Motel set for new housing in Belmont

“One-hundred and twenty-five fully affordable units is not a project that comes along all that often, if ever, in this city. This is a golden opportunity for us to solve a generational issue,” Commissioner Brian Kulich said.

The multifamily structure will be eight stories and have 152 parking spaces within three levels of parking on the first three floors in an enclosed garage. Around 52 units at 540 square feet will be one-bedroom, 40 units at 815 square feet will be two-bedroom, and 33 units at 935 square feet will have three bedrooms. The site has a combined size of approximately 1.5 acres and is about half a mile from the Belmont Caltrain station. There will be a 6,500-square-foot outdoor recreation area, fitness center, resident club room, homework room, resident services office and a children’s play structure.

“I’m grateful that we have this project before us to address unmet needs for affordable housing in our city. I’m glad we can at least have 125 units built, even though the need is much greater,” Commissioner Peter Meier said.

The project aims to bring in families and those making low incomes. Around 36 units will be for extremely low-income households, with 19 units for formerly homeless veteran tenants. The remaining would target low-income households earning between 50% to 80% of the area median income. The site is near El Camino Real, Caltrain and SamTrans stops, which the council has prioritized to have higher density developments. The development will also help Belmont address its Regional Housing Needs Allocation, a state mandate that requires cities to create zoning conditions to increase housing development opportunities. The proposal utilized state housing density bonuses to add more affordable housing units to project plans.

“It’s a win-win,” Commissioner Gina Latimerlo said about the density bonuses. “The city gets more housing for our essential workers and our police officers and our teachers, and the builders get more units to rent, so it’s economically feasible for them. It’s the right thing to do to get affordable housing for people who can’t afford to buy here.”

However, several nearby residents are worried about the ratio of parking to housing units, which is 152 to 125 units. Others were concerned about ensuring street safety with increased parking and car traffic. Several Malcolm Avenue residents worried about traffic safety going uphill on Belmont Avenue near Malcolm Avenue. Community Development Director Carlos de Melo said the city would require construction to widen Belmont Avenue to improve access and sidewalk usage. The Planning Commission noted state law limits what the city could do about the parking ratio.

Because Bel Mateo Motel is an eligible historic resource, the city and developer will have to show the benefits outweigh the impact of the cultural resource. The application comes from Santa Clara real estate developer ROEM Corporation. Speakers from ROEM said the company has reduced the building mass and pushed it further back away from the street to alleviate concerns. ROEM said the project’s benefits are more affordability for families, proximity to public transit, and sustainability. Commissioner Rocsana Enriquez asked developers to provide more details about building management and services for families, along with accessibility and spacing issues.

The project would remove 25 trees, including one coast redwood and 24 eucalyptus trees. The Planning Commission supported design, permit and density entitlements at its April 19 meeting, with the final decision coming from the council in May, city staff said. Construction would be about two years, according to the submitted project plans.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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