A small Catholic school is locked in a David versus Goliath battle with an exclusive San Francisco golf club.
It all stems from a proposal before the Planning Commission to build a massive maintenance facility right next to a kindergarten playground.
“It’s a private golf course. There’s 108 acres on this property, and to put it right next to a school is absolutely egregious,” said San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa, who has a child who attends St. Thomas More Catholic School goes.
What they are concerned about is a plan by the San Francisco Golf Club to build a 20,000-square-foot maintenance building just 20 feet away from the playground of the Utopia Pre-school, which operates on the grounds of St. Thomas More School.
On Wednesday morning, parents gathered to express their concerns.
“It’s going to hold heavy equipment, 500 gallons of fuel, if you can imagine,” Canepa said. “Basically putting a gas station right next to a school.”
“I don’t want a gas tank near my kids,” said parent Alejandra Leonard. “I don’t feel that a construction zone with dust and debris and constant noise is good for any child’s health or their ability to learn. This building could be anywhere else on the site. Build your building. Just not right next to it our smallest and most vulnerable in the community.”
It sounds like a classic case of “not in my backyard” because it’s literally in their backyard. But the school’s principal, David Greenbaum, believes there is a difference.
“Their backyard is several backyards, thousands of backyards,” he said. “And so we have one; they have several. So they have options.”
No one from the golf club wanted to appear on camera, but an email said they have removed chemical storage from the plan and will move the gas tank further away. But despite the concessions, they may not need them.
The planning staff’s report states that they “find the project necessary, desirable and compatible with the surrounding neighborhood and will not be detrimental to persons or adjacent properties in the area.”
In fact, the Planning Department has already determined that, despite its industrial character, “no further environmental review is necessary. The project is exempt under CEQA. There are no unusual circumstances that would result in a reasonable possibility of a major event.”
The director of the school did not see it that way.
“Ultimately, we want to create a safe environment for everyone,” Greenbaum said. “How can any of us in good conscience think this project proposal is safe.”
And Canepa had a suggestion: “If you think this facility is so safe, put it next to your clubhouse.”
The Planning Commission will meet Thursday to consider whether to grant a conditional use permit for the new maintenance facility
John Ramos
