A new housing development proposal that would tear down the popular restaurant Fish Market in San Mateo has been submitted to the city for review.
The proposal calls for a new multi-family development located at 1885 S Norfolk St. of five stories and 321 multi-family apartment units, with 15% devoted to very low income. The 490,000 square foot building would be 60 feet in height. The ground floor would consist of residential apartments and amenities, a leasing office, mail rooms, storage, utility rooms and parking. The upper floors would have residential apartments, parking and utility rooms. The plan calls for 188 one-bedroom units, 109 two-bedroom and 24 studios. The one-bedroom units mostly range from 589 square feet to 729. The two-bedroom units range from 1,071 square feet to 1,175. The applicant is Windy Hill.
The central above-grade parking garage would contain 376 on-site parking spaces serving the residents, guests, and building staff. Floor 1 would have 104 spaces, floor two through four has 66, and floor five 70. Around 145 spots will be compact. There will be a ratio of 1.17 spaces per unit for residents. The 3.18-acre site has South Norfolk Street to the west, Seal Slough on the east, Susan Court to the north and Fashion Island Boulevard to the south. The surrounding site areas outside the development include the San Mateo Public Library Marina Branch, a shopping center and a gas station.
The proposal is significantly different than the previous March 2021 housing development suggested for the Fish Market site. The plan from Trumark Properties, LLC called for 74 single-family waterfront townhomes that would have also demolished the Fish Market and all other structures. The smaller project called for developing a 20-foot-wide parcel along the slough as a waterfront pedestrian path for the public, with options for two, three and four bedrooms. It would have only been around 127,000 square feet for residents and 178 parking spaces. However, the applicant later withdrew the plan, city staff said last month.
The pandemic led to financial difficulties for the Fish Market chain and many restaurants in the Bay Area. Its Palo Alto and Santa Clara locations closed temporarily during the pandemic, and its San Jose location closed permanently. However, the San Mateo location has operated there since 1982 and remains a popular restaurant with residents. In 2021, when the townhouse application was submitted, management said it did not plan on closing the San Mateo location as it has a lease for the next several years.
The project is in the preliminary planning application phase and must go through several steps before it can be approved. The developer has scheduled a neighborhood meeting for 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, and a Planning Commission study session is scheduled for Tuesday, July 26. People can contact mike@windyhillpv.com for more information about the neighborhood meeting. Anyone who wants more information about the project can go to cityofsanmateo.org/4624/60845/1885-S-Norfolk-St-Multi-Family-Developme for details.
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