Major mixed-use housing proposed for San Mateo

“This is a large project, but it’s a big site and offers us the opportunity to build community,” Myers said.

The initial plans suggest three-story buildings lining the Concar Drive frontage with the rest up to five stories tall. Apartments would be a mix of studios as well as one- and two-bedroom units, with 72 offered at below market rates for those with very low income.

City staff is reviewing the proposal that was submitted Friday.

While preliminary, Myers said the proposal complies with the zoning of the city’s 2005-approved Rail Corridor Plan that promotes housing near transit and adheres to the goals of San Mateo’s Climate Action Plan. CCP is under contract to purchase the entire site, which is currently split by three separate owners and the sale would be finalized following an entitlement process Myers anticipated could take more than a year.

The intersection of Concar Drive and Delaware Street is already undergoing rapid transformation with the new Hines office complex recently completed and crews now building 599 units at the mixed-use 12-acre Station Park Green site. Other preliminary proposals include a 64-unit apartment building to the north and Caltrain considering a housing project on a portion of its surface parking lot at the Hayward Park station — a transit stop that’s served as the impetus for much of the development.

Now, the aged shopping center with about 165,000 square feet of retail and surface parking is sought for growth.

Many residents of the nearby Fiesta Gardens, 19th Avenue Park and Sunnybrae neighborhoods are vexed by the rapid rate of redevelopment. Some are even asking for a temporary ban on development in the area until the effects of already-approved projects are realized.

Richard Neve, civics coordinator for the Fiesta Gardens Homeowners Association, said “people are just kind of fed up right now.”

Nestled between the 180-acre mixed-use Bay Meadows development and the Concar intersection, Neve said the push toward transit-oriented is having consequences for existing residents.

“It’s just an excuse to put more housing in, which obviously they need but doing it in such high density around our area it becomes an absolute nightmare for us,” Neve said. “The feeling here is that we’re sharing more than the fair share of the burden.”

Neve also cited a lack of actual traffic improvements to existing neighborhoods that are shouldering the impacts of growth.

Myers acknowledged the need for an extensive community outreach process to further inform what’s planned.

“It’s really important to us to hear good and bad,” Myers said. “We need to engage the community. … Even people that don’t like it, that’s OK, we’ll have good conversations about it.”

The site is best known for its Trader Joe’s, Peninsula Ballet Theatre, 7-Eleven, Shane Co., Ross Dress for Less, TJ Maxx and Rite Aid. The plans suggest retaining a Trader Joe’s and 7-Eleven as part of the neighborhood-serving 35,000 square feet of new retail space incorporated into the site, Myers said.

The Trader Joe’s would remain open until a new location is built on the southwest corner of the site. The 7-Eleven would be relocated into a new Eichler-style building on the northeast corner, Myers said.

While a thorough traffic study would be completed, Myers suggested based on the site’s retail zoning, the housing proposal has the potential to reduce traffic. Still, he noted successful projects such as Bay Meadows rely upon robust transportation-demand management, which a new owner could provide.

“There is no doubt that there are real issues that need to be managed for traffic,” Myers said.

CCP and its partner Brookfield Residential plan to operate Passage at San Mateo in the long term, he said.

Project details

The proposal also suggests four buildings centered around a park and area called the Hub. Two of the buildings are mixed-use with retail, amenities and 10 live/work units. Rooftop decks, workout studios, pools and other “lifestyle” amenities are sprinkled throughout the site.

A new street would cut into the site from Concar Drive and exit at the center of Delaware Street. There is 3.6 acres of publicly accessible parks and open space, which includes several landscaped walkways designed to draw people through the project whether they’re visiting the park or on their way to the train station, Myers said.

A transit-oriented mobility hub called “the Depot” would provide space for bike shares and services like Lyft and Uber. CCP is also looking to collaborate with local private and public shuttle services to coordinate mass-transit services. The Depot would include a coffee shop, co-working space and lockers where deliveries from companies such as Amazon can safely drop off packages at a central address, Myers said.

Parking in the two mixed-use buildings would be provided in ground and underground levels, while stalls for the residential buildings would be above ground with the housing wrapped around the spaces. The plans suggest 1,291 residential parking spaces, 102 visitor spaces and 195 retail spaces.

At the corner of Concar Drive and Delaware Street, a dining and entertainment facility called “seed” would include a handful of food vendors and community meeting space. Emphasizing art as an important part of creating culture and community, Myers said a gallery with the potential for arts programs is proposed along a stretch of Concar Drive.

Myers said he anticipates hosting the first formal community meeting on the pre-application early in 2018 and acknowledged the entire planning process would likely involve numerous public outreach forums and Planning Commission hearings. The proposal may possibly require City Council approval.

Concerns, dialogue

Sunnybrae resident Barb Niss, who’s been striving to organize a homeowners association in her neighborhood, said many feeling the burden of growth and traffic would prefer the council put a moratorium on new development.

“I’d like them to stop all development, especially on that corner between Concar and Delaware, it’s nuts, until we can absorb what’s already there,” Niss said. “They’re going to get a fight.”

Across the street from the shopping center, Hines recently completed 300,000 square feet of office space. Immediately to the north is the 12-acre Station Park Green project that will add 599 housing units, 2 acres of parks and open space, as well as 25,000 square feet of commercial space and 10,000 square feet of office space. Caltrain is in negotiations with a developer to build a multi-family complex with between 100 and 150 units and owners of the AAA office site have suggested 64 residences.

While recognizing the aged shopping center is sought for change, Niss said a preference would be neighborhood-serving retail such as a larger grocer, bank, dry cleaners and other amenities.

Myers suggested offering housing near transit on would reduce trip counts as compared to the amount of retail that could be built under current zoning. He also pointed to an estimated 5,000 jobs in the surrounding area that represent a market demand of employees who could live closer to work.

While recognizing the planning process is ahead, Myers said he hopes to engage the community.

“The best we can do is just have open dialogue about it,” he said.

Visit passagesm.com for more information. City staff is reviewing the proposal before providing information on San Mateo’s website.