Condominium plan gets go-ahead

"Approving projects on a piecemeal basis will lead to over-development," said Liz Titus, an Aragon Boulevard resident.

Commissioners heard testimony from just a handful of residents, two residents opposing the project and three supporting it. If residents are upset with the zoning in their neighborhood, they should attend general planning meetings and argue for reduced zoning, Commissioner Brandt Grotte said.

Otherwise, it is the Planning Commission's job to approve projects based on compliance with San Mateo ordinances and make sure high-density projects don't end up in the poorer neighborhoods, added Commissioner Robert Gooyer.

Gooyer, Grotte and Commissioner Torin Knorr voted in favor of the project because of its proximity to State Route 92, Highway 101 and the Hayward Park train station. They also agreed that the project does a good job of preserving two historical homes on the site.

"We're getting out of it some of the best historical preservation I've ever seen," Grotte said.

The vote was delayed as the commission weighed the consequences of one-level underground parking. An original plan called for a smaller area to be developed into two levels of underground parking. The approved proposal calls for one level of underground parking to reach between three and five feet from the property line. The construction of the extended underground parking will require the removal of two trees and prohibit the types of trees that can be planted in the small section on the surface above the parking garage.

The one dissenting vote belonged to Commissioner Bertha Sanchez, who argued high-density development is threatening to ruin San Mateo.

"Just because we need housing in San Mateo doesn't mean we need high-density development," she said. "San Mateo is a built-out city, we know that."

Commission Chair Fred Hansson was absent from the meeting.

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.