A construction project at 1 Willow Glen in Millbrae will include 278 multi-family dwelling units and 17,210 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.
Millbrae has issued roughly 18% of the 2,199 new unit building permits it needs to meet its 2023-31 state housing element requirements — however, if the city includes new units that have been entitled, that allocation will rise to nearly 50% of its requirement, staff said.
The California Department of Housing and Development mandated that the city bring 2,199 new housing units to the city by 2031, including 575 very-low income units and 331 low-income units, in a housing element process designed to alleviate California’s housing crisis.
Thus far, the city has approved permits for 408 of those 2,199 new units. They are largely from the 278 units included in the 2024 One Meadow Glen complex and 97 residential units in the 2025 1301 Broadway development.
The state does not allow cities to count units that have only been entitled if building permits have not been issued. However, Millbrae has two large-scale, entitled housing developments in the works that will contribute significantly to meeting its new housing numbers, Community Development Director Brad Misner said.
“The numbers may sometimes seem skewed,” he said. “You may look at how many units have been permitted, [which] does not account for the number of units that have been entitled.”
A project at 150 Serra Ave, known as Serra Station, includes 488 entitled units, though it’s been held up by issues with the adjacent high-speed rail project.
“We have some issues we’re working through with high-speed rail before the project comes in for plan review for building permits,” Misner said. “We’re encouraged the project has a pathway forward, but it’s going to take some time before we know for certain when building permits could be issued.”
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Another planned development, at the El Rancho Inn at 1100 El Camino Real, will include 384 new units. Misner said permitting approvals are expected for the project this year.
The city, which will need to see roughly 200 new building permit approvals each year to stay on track with its housing requirements, is consistently fielding interest from developers, particularly around its transit station, he said.
“We have a number of inquiries coming in on a frequent basis about prospective projects in the city, people looking at our specific plan, looking at our station area for other projects as well,” Misner said.
Millbrae’s recent development plans have been highly predicated on its proximity to transit, though councilmembers voiced concerns at a previous meeting that prior BART suggestions to close its Millbrae station if it does not close a massive $376 million funding gap could negatively impact the city.
Generally, the city is in a solid position moving forward, Misner said.
“I just wanted to see if we're on track, and it seems like, based on these numbers, we are,” Councilmember Bob Nguyen said.
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