Millbrae OKs new development

Following hours of detailed analysis and passionate discussion, officials ultimately accepted the proposal to build 444 housing units, more than 270,000 square feet of offices and up to approximately 30,000 square feet of retail space in three towers up to 10 stories near the BART and Caltrain station.

While much of the conversation among councilmembers was reserved for hashing out lingering terms of a development agreement with applicant Vince Muzzi, community members encouraged officials to approve the project.

“We cannot prevent change, we can only guide it to optimize it. This city and Peninsula needs new housing. And this project provides excellent new housing,” said former mayor Robert Gottschalk.

Alternatively, some residents shared their fears the project will contribute to traffic and parking congestion, overwhelm local schools with new students and create insufficient tax income to offset its heightened infrastructure demands.

“This development will not create enough revenue to sustain the increased population,” said Joe Chen, echoing an ongoing series of concerns shared by critical residents over the past few months through the approval process.

To ameliorate such reservations, councilmembers negotiated from the dais with Muzzi who expressed a willingness to hike the amount of retail space in his project by about 15,000 square feet.

Lee though suggested he believes the amount of retail space offered is still inadequate, hence his vote against the project. His opposition has remained consistent in decisions regarding development at the train station, voting also against another mixed-use project at the site and the policy loosening building regulations in the 116-acre area near the intersection of Millbrae Avenue and El Camino Real.

Councilmembers’ approval of the Muzzi project comes two weeks after permitting another proposal comprised of 150,000 square feet of offices, nearly 30,000 square feet of retail space, 400 new housing units and a hotel on BART land near the station.

The Muzzi proposal could return before officials for further consideration of the formal resolution, but councilmembers seemingly cleared most of the substantial hurdles laying the groundwork for development.

One linchpin requiring further negotiation is the project’s impact on a neighboring home, as a corner of one of the proposed towers may infringe on the allowable design guidelines for large developments near single-family homes.

The setback policy limiting height was established to prevent homes from being overwhelmed by neighboring development, which could require Muzzi to refine his project design.

To pave the way for the project’s development, property owner Rob DuCote said he favored amending the zoning of his land from residential to commercial, which may smooth the permitting process.

Councilmembers expressed some skepticism regarding the proposal, but ultimately deferred to the ongoing negotiations between the two property owners to clear the potential logjam.

Officials also rejected Muzzi’s request to avoid millions in park impact fees for the project, expressing concerns regarding the precedent such a decision would set for other large developments. Mayor Gina Papan has suggested she believes as many as 1,200 units could ultimately be built at the area near the station.

Proximity to the central transit hub is a main appeal of the project, said resident Nathan Chan, who encouraged officials to vote in favor.

“We need to have more transit-oriented development because that’s where it makes the most sense to locate people,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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