New life for project at Millbrae's El Rancho Inn

The proposal is the most recent in an evolving line of plans filed by the builder since 2017 to reconstruct the hotel which has accommodated famous guests such as former President Richard Nixon and actress Joan Crawford and was featured in 1983’s hit film “The Right Stuff.”

“I love it,” said Commissioner Catherine Quigg. “It looks beautiful.”

Commission Chair Anders Fung also expressed his admiration for the design.

“It’s a very nice project,” he said.

No decision was made during the meeting, which served as the first formal opportunity for commissioners to review the most recent plans filed in April. Officials examined the project design, compatibility with the neighborhood and traffic flow. The project will be subjected to a community meeting before returning to the commission for further examination.

Plans call for 384 apartments spanning in size between studios to two-bedroom units spread across five floors. Nineteen of the units are slated to be set aside at an affordable rate. There are 560 parking stalls proposed on the site as well.

Andy Davidson, managing partner with Anton Development, said environmental analysis of the project determined neither the hotel or landmark pool and bar are deemed historic.

But noting their relevance to the city’s history, Davidson said his company is committed to incorporating a series of references to the amenities in the new hotel. The fountain statue rescued from the Mills Mansion fire will also be returned to the Wilms family, said Davidson.

The developer intends to subdivide the nearly 7-acre lot into two parcels, reserving roughly 1 acre for the newhotel. Davidson said the hotel is expected to offer between 150 and 200 rooms.

Plans for the hotel are still under construction though, because an operator has not yet been identified. Davidson said discussions are underway with companies such as Marriott, Hyatt and Best Western, but none will commit to a partnership until development entitlement are approved.

City officials are interested in building a hotel at the site to offset the revenue lost by the demolition of the El Rancho Inn, which will be necessary to make way for construction of the housing development, Davidson said.

The El Rancho Inn has been targeted for reconstruction since 2017, when initial plans were filed to build an apartment building with 218 units and a hotel with 152 rooms. At least three more iterations were filed over the past few years, swelling in size to the most recent version.

Some commissioners held back a full assessment of the new proposal until more specific hotel plans could be shown alongside the housing development.

“It feels like we are not seeing the complete picture,” said Commissioner Jean Joh. Similarly, other commissioners called for a detailed financial analysis of the project, which officials said would be available later.

Residents held more critical perspectives of the proposal, claiming Millbrae is already experiencing enough growth with the planned development at the nearby train station. Some critics said additional housing would generate traffic congestion, parking problems and school crowding, among other issues.

“This will highly impact the quality of life and safety of local residents and the community,” said resident Patricia Lam.

Officials were more enthusiastic though, expressing optimism over the chance to catalyze development and advance a project long planned at a central location.

“Hopefully we can put together something the whole community can be proud of,” said Fung.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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