on Tuesday, 2/20 (after the holiday). The Council will continue to meet every Monday, but over specific issues such as the General Plan, Baylands EIR, and on-going lecture series. These meetings will also be televised on cable channel 27. Click here for an up-to-date program listing schedule.

The Council is aware of the vast measure of opportunities that lay in store for the City, and therefore wish to dedicate more consideration to the important issues that will be affecting future generations in Brisbane to come. If you wish to subscribe to the City’s Agenda E-Mail list, e-mail Sheri, our City Clerk, and she’ll be sure to add you (cityhall@ci.brisbane.ca.us). You will then receive Agendas - that resemble the below graphic - in your inbox 72 hours before the meeting is scheduled to take place.