Settlement reached between San Mateo, housing nonprofit

HAC’s lawsuit stated that several properties listed in San Mateo’s housing element as candidates for residential housing construction in the next several years were deemed unrealistic. Some included an 8-acre portion of the Bridgepointe Shopping Center parking lot, which is listed as a likely housing site by 2031. The complaint says that “many of the retail and restaurant uses that depend on the parking lot are new, and have long-term leases that run for most or all of the planning period,” adding that the businesses have not shown any intention of relocating. Other dubious housing sites per the suit included Parkside Plaza Shopping Center, 1900 S. Norfolk St. and the Borel Shopping Center.

As part of the recent agreement, the city will consider removing the nine sites from its housing element and replacing them with other properties, subject to approval from the City Council and the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development.

According to a press release June 20, the city credited the November passage of Measure T — which increased height and density limits in several areas of the city, including near Caltrain stops — with the ability to more easily identify alternative housing sites that were previously unavailable prior to the election. The city also contributed $250,000 to its Housing Set Aside Fund, which “will directly facilitate affordable housing developments,” the release said.

“Resolving this case will allow the city to focus more of its resources on processing the influx of housing development applications submitted since the approval of Measure T by the voters,” Mayor Rob Newsom said in a statement.

The settlement will “help ensure that both the current and future San Mateo residents have more options for places to live,” Corey Smith, executive director of Housing Action Coalition, said.

As part of its 2023-31 housing element, San Mateo must plan for 7,015 new housing units.