More housing proposed for north Burlingame

The proposal, which is still in the formative planning stages and is yet to be examined by the Planning Commission, is the most recent in a growing line of developments targeting the area.

Recognizing the prevailing interest made possible by officials recently deciding to loosen development policies in the area, Community Development Director Kevin Gardiner said he expects a new neighborhood to soon emerge.

“This area around the Millbrae BART station will become an urban hub,” said Gardiner.

At 1870 El Camino, Prime Investment Group proposed 169 units, 17 of which will be set aside for those earning between 80% to 120% of the area median income. The side of the building facing El Camino Real will be seven stories and the portion facing California Drive will rise to eight stories, said Gardiner. The ground floor of the building facing El Camino Real will be occupied by the gym accommodating tenants as well as other building amenities.

Gardiner said the project is not designed to include retail on the ground floor, as so many other similar residential projects do, because many of the services likely sought by tenants could be found at the shopping center across El Camino Real.

“This is a project that is largely consistent with the vision of the general plan and zoning created to implement the general plan in this area,” he said. “This part of the city is where the city has focused new residential development and transit-oriented development, and the thinking is this is the right place to put new units, given it is just one block away from the Millbrae BART and Caltrain station.”

He said he expects project plans to reach the Planning Commission in the early part of next year.

The proposed development site is not the only eyed for rebuilding in the area, said Gardiner, who added interest has been floated to build more homes at the nearby corner of California and Murchison drives.

While details on the proposal are not ready to be discussed because plans have not been formally filed, Gardiner said he expects additional development could be on the horizon.

Those two proposals would join other redevelopment plans underway nearby. Property owner Mario Muzzi is planning to develop his land across the street at 1766 El Camino Real into a building with 60 residential units and more than 155,000 square feet of office space.

Roughly one mile away at 1868 Ogden Drive, developer Stanley Lo is proposing to build 120 units in a six-story development which includes cultural art space. And across the street from that, the Peninsula Health Care District is proposing a wellness community, where plans call for nearly 500 units for senior citizens plus a 100,000-square-foot Center for Community Health which will be a multi-purpose hub with many community-serving amenities.

All this development in Burlingame is walking distance from the Millbrae train station, where several hundred additional housing units have been proposed, as well as sweeping commercial developments, retail spaces and a hotel.

Considering the variety of projects on the horizon, Gardiner said he imagines the entire area will soon look very different.

“I think over time this will start to become a district with some critical mass,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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