Architectural board continues controversial 90‑unit Milpas mixed‑use project to April 14 after hours of public comment

The Architectural Board of Review on April 1 continued consideration of a proposed four‑story, 108,698‑square‑foot mixed‑use building at 418 North Milpas Street and 915–923 East Gutierrez Street to April 14, directing the applicant to return with design refinements after lengthy public comment and board discussion.

The project would merge the two lots to create a 41,477‑square‑foot parcel, demolish existing structures (including eight residential units on site), and construct a four‑story building with 90 rental units (29 studios, 46 one‑bedrooms and 15 two‑bedrooms) and about 850 square feet of commercial space. The proposal includes 65 residential parking spaces, three commercial spaces and one loading stall. The applicant team told the board nine units would be restricted to very-low‑income households and six would be restricted to moderate-income households; the project team added one additional workforce unit following the Planning Commission hearing.

Why it matters: The project sits in the Milpas commercial corridor, within the city’s Average Unit Size Density (AUD) overlay and seeks benefits under state density bonus law. Several speakers, including the city attorney, warned the board about restrictions under state housing law and the Housing Accountability Act. Neighbors and business owners said the project is out of scale for adjacent residential blocks and expressed concerns about parking, traffic and shading. The board cited design and massing concerns and continued the item to allow the applicant to return with targeted changes.

What the board heard

- Legal and policy context: City attorney David Osterner told the board that, under the Housing Accountability Act, the board cannot reduce density permitted by state or objective standards unless there are health-and-safety grounds. He summarized that a court could order the city to do a "do over" if the city denies or improperly reduces a compliant housing project.

- Applicant presentation: Architect Jan Hakkaiser and land‑use attorney Beth Collins described the proposal as a 90‑unit mixed‑use project intended to…