Iconic Autobahn seeks upgrades: Belmont considers Mercedes dealer’s remodel, expansion

Although plans were approved two years ago to expand the 51,000-square-foot site by about 5,300 square feet, several new upgrades were proposed earlier this year.

Now, Autobahn seeks to reconstruct a 58,800-square-foot facility that would continue to include a sales showroom, office space, waiting area, retail space, car wash, service drive and more, according to a city staff report.

“It’s a dealership today and they want to keep it a dealership, it’s just going to be a much more efficient building,” said Belmont Community Development Director Carlos de Melo. “And it’s a nice design that kind of preserves some of the architectural integrity they have today.”

One of the most notable changes to the proposal is to remove its current canopied outdoor showroom and increase its indoor sales display area from 6,238 square feet to 20,000 square feet. Accommodating the increase in showroom space would involve reducing its existing service bays from 27 to nine, which would reduce the square footage from 13,729 square feet to 7,300 square feet. The majority of its service functions would be shifted to its nearby 3.3-acre site, located about a mile south on unincorporated San Mateo County land at 500 Harbor Blvd., according to the report.

Construction is anticipated to take about 15 months if approved, and Autobahn would work out of a temporary 6,600-square-foot building set up across the street on Island Parkway, according to de Melo and the report.

The Mercedes dealer received city approvals to redevelop the site in 2014, but decided to expand slightly more as it sought to make building and operational efficiencies, de Melo said. On Tuesday, The council will consider a conceptual development plan amendment after the Planning Commission conditionally approved the required entitlements last month.

A request for comment to Autobahn was not returned.

Belmont Finance Director Thomas Fil said the dealership is one of the city’s largest sales tax revenue generators. Fil added a redevelopment would involve reassessing the property value and therefore increase its property tax contributions as well.

De Melo noted updating the circa-1997 existing facility would have structural benefits as well.

“Green building codes, modern building codes, everything’s going to get the benefit of code amendments and seismic upgrades,” de Melo said. “There’s a lot of good that will come with the new building.”

The entire 5.8-acre project site includes two parcels — a 3.6-acre western parcel is where the existing facility as well as parking areas and landscaping are located, while a 2.2-acre eastern parcel across the street is primarily used as the parking lot for sales and service vehicles, according to the report.

The newly proposed building footprint, position and orientation are similar to what was approved in 2014 with showroom displays continuing to remain visible to the highway. The building height and parking spots would also primarily remain the same, according to the report.

But one improvement over the last few years is the design, which will continue to keep with what many have grown accustomed to, de Melo said.

“At the end of the day, they came back to the site and the layout and they thought, ‘let’s just make the building a little more efficient,’” de Melo said. “The best attribute is the design. The design previously was kind of a squared-off look; this look has more of the iconic steel and glasswork. So it’s keeping that same look you’d see while driving on Highway 101.”

The Belmont City Council meets 7 p.m. May 10 at City Hall, 1 Twin Pines Lane.

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