South San Francisco, CA December 19, 2015 Submitted by Del Schembari, San Francisco Peninsula Open Space Coalition
An update on our SAVE SIGN HILL efforts:
Working with San Francisco Peninsula Open Space Coalition and Friends of SIGN HILL , I recently met with the SSF City Manager Mike Futrell. (I am also on the Board of Directors with San Bruno Mountain Watch which has followed the North Sigh Hill issue for years.)
I was told the community, not the City, must be the ones to find financial backers for purchase of these open space parcels.
In other words, there isn’t a city government ‘will’ at this time to pursue acquiring North Sign Hill private property that could be developed on endangered species habitat.
The Eastern parcel was for sale. The Western parcel representative wants to negotiate.
Measure W funds are not available for land acquisition or maintenance of these lands. The city funds that Measure W freed up is apparently also not available for rare historic SSF open space (?).
This is quite a reversal of conversation from earlier discussions leaving me questioning why?????? We continue to see our City built out with more developments planned, including on former toxic garbage dumps, yet lacking follow through on the Sign Hill concern after years of encouragement from our City officials.
A Friends of SIGN HILL meeting will be held soon and we are updating our contact list. To be sure you are included please send us your email address via FB messenger or to info@friendsofsignhill.org.
In the meantime, Please let our elected representatives know we want now privately owned North Sign Hill saved forever.
-Del Schembari SFPOSC Co-Founder