South San Francisco's Bertolucci’s to become mixed-use development

“I know it’s such a historical place for our town and I think it’s going to give it new life,” Funes Ozturk said.

Peter Sodini’s, the owner of Bertolucci’s, a landmark Italian eatery — opened in 1928 as a boarding house — and was purchased by Sodini in 2005 after the Bertoluccis retired. The restaurant closed amid the pandemic and will reportedly reopen in the new building, potentially called Sodini’s. The project transforms three parcels comprised of the closed restaurant, a vacant residential building and a surface parking lot into a mixed-use development that depicts historical character from its brick base and a reproduction of the original Bertolucci’s sign.

Funes Ozturk said she hopes the restaurant will have live music.

The project’s site is a quarter mile away from the Caltrain plaza yet the ground floor would include 90 parking spots. It will have mechanical stackers and nine regular parking stalls, five ADA compliant. The upper levels of the building’s apartments will be a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom units from 560 square feet to 1,610 square feet. The city requires all residential developments of five or more units to have a minimum of 15% of the units be affordable. Fifteen of the units will be below market rate, 10 designated for lower income and five units for very low income, according to a staff report.

The Planning Commission reviewed the development in August and recommended approval to the City Council for final review but the application was placed on hold pending the adoption of the city’s new general plan and zoning code that became effective last month. Therefore, the project no longer requires a general plan amendment, zoning map amendment or a use permit to allow multiunit residential development on the project site, according to the staff report.

Sodini, a Burlingame resident, also owns Golden Boy Pizza, with its original San Francisco location and newer location in San Mateo.