A plan to replace an aging office campus with 256 for-sale condominiums and single-family homes was unanimously approved by the San Mateo Planning Commission Feb. 10.
The development — first proposed last year — is located near Highway 101 and not far from the Hayward Park Caltrain station. Plans entail demolishing seven three-story office buildings and a single-story commercial building at 1650-1720 S. Amphlett Blvd. and replacing them with 192 townhome-style condominiums and 64 detached single-family homes, 38 of which would be for moderate-income households, according to a staff report.
“It’s another great use of a site that’s way underutilized,” Commissioner Margaret Williams said.
Like other recently reviewed development proposals, like the 668 E. Third Ave. residential project, the application is subject to several state laws to expedite the approval and review process, including Senate Bill 330 and Assembly Bill 330, a recently passed law that expands exemptions from the California Environmental Quality Act.
Commissioners generally supported the project, though Chair Seema Patel said she was “a little bit disappointed” that the project had relatively low density.
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However, building new for-sale units is a small share of new development, a concern cited among many city leaders, as new units are added to housing stock. It’s even more rare for developers to build brand-new single-family neighborhoods in areas like the Peninsula.
“I think it works nicely as the missing middle housing that we want to plan for as part of our general plan,” Williams said.
The vote comes as San Mateo has seen a surge in proposals since voters approved Measure T in November 2024, which raised height limits in parts of downtown and near transit to encourage more housing.
The developments help the city’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or state-mandated housing production targets. The total number of units in all of the city’s current development applications comprise more than half of the city’s RHNA figures for the 2023-31 cycle.
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