Foster City’s preliminary housing element calls for increased redevelopment at apartment complexes, with the council working to meet state requirements and determine property owners’ interests.
The city is creating its 2023-2031 housing element, a blueprint plan for producing housing and determining where it will be developed. The state requires the housing element zone for a minimum number of units. While the city does not have to build the housing, it must create conditions for development should someone want to. Foster City is responsible for 1,896 housing units as part of its Regional Housing Needs Allocation number. The Association of Bay Area Governments, a regional planning agency responsible for helping local cities absorb changes around land use, assigns the number. In addition to the 1,896 housing units, Foster City must allow for even more units as a buffer to ensure it reaches state targets.
Foster City’s draft sites inventory calls for more than 800 units total for the Franciscan Apartments, Sand Cove, The Lagoons, Beach Cove, Shadow Cove and Harbor Cove to reach its requirements. Around 900 units are assigned to Foster’s Landing Apartment, with 646 units at Schooner Bay and 355 at Lantern Cove. Because Foster City is a planned city, it has limited development areas, requiring increased development at current apartment complexes.
The city has also reached out to numerous property owners to gauge openness to turning sites into housing. For the old Orchard Supply Hardware site at 1010 Metro Center Blvd., its owner expressed interest in analyzing residential development scenarios. Foster’s Landing Apartments owner Essex Property Trust was open to adding more units, while Woodmont Companies, owner of Beach Cove, Sand Cove and Shadow Cove, are willing to provide additional housing. Equity Residential at Schooner Bay Apartments plans to submit development plans for additional units this month. However, some property owners are not interested in new housing developments. The owner of 5A Rent-a-Space at East Hillsdale Boulevard and the owners of The Marketplace in Metro Center told the city they were not interested in housing.
The council used its April 21 joint City Council and Planning Commission meeting to discuss the housing element and potential changes to sites. While the council largely followed city recommendations around apartments, it decided against any pure residential options at the old OSH site but remained open to mixed-use possibilities. The site had been proposed to have around 200 units. Councilmember Sanjay Gehani touted the area at the April 21 meeting as an excellent place for a nice restaurant on the top floor with unobstructed views. He also thought the site would mitigate some traffic impacts with more housing. The council also wants developments near the water to have amenities to maximize vibrancy and accessibility for the public, like restaurants.
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Mayor Richa Awasthi acknowledged there is a lot of frustration at the council and residential level about state laws requiring a cookie-cutter approach to housing that doesn’t take into account the planned nature of Foster City. She noted many residents are concerned about increased density and its impact on traffic and quality of life, but the council has limited options. She said it now needs to focus on feasible, practical solutions to address its RHNA numbers to meet state requirements.
“I think we are well on the path to having a compliant housing element,” Awasthi said.
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