202-unit San Carlos Transit Village nearing completion

Though he acknowledged a shortage in Bay Area’s construction labor presented minor challenges during construction, Moss said building the eight structures went smoothly overall, noting the residential units were leased soon after they were constructed. With office and retail tenants stepping forward to rent the development’s commercial space just north of the San Carlos train station’s parking lot, Moss said those working on the project over the years have been excited to see the mixed-use development fill with residents and workers traveling in and out of the city.

“It’s the epitome of a transit-oriented development,” he said. “The fact that we’re able to create housing right next to jobs and right next to transit and immediately adjacent to the incredibly amazing vibrant downtown San Carlos — we couldn’t be more excited about all of that.”

Moss said the majority of development’s residents are working in San Carlos, Redwood City and other Peninsula cities, though some have been able to take advantage of the project’s proximity to the city’s train station to commute to work in San Francisco and other cities in the South Bay. He said leasing for the residential units began in spring of 2018, and noted nearly 60% of the residential units have two bedrooms, while 33% of the units are one-bedroom units and 7% are two-bedroom units.

Moss acknowledged the developer partnered with the firm Legacy Partners, which ushered the project through the planning process for some eight to 10 years before it was approved, at which point Prometheus began facilitating the development, construction, leasing and management of the property. Though the project situated around the existing train station between El Camino Real and the Caltrain tracks was once proposed to include eight buildings up to four stories each, a scaled-back version with three-story residential buildings and two-story commercial structures was ultimately approved by city officials in response to concerns about project’s size, scope and potential impacts like noise and traffic.

Having served on the City Council when the project was approved, Mayor Mark Olbert remembered the concerns the project sparked about the pace of development in the city and its potential impacts on traffic. Though he acknowledged the challenges of traveling through and around the station during the development’s construction, Olbert was hopeful traffic congestion would ease once construction draws to a close.

As a resident of the Greater East San Carlos neighborhood, Scot Marsters declined to comment on the project as a whole but noted the residential parking permit program put in place in 2016 to curb the number of commuters parking on residential streets near the station has worked well.

Adding to housing stock

From conversations with residents of the property, Olbert said many seem to enjoy living there, and added he felt it improved the overall look and feel of the city’s transit hub. Acknowledging he would have preferred to see more affordable housing provided on the site, Olbert was glad to see the city’s housing stock get a boost from the development, which he noted has the potential to house many employees who previously worked in the city but could not find a place to live.

“Housing is in terribly short supply of any kind,” he said. “In an ideal world, I would have preferred more affordable housing … but housing is really important.”

Moss said monthly rents for apartments in the development range from $3,800 for a one-bedroom unit to $5,500 for a three-bedroom unit, and 20 of the apartments are affordable. Of the units that are affordable, 10 units are affordable at rents consistent with 60% of the area median income and 10 unit are affordable at rents consistent with 110% of the area median income.

Moss said the developer is currently working with SamTrans and Caltrain, which owns the historic station building, to identify a new tenant for the structure formerly home to the Depot Café, which closed in February of 2018 after more than 35 years in business.

Train station building

Though a new tenant has not been finalized for the historic train station building, Brian Fitzpatrick, SamTrans’ director of real estate and property development, said the tenant would likely be oriented toward customer service. He noted the plaza between the commercial buildings was designed to highlight the features of the historic building and invite those passing through the station to make a stop there.

“We’d like to be getting people in there, we’d like to have them taking advantage of the plaza,” he said. “It’s filling up, it’s exciting and you can see it coming together.”

Fitzpatrick added a redesign of the two parking lots south of the station has helped establish a transit center at the station where those walking or biking to the station have dedicated access to the station from El Camino Real. Because the vehicle entrance into the station’s parking lot was relocated to the intersection between El Camino Real and Cherry Street and a dedicated drop-off and pick-up area car drivers was created, the new parking lot has facilitated better flow between buses, car, pedestrians and bicyclists, he added.

Moss was also pleased to see the historic train station featured in the new development, and looked forward to seeing residents and commuters use the space for years to come.

“It’s super exciting for us,” he said. “We’re really thrilled by the result of what’s been developed out there.”

anna@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106