Planning Commission rejects El Torito project in Foster City

Chair Evan Adams worried about public amenities disappearing. He believed a restaurant was a viable option at the site, expressing concern the land use change to biotech does not conform with general plan goals.

“I’m extremely concerned with the continued loss of public amenities such as restaurants becoming single-use biotech. I’ve said from the beginning: I’m in favor of this project only if it was a biotech and public amenity for our city,” Adams said.

Foster City has no residential land available to grow to balance additional job growth and is concerned about its increased housing cycle numbers through the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA. The RHNA cycle of 2023-2031 calls for 1,896 units in Foster City, a 341% increase from Foster City’s last cycle of 430. The growth occurs due to Foster City being near high opportunity areas with proximity to jobs, with Foster City struggling to meet its previous cycle.

The proposed application from SteelWave and Helios Real Estate would turn the 2.2-acre site from the vacant El Torito building into a life sciences building. The four-story building would have three levels of office space over a level of parking and be approximately 124,000 square feet. Around half would be lab space, with the other half office space. It includes 210 parking. The building is at the intersection of Vintage Park Drive and Chess Drive and is near the Bridgepointe shopping center in San Mateo.

Commissioner Charlie Bronitsky wanted a preference for prevailing wages and local hiring included. Prevailing wages protect local labor markets from contractors from elsewhere and create a floor that wages cannot drop below to restrict labor exploitation. Several local union contractors also spoke and asked for project denial because of the lack of local union work. Bronitsky believed the project increases traffic issues for people who work in Foster City and commute to the East Bay because of the lack of affordable housing. He did not see the project as beneficial in the long run.

“Your project exacerbates that,” Bronitsky said of the traffic problems. “I don’t see how there’s any denial that your project exacerbates that. Maybe it’s a minor exacerbation, but it’s the only one today we can control.”

Vice Chair Ravi Jagtiani thought the parking and lack of a tenant was an issue. Jagtiani felt the site could have a restaurant back. Commissioner Nicolas Haddad voted to accept the project. The commission voted 3-1 to not recommend to the council to modify the site zoning laws to allow the project or approve a site use permit, with Haddad voting no. Commissioner Phoebe Venkat was absent.

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