Lindenville Specific Plan

The Lindenville Specific Plan will guide the implementation of the General Plan’s vision for the area as a mixed use neighborhood, employment hub, and cultural center of South San Francisco. Alternatives test land use and urban design patterns within the city to understand the trade-offs between different big policy questions, like where to place residential and commercial uses in Lindenville. Each alternative uses a “kit of parts” approach. Elements of each “kit” can be mixed and matched to form an alternative. Each kit includes both physical design strategies and policies / programs. The kit includes mixed-use residential, industrial, arts & makers, life sciences, blue-green infrastructure, and mobility. Using the kit of parts, three urban design alternatives were developed to test different ideas.

• Alternative 1: Like the vision set by the General Plan, this alternative balances land uses. It concentrates new mixed use residential along Colma Creek, creates a transitional industrial area between new mixed use residential and the industrial area, and incorporates an arts and makers area. Most of the existing industrial area south of Victory Avenue as well as east of the Caltrain tracks remains. Open spaces are co-located with stormwater improvements adjacent to Colma Creek, with other open spaces added opportunistically with new development.
• Alternative 2: This alternative illustrates a larger area of land devoted to mixed use residential, allowing a broader mix of housing prototypes than Alternative 1, with additional complementary blue-green infrastructure and mobility improvements. The Arts and Makers Area centers on South Linden Avenue, becoming a key connection between Downtown and the San Bruno BART station. Colma Creek extends south and allows for it to be naturalized and widened between South Spruce and the Caltrain tracks. A linear park extends southwest from Colma Creek establishing new open space, active transportation, and stormwater management opportunities.
• Alternative 3: This alternative transforms a yet larger area to mixed use residential uses allowing a broader mix of housing prototypes (townhomes to mass timber buildings). Like Alternative 2, the Arts and Makers Area centers on South Linden Avenue. Colma Creek has been further expanded, this time toward the north, allowing for a naturalized and widened feature that can double as publicly-accessible open space. A linear park extends southwest to connect the Centennial Trail with Colma Creek.