Master Plans

Active South City is a plan to support walking, bicycling, and active transportation in South San Francisco. It is an integrated bicycle and pedestrian master plan that contains project and program recommendations that are designed to increase safety and comfort for people bicycling and walking in the city. The plan includes a proposed bicycle and pedestrian network with recommended new facilities and upgraded to existing infrastructure designed to meet the City’s active mobility goals.

Active South City (Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan)(PDF, 38MB)

Broadband Master Plan(PDF, 3MB)

The Centennial Trail Master Plan is a strategy to support active use of the Centennial Trail. This Master Plan provides a roadmap for how to achieve this with the following goals of engaging the community and stakeholders to better understand desired amenities and improvements; exploring opportunities on newly available land within the trail corridor; studying how the trail relates to adjacent planned developments and establish trail design guidelines for future development interfaces; enhancing connections to adjacent land uses, both visual and physical; recognizing that the trail is now 15 years old and needs restoration to respond to the City’s current needs for recreation facilities and trail user preferences.

Centennial Way Master Plan(PDF, 11MB)

The Child Care Master Plan (CCMP) contains a comprehensive overview of local childcare, including a view of the landscape, a nod to the recent history, the evolution of the formal child care system in the city, and then offers a summary of key findings. By establishing the narrative of the present, the path forward is then informed by current conditions and projected needs. The purpose of which is to focus on improving and expanding the reach, quality and impact of early childhood education programs, childcare and youth services for South San Francisco residents. The Master Plan will be used as a resource for guiding future operations and developments of childcare centers and programs over the next ten years.

Childcare Master Plan(PDF, 8MB)

Developed in concert with the City’s General Plan Update, South San Francisco’s CAP helps to achieve the community’s vision for the future of South San Francisco. The CAP intends to create a more sustainable community, to equitably mitigate and address the impacts of climate change, and to realize the co-benefits of climate mitigation actions. To meet this vision by 2040, the CAP lays out strategies and actions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 by increasing waste diversion, reducing energy and water use, and increasing resiliency across multiple sectors.

Climate Action Plan(PDF, 30MB)

The City’s General Plan, Shape SSF 2040, presents our community’s vision for South San Francisco for the next two decades. The General Plan provides a roadmap for the City to implement policies and actions that create a resilient community, improve the quality of life of its residents, and expand economic development opportunities. The development of this plan has been guided by an overarching vision, a set of community values, and guiding principles that were shaped through community input. The General Plan has a timeframe of 20 years and informs citywide land use and policy decisions.

Shape SSF General Plan

The South San Francisco LRSP evaluates the transportation network as well as non-infrastructure programs and policies within the City. Mitigation measures are evaluated using criteria to analyze the safety of road users (drivers and passengers, bicyclists, and pedestrians), the interaction of travel modes, and the potential benefits of safety countermeasures. This effort is intended to use historical data to identify trends and develop a toolbox of countermeasures.

Local Road Safety Plan(PDF, 10MB)

The Orange Memorial Park Master Plan aims to update the 2007 Master Plan and manifest the community’s wishes for this park. This master plan update for Orange Memorial park seeks to engage the community and stakeholders to better understand desired amenities and improvements; develop a master plan to help guide future park improvements; incorporate and study impacts of current and proposed projects within the park limits; and determine the best use of underutilized areas of the park including the former Old Mazzanti property.

Orange Memorial Park Master Plan(PDF, 13MB)

The Parks and Recreation Master Plan provides both a long-term vision for the city’s park system, and specific policies and standards to direct day-today decisions. It sets forth a framework that will allow the City to respond to new opportunities as they arise. As the implementing document, the Parks and Recreation Master Plan provides a clear path to accomplishing the community’s vision through achievable steps in both the short term and long terms, maximizing the potential, and ensuring sustainability of the park system itself. The efforts that the City has made to date, discussed in the following chapter, are invaluable resources that inform and complement a comprehensive plan. Extensive community involvement guided this Master Plan process. Input from city staff and from an Advisory Committee informed the process. Community engagement has ensured that the Plan reflects the priorities of the evolving community. In this built-out city, identifying opportunity sites and potential partnerships, and developing strategies to maximize the use of currently under-utilized parks and facilities, is key to accomplishing the city’s goals of providing for the community’s needs.

Parks and Recreation Master Plan(PDF, 14MB)

The purpose of the Public Art Master Plan is to develop a clear set of goals, policies, and objectives that will provide guidance for the Cultural Arts Commission, City Council, and City staff for the development, improvement, and enhancement of the City’s public art inventory and cultural arts programs. This document is intended to be a tool to guide the City of South San Francisco in arts planning on a longterm basis. The process will include the creation of a comprehensive inventory of art and art programs, an analysis of current and forecasted needs, the creation of a potential arts district, and implementation strategies. The development of the Plan will include public engagement to determine the needs and priorities of the community. The result will be a comprehensive Public Art Master Plan that establishes a foundational pathway and achieves executable guidelines that strengthen the City’s unique, regional identity from the present to the future.

Active Master Plans

The South San Francisco Public Library Strategic Master Plan serves as a guide to accomplish the goals of Community Presence: to plan a new joint facility for Library and Parks & Recreation, renovate the Grand Ave Library, and expand outreach services and digital collections; Personal Growth: to develop programs that meet a wide variety of community needs, including development of technology and job skills; Community Engagement: to provide services that encourage civic participation, volunteerism, cultural and artistic appreciation and knowledge of local history.

Public Library Strategic Master Plan(PDF, 4MB)

The South San Francisco Commission on Racial and Social Equity concluded a yearlong initiative to identify issues of racial and social injustice, investigate their causes, and to create systems for positive change in policies and processes. The Commission has culminated in a Final Report and an Action Plan. As a result of this work, the City of South San Francisco has formally established a Commission on Equity and Public Safety.

Racial and Social Equity Plan(PDF, 10MB)

The Sign Hill Master Plan was adopted in October of 2023 and is a document that is a document that is intended to guide the future of recreation, conservation, and open space improvements on Sign Hill. This plan addresses the history of Sign Hill, the current state of the trails and habitat, and provides recommendations for future improvements to both habitat and recreational amenities. The Sign Hill Master Plan will be used to apply for grant funding in order to implement these recommendations in the future.

Sign Hill Master Plan(PDF, 31MB)

The Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) serves as a guide for managing, enhancing, and growing South San Francisco’s urban forest and the community tree resource over the next 20 years. While the UFMP is primarily focused on the stewardship of the community tree resource, the Plan also considers private trees because they contribute significantly to South San Francisco’s livability and environmental quality. The UFMP includes short-term actions and long-range planning goals to promote sustainability, species diversity, and greater canopy cover. The UFMP suggests reasonable time frames for achieving goals, based on available resources and community support.

Urban Forest Master Plan(PDF, 6MB)

The Zoning Ordinance is a section of the City’s Municipal Code, which implements the City’s General Plan (Shape SSF). While the General Plan sets out future land use direction and policies, the Zoning Ordinance contains specific development standards and regulations, and outlines which types of development are permitted in different locations throughout the city. Zoning also controls height, mass, location, and appearance of buildings and landscaping on development sites.

Click here for the Zoning Ordinance & Map.