Since 1998, San Mateo County's Human Services Agency (HSA) has leased 550 Quarry Road in San Carlos, where it occupies 70,104 square feet to operate Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) — a program serving county residents with disabilities and other barriers to employment. The County now wants to relocate these programs to 1065 East Hillsdale Blvd in Foster City.

To do this, the County plans to buy 1065 East Hillsdale Blvd and add warehouse space alongside the existing office building — a use that isn't allowed under Foster City's General Plan or zoning. The site is zoned Town Center Commercial (C-2/PD), which permits only office, limited Research & Development, and retail/restaurant uses. Warehouse operations are not permitted here, and Foster City's own planning staff have confirmed the proposal does not conform to the General Plan or Zoning District as written.

Please note: the County is exempt from the City's zoning ordinances, so this decision ultimately rests on political pressure, not code enforcement alone.

The proposal will come before the Foster City Planning Commission on Thursday, July 16, the City Council on Monday, July 20, and the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, July 21, when the County is expected to make its final decision. Your voice matters before these meetings.

What This Means for Foster City Residents

• Loss of city revenue. Foster City stands to lose an estimated $125,000 a year in property tax once the County takes ownership — money that funds city services — with no offset proposed by the County.
• Traffic and safety concerns. The site sits at the corner of two major roads — Foster City Blvd and East Hillsdale Blvd. Warehouse operations mean larger delivery trucks and more vehicle trips than the site's existing approvals ever accounted for, without a completed traffic study.

We're not opposed to vocational rehabilitation services — we're opposed to putting a warehouse operation in a location that isn't zoned for it, at the cost of city revenue, and safe streets.

What We're Asking Our City Leaders to Do

• Find this project inconsistent with the General Plan and zoning as proposed.
• Refuse any General Plan Amendment or rezoning that would allow warehouse/industrial uses at this site.
• Work with the County to find an alternative appropriately zoned, industrially-designated site for its warehouse operations — just as its current San Carlos facility is zoned Light Industrial.

How You Can Help

• Sign this petition to tell Foster City's and San Mateo County's leaders: protect our zoning and our tax base.
• Attend the council meeting on July 20, 2026, at 620 Foster City Boulevard, Foster City, California 94404, 6:30 PM, and speak up in opposition.
• Write to the council at council@fostercity.org and ask them to oppose the proposal.
• Make your voice heard. Email Board of Supervisors at boardfeedback@smcgov.org, and let them know your views on this proposal.