Bike lanes set to replace car lanes on El Camino Real in Millbrae

“We want to beautify the street and make it a grand boulevard, we want it to be an amazing functional street that supports multi modes, not just cars,” Community Development Director Darcy Smith said.

The plans are part of a draft released last week of the city’s general plan, a comprehensive document outlining future development that the city has been working to update since 2015. The last time the plan was updated was 1998.

The City Council will likely adopt a finalized version later this year and construction on El Camino Real would be carried out in the years following, possibly in phases.

“It’s really an inspiring plan,” Smith said. “We’ve been waiting seven years for this, so it’s a big accomplishment.”

Presently, many buildings along the road are low-lying and setback from the street with parking lots. The plan allows for buildings up to seven stories, with ground-level retail and housing or office space above and parking garages incorporated behind.

Canopy trees would be planted along sidewalks and smaller trees added to center medians. Bus stops would be improved with separated loading areas, sidewalks would get decorative pavers and street furniture would be installed.

Smith said the goal is to better accommodate things like outdoor dining and sidewalk social activity, while also meeting the city’s housing production goals and increasing public transit use.

The renovations, however, could be complicated due the road falling under Caltrans jurisdiction, requiring plans be approved by the agency, something that could take several years. Councilmembers previously discussed moving forward initially with a first phase, to include various improvements but not the lane reduction that could be a sticking point for the agency.

While much of the corridor is six lanes, portions, including through adjacent Burlingame, are four lanes. The stretch through Millbrae is among the widest parts of the road, which spans from Daly City to San Jose.

Funding for the effort is also still a question, with potential sources including the city’s general fund, enterprise funds, impact fees and community benefit payments from developers, grants, as well as parking revenue.

If a first phase is required to keep three lanes in each direction, it would force a decision between adding bike lanes or retaining curbside parking, something the council had expressed mixed opinions on during a meeting earlier this year.

The plans released for a first phase show bike lanes added and curbside parking removed on most of the street except between Chadbourne Avenue and Taylor Boulevard where a frontage road exists. That stretch would see parking removed from the west side of the street to make way for bike lanes and both parking and bike lanes included on the east side.

The plans will next go through an environmental review, which will study impacts on parking and traffic, among other things. To view the plans, go to Millbrae2040.com.

corey@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200, ext. 105