San Mateo County's plan to spend $33 million on purchasing the 100-room La Quinta hotel on El Camino Real in Millbrae, in order to convert it into stable housing for homeless residents, has met with resistance from some community members and local officials. According to NBC Bay Area, a group of Millbrae residents is opposing the plan, raising concerns over the project's proximity to schools and childcare services, as well as the overall cost and the potential influx of unhoused people in the area.
The proposal has been a source of controversy for months, and more than 100 residents gathered early Tuesday morning at Millbrae City Hall to board buses to Redwood City, where the San Mateo County supervisors held a meeting to decide on the hotel purchase. Millbrae Mayor Ann Schneider, who also opposes the sale, accompanied them. Schneider told KTVU that the city is losing a vital source of revenue, as Millbrae already faces underfunded schools and poor roads, among other needs. The hotel tax from La Quinta brings more than $600,000 a year to the city's budget.
"We're not anti-housing," Mayor Schneider said. "I see this as a fiscal issue." Schneider also expressed her disappointment at finding out about the county's decision through a local paper. Losing a hotel that brings in $600,000 would result in a significant budget gap, especially considering that the city has already approved its budget.
San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa, who has not yet decided on his vote, expressed concerns over the impact of the project, on the hotel's 35 workers and the employees at the sushi restaurant located within the hotel. "My main concern is what do we do with the employees?" he said. "We're trying to solve a problem but, are we creating a problem by displacing workers?"
Despite the objections, San Mateo County Executive Officer Mike Callagy believes that the purchase is necessary to "serve the most vulnerable in our community," adding that the site would also provide additional social services for residents. As KTVU reported, Callagy explained in previous meetings that the county needs the hotel's 100 beds to address the housing and homelessness crisis faced by the region.
