San Bruno planning commission approves 35‑unit condo at 271 El Camino Real with conditions

The San Bruno Planning Commission on March 17 approved permits allowing the construction of a four‑story, 35‑unit condominium at 271 El Camino Real, contingent on conditions addressing design, parking and construction impacts.

Staff presented the project as a four‑story building with 35 residential units — including four market‑rate units — and an attached two‑story rear building with two accessory dwelling units. The commission was shown updated renderings that replaced clear balcony glass with opaque glazing "reflecting feedback from the commission," staff said, to reduce visibility of stored items from the street.

The project requests several discretionary exceptions: a four‑story height where three stories are typical on El Camino Real, an increase in overall height to accommodate a stair tower (staff reported a roof parapet of 49 feet and an overall height up to 55 feet 6 inches), a reduced front setback in portions of the building (as close as two feet where the standard average is 10 feet), and a parking reduction from the standard requirement (from 53 spaces down to 51 under the density bonus). Staff said sidewalks in the public right‑of‑way will be rebuilt to meet minimum width standards and that required visibility measures — including curb red‑striping and convex mirrors at the garage access — are included in the conditions of approval.

On environmental and transportation questions, staff told the commission the project qualified for a CEQA exemption noted in the staff report and that a transportation analysis did not identify significant vehicle‑miles‑traveled impacts; staff also linked a required TDM checklist and CCAC review for ongoing compliance. Staff noted receipt of a comment from the California Housing Defense Fund reminding the city about state housing obligations and density bonus law requirements.

Public comment was limited: staff announced one commenter, Polly Lang; staff and commissioners explained how construction dust and noise will be mitigated under the project conditions and said neighbors can direct complaints to the Community Development Department (building division). Staff also pointed to condition 161, which requires the applicant to designate a disturbance coordinator responsible for responding to local construction complaints, and said the police may be contacted for after‑hours issues.

Commissioner Lahid moved to approve the architectural review permit (AR25‑017), density bonus and the vesting tentative map (TM25‑001). The motion passed as recorded in the transcript: "The vote is 4 1. Motion passes." The approval incorporates the conditions presented in the staff packet, including the design changes, parking/curb adjustments, construction‑impact measures, and required compliance steps before building permits are finalized.

Next steps: the applicant must comply with the conditions of approval and complete building permit steps. Staff said it will provide follow‑up materials to interested neighbors and will monitor compliance through the Community Development Department.