The Downtown San Mateo Association and the Chamber of Commerce will the ask the City Council to lease space in the transit center at the downtown train station Monday. The answer will likely be no.
Instead of allowing the two organizations to move in to the vacant office space in the south end of the transit center, city staff is recommending they move into the old Kinko's building at 480 E. Fourth Ave. or the Main Street parking garage retail space.
The three spaces in the north end of the garage have been vacant for almost two years and are not covered by a city ordinance requiring retail shops. The transit center is covered by the ordinance and city staff has worked diligently to lease the spaces at the transit center since September 2004, according to a city report released yesterday.
The city is focusing on leasing the larger building on the north end of the station and a vacant south end building is more appealing to potential businesses. Since nearly every wall in the north end building is glass, there is no "back of the house" space. The south building could serve as an office or storage area for the occupant of the north building, according to the report.
Last year the city tried to lure Kepler's independent bookstore to open another store in the north building. However, fears of expansion during tough economic times kept Kepler's and about 20 other independent bookstores from inking a deal. Now the city is focusing on a restaurant to fill the space, according to the report.
Recently, a restaurateur with two family-oriented eateries expressed interest in the building and wanted to use the south end building as a bakery and coffee shop. The plan, however, didn't pencil out.
The staff is also recommending that the Downtown Association and The Chamber of Commerce move into vacant space at the old Kinko's site, located at 480 E. Fourth Ave. The land was purchased in 1998 by the city for $5.3 million and was intended to be used for extra parking during the construction of the new downtown theater. The theater has been up and running for two years and the building is now vacant.
The parking lot is still used by downtown employees.
In a separate report released yesterday, staff is recommending the City Council use the 50,600-square-foot lot to develop into retail and housing in the future. In the meantime, the two organizations can lease space and the city can also use it to house overflow staff from City Hall.
The city currently pays $267,000 a year to rent 6,000 square feet of office space at City Hall Plaza at 1900 O'Farrell St.
The future of the Fourth Avenue site and the request from the Downtown Association and Chamber of Commerce will be discussed at Monday night's council study session.
The City Council meeting will be held 4:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at City Hall, 330 W. 20th Ave.
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