Planning Commission supports bigger condo development in San Mateo

Developer Wall Street Properties recently redesigned the structure to ensure it blends with the street and neighborhood. The Spanish and Mediterranean-inspired style has clay roof tiles, stucco walls and bronze metal details. The redesign also proposed moving the building back 5 feet from the sidewalk. Wall Street Properties said it would provide more condo options for people who cannot afford to buy homes and those looking to downsize.

Despite the changes, the city wanted the development to be more compatible with objective design standards for new multifamily development projects in the area around building mass and scale. Even with landscaping changes and stepping back the building along East Third Avenue and South Fremont Street, concerns remained about its overall design and compatibility with the neighborhood. Wall Street Properties has requested eliminating the building step-back and transition from adjacent single-family residents in the area the city requested. Regan Catanzaro, the applicant with Wall Street Properties, said scaling back the building in some areas could result in the loss of 14 units, affecting housing options and below-market value units. There are 16 one-bedroom options, 20 two-bedroom and four three-bedroom units. Four units are in the very low-income category.

“We will continue to work with staff in addressing these issues during the formal application process. We do meet most of the multifamily design guidelines and conform with almost all of the requirements for a building in this area,” said Regan Catanzaro, the applicant with Wall Street Properties.

While the commissioners understood the neighbor’s concerns about fitting in with the area, the priority of adding more housing was cited for not making additional building mass changes.

“I’m very sympathetic to the commenters who mentioned the adjacent single-family homes, but given the legal considerations and the percentage of units that would be lost by the transition, I would find it hard to accommodate that transition given those circumstances,” Commissioner Seema Patel said.

Some commissioners expressed concern about the parallels between this development and a 2018 condo development proposal on North El Camino Real at 4 W. Santa Inez Ave. that the city denied approval to because of concerns about height. The decision led to a legal battle, with the California Court of Appeals ruling in September that the decision did not meet the Housing Accountability Act requirements. The city has decided not to appeal and will pay $450,000 in attorney fees and costs to petitioners.

Commissioner Adam Nugent said the importance of increasing housing units meant the city needed to work with the applicant to find a compromise. He noted he lived in this neighborhood and said the project would free up room for additional people to move in.

“I do want to share my neighborhood with more people. I think that’s important. We have a lot of people who are currently living in overcrowded homes. While this one project is not going to solve that, it does move the needle a little bit,” Nugent said.

Vice Chair Margaret Williams agreed with the rest of the commissioners on design style and landscaping, but she felt the building was too big and should move back at the upper story levels to address the neighbor’s concerns.

“I think a little bit of effort could be made to reduce the massing of this building and impact on the neighbors,” Williams said.

The commissioners accepted the Mediterranean style but wanted a new color scheme and some balcony design changes.

“I am not a fan of the color at all. I think it needs to change,” Commissioner John Ebneter said.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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