Redevelopment sought for Burger King site in Millbrae

The project at the corner of Hillcrest Boulevard would offer nine of the for-sale units at an affordable rate and Sorensen’s notice indicates the intent is to reserve those spaces for Millbrae public workers.

“We seek to be providing a portion of the units for school district employees and other people working at the city of Millbrae. We will be considering veterans, teachers and a percentage of affordable housing in the project,” according to the notice.

The six-story project seeks to replace the existing eatery with the one-, two- and three-bedroom units spread across the five stories over a ground floor of office space and parking.

The development is slated to offer 98 parking stalls, 67 on the ground floor structure and 31 in an exterior lot. A common courtyard will be shared by 63 interior units in the project, which is expected to also feature a roof deck.

Sorensen hosted a community meeting at the Millbrae Library earlier this summer under an effort to gauge community perspectives and potential concerns regarding the project.

Despite the developer’s best efforts, some harbor reservations regarding the potential impact of the project.

Art Cruz, whose mother lives nearby on Hemlock Avenue, said his family fears the development would harm their quality of life if built as proposed.

Traffic and parking congestion invited by a project towering over a neighborhood of single-family homes are the primary issues raised by Cruz.

“The concern is that it’s too large and it really isn’t compatible with where it is placed,” he said.

Sorensen did not respond to requests for comment on this article. City spokesman Trent Sunahara said officials have received preliminary project proposals from the developer and are seeking additional amendments and details.

Beyond the issues raised by Cruz, which mirror reservations commonly expressed by those living near large development proposals, the redevelopment stands to have even further reaching repercussions.

The Burger King parking lot offers parking spaces to the nearby Tai Wu restaurant, which has generated headaches for many living nearby. Should the redevelopment move ahead and the parking be lost, the Chinese eatery may be forced to reconsider its use permit with the city.

Last year, officials temporarily allowed the restaurant to keep operating, so long as it could show proof of agreements offering 120 parking spots. Tai Wu itself has no on-site parking. The Burger King site offered 30 spots.

If the restaurant could not show proof of an agreement for the Burger King spots, or an equivalent amount elsewhere, officials had suggested reducing its maximum capacity by 38 diners. Sunahara said officials have no comment on the discussion regarding parking impacts on Tai Wu’s permit.

The restaurant came to the brink of losing its use permit due to the variety of similar issues raised in 2014, before officials implemented the preferential parking program for residents. Management was also required to come up with sound mitigation to address the noise concerns.

The development proposal is the second in a few months within half a mile of the site, as city officials are also reviewing an interest in rebuilding Millbrae’s landmark El Rancho Inn into a residential development offering more than 300 apartments, alongside 168 hotel rooms and retail space.

Sorensen said he hopes the project offers an improvement to the quality of life in Millbrae for workers who may otherwise be struggling to afford the skyrocketing cost of living locally.

“We want to address the housing shortage in the city and make some long-term solutions on El Camino Real,” he said, according to the notice.

While recognizing the intent of the development, Cruz said his mother still worries about the scope of the design and the ways an influx of development may change the neighborhood.

“She’s concerned about the overall size of the proposal,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 105