October 10, 2011, 03:30 AM By Bill Silverfarb Daily Journal staff
Developers are being sought to build the first round of housing for the
second phase of the Bay Meadows project in San Mateo that will
eventually see more than 1,100 units of rental and for-sale properties
on the 83-acre site.
A request for proposals by Wilson Meany Sullivan is seeking a builder
for 156 townhomes, just south of where a 12-acre community park will be
constructed, said Janice Thacher, project manager with WMS.
Construction should start in 2012, Thacher told a group of Parks
and Recreation commissioners during a tour of the site last week.
The commissioners visited the site to weigh in on the last
details of a large community park that will eventually be deeded to the
city to manage.
The high-density transit-oriented development, tucked between the
Hillsdale and Hayward Park Caltrain stations east of El Camino Real,
will also feature more than 715,000 square feet of office space and
93,000 square feet of space set aside for retail.
So far, WMS has leveled the former horse race track to construct
the beginning infrastructure for the project, including roads,
landscaping, lighting and a pond.
The parks segment of the project has been in the works since 2005
and the commission gave its last recommendations to WMS last week for a
12-acre park that will feature soccer and baseball fields.
The project will also feature a 1.5-acre neighborhood park and
1.5-acre linear park which will also one day be maintained by San Mateo.
The site of the bigger park is intended to serve as the
stormwater retention facility for the entire development and WMS has
constructed a pond adjacent to Saratoga Drive to handle excess water
during wet weather.
Park and Recreation commissioners had one last request for the developer, however, to build a bathroom facility at the park.
“Our only reservation was the lack of rest room facilities,” said Dave Morrison, chair of the commission.
The park will be used for youth and adult sports leagues, Morrison said.
The park will be built first as a feature element to help sell and complete the project, Morrison said.
Wetland gardens will also be a feature of the park as will picnic areas, bicycle racks and pedestrian pathways around the pond.
The community park will feature 41 parking stalls for visitors, Thacher said.
Submitted by Jim Alex
8 comments:
How civilized, a modern high density transit-oriented mixed-use development. Here's a simple drawing of the residential and park strip area.
Office space, retail, 12 acre sports field park, easy-access transportation, 1,100 housing units in 83 acres (slightly less than the quarry). Plus a big boost to the city economy. Wow! That would never work here.
Similar project appropriate to Pacifica, the developer would be required to give half the land to "open space" (because 50-60% "empty space" in this broken city is not enough). Then there would be all those complaints about the "concrete gang" including "paving over the ocean". Traffic would be the #1 complaint, 1,100 cars on highway 1. The WWTP would not be able to accommodate the 1,100 toilets flushing at the same time. The developer would be discredited in many creative ways, and there would be threats of lawsuits.
And, what's funny about this, with the transportation DEIR public comments and the prior library surveys-- without the population and economics to support it, those who did participate want the entire "free lunch". Think there might be a disconnect?
At last night's council meeting, a rep from the financial group which currently owns the quarry property spoke and mentioned that they have been shopping the property around; six seperate parties had shown significant interest in the property, but ultimately passed on it. The last entity was an outlet group.
So, for whatever reason, at least one outlet developer didn't care for the site.
So every city can but Pacifica!!
I think she was a rep from the planner company not the financial group that owns the quarry.
But then again the fact mean nothing to the hippies
Mission accomplished, NIMBYs. We get to stay poor forever. Well done, guys.
Developer's want a sure thing not a project encumbered by 5 or 6 regulatory agencies with all kinds of oversight and public interest. Litigation is a given. Why bother when there are plenty of properties in the Bay Area that are an easy and relatively trouble free deal. They're not oceanfront but that's ok for most projects. Cities and developers form public/private partnerships when it makes sense for both parties. The real problem is we haven't much space to develop so all the attention goes to the quarry. How about working with space already zoned commercial like either of our rundown shopping centers? Outlets at Linda Mar? uh oh, slow down... all new NIMBY CROSSING ahead.
Jim,
I was at the meeting and took particular note of the fact that she was repping a financial outfit -- I was just personally interested by it. I also spoke with her very briefly about the outlet retailer.
I'll bet the owner is anxious to unload that white elephant. Keep dropping the price and some sucker will bite.
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