Plans revealed for 420 units in Burlingame

The plans have yet to be reviewed by the city’s Planning Commission. The developer, Hanover Company, is requesting to build a larger structure than ordinarily allowed by the city in exchange for providing “community benefits,” which could be an increased number of below-market-rate units, amenities open to the public or upgrades to nearby infrastructure.

The units will be arranged around three courtyards, and a public plaza is shown at the corner of the lot bordered by Rollins Road and a drainage canal. Plans also indicate a 9,300-square-foot lobby and amenities building on the 4.7-acre parcel.

The site is currently home to two single-story structures that would be demolished. The adjacent canal serves as the line between Millbrae and Burlingame. Directly on the other side of the canal, in Millbrae, a 570,000-square-foot biotech campus designed for more than 2,000 employees was approved last year.

The two cities plan to transform the area, near the Millbrae Caltrain and BART, into an urban walkable neighborhood, with housing, biotech and retail on the Millbrae side and large residential buildings moving into Burlingame. The Burlingame portion of the neighborhood is expected to bring in well over 1,200 new residents.

Hanover, the developer of the proposed apartment building, late last year was granted entitlements to construct a 480-unit building in South San Francisco. The City Council there reluctantly approved the plans amid concerns much of the construction would be carried out by nonunion workers. According to a Hanover spokesperson, the property owner for that project has since pulled out of the deal and is seeking a new developer.