Green Foothills strongly supports the San Mateo County Planning Commission’s unanimous decision to deny the proposed “Zmay” subdivision based on multiple health and safety concerns. That’s why on Tuesday, June 28, we will be asking the Board of Supervisors to uphold the Planning Commission’s denial of the Zmay subdivision on Open Space zoned lands in the Baywood Park/San Mateo Highlands area.

Project Threatens Public Health and Safety

The Zmay subdivision would create three parcels with home sites on extremely steep, landslide-prone slopes at the top of the 60-acre property along Parrott Drive. The project’s steep, densely vegetated slopes are also highly vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire in this designated Very High Fire Severity Zone. The homes would connect to a failing sewer transmission line which has had numerous sewage spills over many years. The developer proposes to replace a relatively intact section of this sewer line, but leave untouched the most egregiously deteriorated sections.

Inconsistency with General Plan and Zoning

The property’s General Plan designation as Open Space (OS) and Resource Management (RM) Zoning prohibits development in areas deemed “unsuitable for reason of exposure to fire, susceptibility to landslides, or other features harmful to …health, safety and welfare.” The Planning Commissioners heard our concerns, as well as those of community members, and determined that the proposed location of three new home sites at the top of extremely steep slopes at risk of landslides and wildfire is inconsistent with the RM zoning and County Subdivision regulations.

There are Less Hazardous Areas on the Property

At the bottom of the property along Crystal Springs Road, the developers already built a home in a 9.273-acre area that is specifically called out “to remain buildable” on the Subdivision Map. We believe this would be a less hazardous area for the three proposed new lots; there may also be other suitable locations on the property.

California’s “New Normal”

California is experiencing a “new normal” of increased temperatures and droughts, increased intensity of storm events/flooding and uncontrollable, devastating wildfires.

In August 2020, the CZU Lightning Complex Wildfire burned 86,000 acres and destroyed 911 homes in San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties. This fire highlighted the vulnerability of communities and homes located within Very High Fire Severity Zones to catastrophic wildfire.

We need to do everything we can to avoid placing more people and property at risk from these hazards. While it may be difficult, if not impossible, to prevent homes from being built on existing legal parcels located in hazardous areas, we can, and should, prevent creation of new parcels such as the proposed Zmay subdivision that could place future residents in harm’s way.