Planning commission approves 140‑unit apartment project at 500–580 Masonic Way after contentious public comment

The Belmont City Planning Commission voted 5‑1 Tuesday to approve a by‑right application for a 140‑unit apartment development at 500–580 Masonic Way presented by Prometheus Real Estate Group. The motion (application PA2023‑032, assessor parcel 4,031,510) approved design review, a grading plan, a tree removal permit, an affordable housing plan, a transportation demand management plan and state density bonus entitlements. The vote followed a lengthy staff presentation, an applicant design presentation and extensive public comment expressing safety, traffic and neighborhood‑character concerns.

Staff summary and legal context

Deputy Community Development Director Laura Russell told commissioners the project would demolish the existing commercial center on the block bounded by Masonic Way, Granada Street, Wessex Way and Hiller Street and build a roughly 147,000‑square‑foot, five‑story building with 140 dwelling units (39 studios, 68 one‑bedrooms and 33 two‑bedrooms). The proposal includes 25 affordable units, 138 vehicle parking spaces and 142 bicycle parking spaces. Staff reported the proposed floor‑area‑ratio is about 2.73; the underlying zoning limit is 1.5 but density bonus law allows an increase (the applicant’s analysis shows a 70‑unit base project and a 70‑unit density bonus for a total of 140 units).

Russell explained the project is eligible for “by‑right” processing under state housing law (the presentation referenced the Housing Crisis Act, described in the staff presentation as Senate Bill 330) and the California state density bonus law. Because the site is a carry‑forward site from the city’s certified housing element and the proposal includes a qualifying share of lower‑income units, the project must be reviewed against objective development standards only; under the statute, such qualifying projects are not subject to the…