Calls to further discuss potential changes to an approved 87-unit townhouse development in San Carlos have been declined by the City Council despite requests from residents concerned about traffic and neighborhood fit.
The project at 808 Alameda de las Pulgas, an 11.4-acre site, received Planning Commission approval on May 1 and calls for the construction of homes between 2,525 square feet to 2,950 square feet with a mix of two, three and four bedrooms and 206 total parking spots. The proposal from Veev Group has been in the works for seven years and led to resident concern about increased noise, traffic and landslide potential, leading to calls for the council to review the project approval by the Planning Commission.
At its May 8 meeting, the council decided against further discussion, citing state housing law through the Housing Accountability Act that prevents the city from making significant changes, like adding more affordable housing. The Housing Accountability Act limits a city’s ability to reject proposals for housing developments that satisfy general plan and zoning requirements.
Mayor Adam Rak said he would not pursue an agenda item because there was nothing the council could do to modify the project at the current point given.
“After speaking with outside counsel and researching this, it appears to me there is not really an option to get any more affordable housing out of that,” Rak said.
Recommended for you
Councilmember Sara McDowell shared his concerns about affordable housing and hoped the city could have discussions in future years.
“After some long and thoughtful consideration, the Housing Accountability Act does limit our abilities as local elected officials to make additional mandates or request additional changes once the application has been deemed complete,” McDowell said.
Several residents spoke at the May 8 meeting and asked the council to discuss the issue further, noting the boxy design did not meld with the neighborhoods and stuck out like a sore thumb. Residents have previously argued removing 260 of 385 trees on the site will increase landslide risk, while increased traffic will also be a long-term problem. The project calls for Alameda de las Pulgas to become a public street connecting the site to the north and, eventually, Coronado Avenue.
The 11.4-acre site was once the location of the Black Mountain Spring Water Company. Parts of that bottling factory, which was active from 1940 to 2000, still sit on the site, including an underground tunnel used to harvest water from a natural spring on the eastern end of the property. In 2015, city officials sought to preserve the Black Mountain property, a site made up of three hills totaling 25 acres along Alameda de las Pulgas between Madera Avenue and Melendy Drive, through a $45 million bond measure, Measure V. However, it ended up with only 39.5% of voters backing the tax, below the 66% needed.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.