A giant Amazon-style warehouse and distribution center has been proposed on the site of Guadalupe Quarry on San Bruno Mountain, which is home to numerous threatened and endangered species, including endangered butterflies whose habitat would be paved over by the development. Green Foothills is partnering with local residents and environmental groups to oppose this destructive project.
Guadalupe Quarry Redevelopment Project Threatens Endangered Butterflies
The Guadalupe Quarry Redevelopment Project, currently under environmental review by the city of Brisbane, consists of a 1.3 million square foot Amazon-style warehouse and distribution center on the site of Guadalupe Quarry. The development would include parking for over 1,500 vehicles and would require moving an existing access road and adding a second road, which would impact a creek with sensitive habitat. Most significantly, the giant warehouse would destroy habitat for the Mission Blue butterfly and San Bruno Elfin butterfly, and could impact habitat for the Callippe Silverspot butterfly – all of which are on the federal endangered species list. These three butterflies are protected under the San Bruno Mountain Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), so in order for the Guadalupe Quarry project to proceed, the HCP would need to be amended.
Local environmentalists have struggled for years to help the Mission Blue, San Bruno Elfin, and Callippe Silverspot butterflies to come back from the brink of extinction. These butterflies only exist in our local region, and San Bruno Mountain contains some of their last remaining habitat. They rely on specific host plants to be able to lay eggs, feed and carry out their life cycles. The Guadalupe Quarry project would destroy some of this precious habitat and would make it that much harder for these butterflies to survive.
The warehouse developer has proposed protecting some of the land higher up on the mountain, above the quarry site, in exchange for destroying butterfly habitat within the project area. But the land the developer is offering for protection is unlikely to ever be developed, because it’s too steeply sloped. In other words, the developer is proposing to give up something they never intend to develop anyway, in exchange for permanently destroying some of the last remaining habitat for endangered species. These butterflies need all the habitat they can get in order to avoid extinction – a warehouse should not take priority over their survival.
What’s Next?
The city of Brisbane is conducting an environmental review of the Guadalupe Quarry proposal. A draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was released last fall and received nearly 400 pages of comments from environmental groups, agencies, and community members, with the vast majority of comments opposed to the project. Because the project requires amendments to the HCP and the quarry’s Reclamation Plan, approvals will be required from San Mateo County and various federal and state agencies. Finally, because the site is located in unincorporated San Mateo County and must be annexed into the city of Brisbane before development can proceed, San Mateo County’s Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) must also approve that annexation. If all those hurdles are cleared, the city of Brisbane will need to decide whether or not to approve the warehouse and distribution center.
Green Foothills is partnering with local residents and environmental organizations to oppose the Guadalupe Quarry project. We will alert you when there is an opportunity for the community to weigh in. If you’re not already on our email list, sign up at greenfoothills.org/subscribe.