San Mateo’s longtime vacant lot on the corner of West Third Avenue and South El Camino Real could be the site of a new three-story office building, despite the property’s history of failed development attempts and a regional decline in the commercial real estate market.
The updated project plans were presented to the Planning Commission on Tuesday, Jan 23, which comprise an approximately 20,000-square-foot building sandwiched among a mix of multi-unit residential buildings and commercial spaces. The former gas station lot was demolished in 2014, and while preapplications for new projects were submitted in 2017 and 2019, Evan Sockalosky, principal at Arc Tec, said he is hopeful this can move forward in light of recent changes.
“The reason we weren’t able to move forward was because we were in the process of doing the application when the city’s parking requirements changed and, at the time, the parking requirements required us to have 50% parking on site, and the site is very constrained … It simply wasn’t feasible to do,” Sockalosky said. “The opportunity arose with [Assembly Bill] 2097, and it allowed us to bring the project back to life.”
AB 2097, passed in 2022, prohibits local jurisdictions from enforcing minimum parking requirements on residential or commercial projects provided they are within a half-mile of public transit, and the 2 W. Third Ave. project would fall in close proximity to the downtown Caltrain station.
But the proposed development received scrutiny during a neighborhood meeting last November, with the bulk of comments opposing the lack of residential use and available parking spaces. Resident concerns during the meeting’s public comment period also shed light on the unusual timing of the commercial project.
“This site on Third has been vacant for a long time, and it feels very ripe for housing, especially in an area that is badly in need of it. I’m really curious what conditions would be needed to make housing possible on this site,” said resident Jordan Grimes, also resilience manager with Greenbelt Alliance. “I’m pretty surprised to see an office project moving forward at a time when commercial real estate is really struggling, not only here but in the Bay Area.”
The project also received design feedback from commissioners, with some stating the development didn’t take into account the style of the surrounding area well enough.
“I don’t feel that this building has taken that extra step to really showcase how beautiful that area is, and I know that the architects have the skill set to improve it and I have to assume they will,” said Planning Commission Chair John Ebneter.
After the project design plans are updated, the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing process for further review.
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