SAVE THE MSB!

South San Francisco, CA – January 24th, 2023

Submitted by Cindy Marcopulos

The Municipal Services Building (The MSB) is listed as a possible high density/low-income housing development site.  It is up to code, has passed every inspection and is ADA compliant contrary to what we have been told.  It will be demolished and destroyed if we don’t act now.

We need your help.

Tomorrow night, the City Council is voting to approve the 700-page housing element that includes the MSB as a possible site for high density/low-income housing.

Please attend the meeting, and please send your support to preserve the MSB (even if you sent a letter last week, you can use the same letter, but put the current date and ask that the MSB be removed from the 700-page Housing Element they are voting on) and have it removed from the 700-page housing element they are voting on tomorrow night to all council members listed here:

Mayor Flor Nicolas, Flor.Nicolas@ssf.net

Vice Mayor Mark Nagales, mark.nagales@ssf.net

Councilman Mark Addiego, mark.addiego@ssf.net

Councilman James Coleman, james.coleman@ssf.net

Councilman Eddie Flores, eddie.flores@ssf.net

City Council meeting details:

When: Wednesday, January 25th, 2023

Time: 6:00 p.m.

Place:  Municipal Services Building (MSB) 33 Arroyo Avenue

In 2019, Former City Manager Mike Futrell told me when I asked why all the developments, “They’ve been approved, and I’m implementing them!” This is why we need to insist the MSB be removed from the 700-page housing element the City Council is voting on tomorrow — once they approve it, we are going to lose the MSB forever.

Save the MSB Talking Points:

The MSB is up to code, has passed every inspection and is ADA compliant;

We need a senior center in this part of the city;

24% of the aging (over 55 years old) population comprise the South City residents;

Magnolia Center is outdated, and mainly (with few exceptions) caters to the Adult Daycare community;

and

The MSB:

– can be a senior center on this side of the city;

– can house the South San Francisco Historical Society;

– can house the Cultural Arts Commission and where local arts can rent studio space;

– the Social Hall can be rented for club meetings, dance socialization groups, and special family events;

– the Atrium is a gathering place to socialize, and a place to get away from it all;

– The Fire Department should remain at Arroyo as it has been remodeled three times, the last being in 2020 (the city wants to relocate the Fired Dept. just across the street incurring architect and building fees);

– has ample parking;

– is ADA compliant;

– has passed all the code inspections;

–  has been safe to use for the past seven years for the council meetings, Park & Recreation offices and Adult and Children classes as well as being rented for social events, and for the public to gather;

– is paid for and has no financial encumbrances; we own it;

– has historical significance for each and every South City resident

There is $21 MILLION in “east of 101 impact fees” that Vice Mayor Nagales wants for bike and walking trails for the biotech on

the east side.

Who has been more impacted than the residents of South San Francisco by the biotech and corporations on the east side?

We want the entire $21 million to preserve the MSB and reserve that $21 MILLION that Mr. Nagales wants for the east side

for any maintenance and upkeep of the MSB.

Let’s SAVE THE MSB!

Thank you,

Cindy

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Wendy Sinclair-Smith
Wendy Sinclair-Smith
1 year ago

After the meeting I spoke to Rozzi of Planning to clarify. To the best of my understanding the MSB got rezoned in 2017 to fulfill numbers of proposed units for the State. It’s not an absolute in that this portion of the proposed housing could be on a different parcel leaving the MSB to be continued utilized for public use.
They spoke of Recreation to begin moving to new building starting this July so I think it behooves us to start now with plans for using the space as soon as it becomes vacant. So I ask if anyone knows how to
1. Get Council to begin the process of locating another spot for the housing.
2. Get Recreation to authorize the vacated space in MSB to be made available for more Recreation classes / uses.
3. Get Recreation to allow other organizations to utilize this space such as Girl Scouts, Mothers Club, possible College classes, Seniors activities, Child Care etc.

Janice Esparza
Janice Esparza
1 year ago

Be damned if a low income housing unit goes up there. If that’s the case, I’ll sell and get the heck out of this town!!!!!!!!!! Don’t need anymore housing thank you 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

Wendy Sinclair-Smith
Wendy Sinclair-Smith
1 year ago
Reply to  Janice Esparza

Good news, from meeting with Rozzi of Planning there are other places housing for low income can be allocated like further south on El Camino, in the Lindenville area, and on South Airport Boulevard.

Downtown Resident
Downtown Resident
1 year ago

I want the bike lanes and walking trails.

Wendy Sinclair-Smith
Wendy Sinclair-Smith
1 year ago

I think there may have been a misunderstanding as to how the funds got allocated for East of 101 improvements. I think it’s a done deal (bike and walking paths)

your neighbor
your neighbor
1 year ago

Thank you concerned citizen Cynthia M. The community is rising up from the ashes that will soon cover this small town from the capitulation to the East of 101 by the local government that NO LONGER represents residents.
big pharma is taking over this sleepy town; of course the city council protects their SELF interests as they’re stockholders to million dollar stock holdings– Shamelessness has arrived.
PEOPLE stop the march into our neighborhoods preserve local history, save South City.
Stop bio-labs infiltrating neighborhoods, speak up, show-up – the quality of life you save will be your own.

CYNTHIA MARCOPULOS
CYNTHIA MARCOPULOS
1 year ago

The Mayor is replying to residents with misleading information saying the “MSB is aging and maintenance is becoming costly” and “do not believe all of the rumors regarding the Municipal Services Building. The Roberta Cerri Teglia Senior Center needs to be improved”. (quote/unquote from Mayor Nicolas).

I have the inspection reports dating back to 1969 and each and every report shows the MSB passed the inspections and is up to code. It is an aging building because – wait for it — it’s a historical building with value to the community.

If the Mayor is so concerned about spending taxpayer money, I’d ask who is going to pay to wash the windows at the Community Civic Campus none of us voted for (the ballot measure, Measure W, we voted for 4 things: increased Fire and Police services, activities for the seniors and disabled, fix potholes and the streets, and gang suppression)

But, she doesn’t tell you that we paid for:
Grand Avenue library remodeling;
Orange Library remodeling in 2012;
Arroyo Fire Station remodeled three (3) times, the last in 2020;
the council wanting the Fire Dept. moved across the street incurring architect and construction fees;
a new roof for the MSB;
a new air conditioning/ducting system for the MSB

And what she really doesn’t want you to know:
we own the parcel of land free and clear, no debt on the MSB;
that it is up to code;
that it’s ADA compliant;
that it has historical significance for all South City residents;
and
if it were so unsafe, the Fire Dept., the council meetings, the Social Hall rental, the Park and Rec offices and classes for adults and children, and the atrium would have been moved to other buildings to avoid our city being put in liability.

Let’s SAVE THE MSB!

The meeting is tomorrow night. And contrary to what the city wants you to believe, once it is voted as part of the 700-page housing element, it is on its way for demolition to be replaced by high density/low income housing.

Contact the City Council and demand the MSB be removed from the housing element.  

Wendy Sinclair-Smith
Wendy Sinclair-Smith
1 year ago

Thanks Cynthia, for all this important background information. It seems we might have a good chance to keep the MSB for public use.