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Resident urges Millbrae to revisit NCMU zoning along El Camino Real
Summary
A Millbrae resident and property owner told the planning commission the 2022Neighborhood Commercial Mixed‑Use (NCMU) zoning along West El Camino Real has reduced allowable neighborhood‑serving businesses, increased vacancies and driven commercial activity to neighboring cities; he urged the city to evaluate outcomes with vacancy, leasing and tax data.
During the planning commission’s public communications period on April 6, resident and commercial property owner Jimmy Shamya told commissioners that the 2022 rezoning of the west side of El Camino Real to Neighborhood Commercial Mixed‑Use (NCMU) has unintentionally restricted allowable commercial uses and narrowed the pool of viable tenants for existing storefronts.
Shamya said many buildings along the corridor historically housed neighborhood‑serving uses—small retail, personal services, professional offices and fitness studios—that are now prohibited or limited under current NCMU rules. He testified this has led to prolonged vacancies and underutilization of storefronts, which reduces sales tax revenue, property tax growth and pedestrian activity.
Shamya urged the city to revisit how NCMU is applied on West El Camino Real, including expanding permitted and conditional uses, allowing interim or overlay flexibility for existing buildings, and adopting an adaptive reuse approach that prioritizes occupied storefronts over strict classifications. He called on the city to use vacancy rates, leasing timelines and tax impacts to determine whether the zoning is achieving its stated goals.
No formal staff response or commitment to rezoning was recorded during the public communications period; commissioners and staff noted the comment for future consideration.
