Developer seeks entitlements for 58 Burke Lane condos; council questions commercial viability

Developer Chris McCandless outlined plans to seek entitlements for a 0.89-acre Burke Lane site to allow a mixed-use project featuring 58 for-sale condominiums (one- and two-bedroom units) above three 1,000-square-foot neighborhood commercial spaces, with underground structured parking providing two stalls per unit. McCandless said the project is roughly a $20 million scale and he may spend up to $50,000 to prepare materials for the Planning Commission.

Councilmember Roger Child described the proposal as filling a market niche for stackable, for-sale units with covered parking that could appeal to younger and older buyers. Councilmember Scott Isaacson asked whether the council preferred a more commercial product at the corner, noting the area had been slated for commercial development. McCandless responded that office and retail markets have softened, recounting that he recently converted an 83,000-square-foot office building to residential after years of failed leasing attempts; he said he might ask to convert the commercial ground-floor spaces to residential if they remain unsold after three years.

Councilmember Kristen Sherlock said she liked the mixed-use concept but warned that one- and two-bedroom units might be difficult to finance for buyers and could instead attract investor purchasers. McCandless said he has run several financial models and that the current plan is barely financially feasible for a developer-led build.

No formal entitlement action was taken at the meeting; the developer sought the council's preliminary opinion before incurring further pre-application costs.