Single-family homes in works in San Mateo

Measure T increased height and density limits in several areas throughout the city, including the areas near Caltrain stations, though prior to the November election, Community Development Director Zach Dahl said developers used a wait-and-see approach before submitting their applications.

"With a lot of the projects, they were waiting to see the outcome of where the general plan was going to go and that would then guide what type of application they would put in," Dahl said.

The ballot measure repealed parts of Measure Y, which capped most building heights to five stories. But state housing goals, or the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, have become more ambitious over the years, and with that, the city's assigned RHNA numbers have also increased. The city must plan for about 7,000 housing units for the 2023-31 RHNA cycle.

Over the past year and a half, a sluggish macroeconomic climate has only made the financial lending landscape more challenging. About halfway through last year, nine out of the 15 commercial or multi-unit residential projects in San Mateo requested extensions, with almost all of them submitting the request in 2023. Large developments like Block 21 and the Caltrain-adjacent Hayward Park Station building have been approved by the city but have yet to break ground — although others, like the mixed-use development at 477 Ninth Ave., is expected to start construction in the spring.

"It really is project specific in terms of where the developer is with their financing," Dahl said.

Other development proposals

Originally a mixed-use development, the Post and Beam project, located at 668 E. Third Ave., recently pivoted to a fully-residential building, now proposing an eight-story building with 125 units.

Another is at 715 N. San Mateo Drive, which would replace two one-story commercial buildings previously used for a Ford dealership and a single-family residence for a 181-unit, six-story residential building.

The other proposals include a storage facility at 922 Claremont St., a 75-unit site at 1218 Monte Diablo Ave., in North Shoreview, and 2 W. Third Ave.

"We are seeing an uptick in development applications being submitted post-Measure T," Dahl said. "In general, there is a correlation to the study areas and these development applications. Not all of them are maximizing the height and density limits but a lot are utilizing them."

Dahl added there haven't been as many extension requests in recent months as there were in the early part of last year.

"The other projects are still operating under the extensions they were granted last year, so we haven't seen a lot of new extension requests but most projects still have time under their current deadlines or extended deadlines," he said.

alyse@smdailyjournal.com

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