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Planning commission approves 144‑unit Two Park Road development with 10% below‑market units
Summary
The Burlingame Planning Commission voted to approve a seven‑story, 144‑unit project at Park Road and Peninsula Avenue that includes 12 below‑market units (5% very low, 5% moderate). Commissioners required streetscape and design refinements and noted state laws limit local control of height and density.
The Burlingame Planning Commission on May 26 approved a seven‑story, 144‑unit residential project at 212–16 Park Road, clearing the way for a mixed‑unit building with two levels of above‑grade parking and 12 below‑market units. The developer, Windy Hill Property Ventures, will provide 5% of units at very‑low income and 5% at moderate income as part of a state density bonus application.
Why it matters: The site sits in the city’s downtown specific‑plan area and the commission framed its review around design, public‑realm impacts and state law limits on local control of height and density. Commissioners and neighbors focused on how the project will shape the Park Road gateway, pedestrian crossings and sidewalk widths, and asked for architectural refinements on rear walls that face single‑family properties.
Staff presentation and legal context: Staff told the commission the application qualified under SB330 and AB130 and requested state density bonus waivers for height and setbacks. The project proposes 140 parking stalls and has invoked AB2097 to limit minimum parking because the site is within a half‑mile of the Caltrain station. Staff said two Native American tribes were consulted and that supplemental public comments had been posted.
What the developer proposed: Austin Osuch of Windy Hill described the project as a five‑over‑two podium building with a mix of studio, one‑, two‑ and three‑bedroom units, a pool and community amenities, and a TDM plan. He said the project had been refined over a year of review to address earlier commission comments.
Neighborhood concerns and responses: Public speakers were split. Greenbelt Alliance’s representative praised the transit‑oriented location and the project’s sustainability features. Nearby residents cited worries about shadowing, loss of sunlight, traffic and the massing of a large concrete podium along Morton/Lorton Avenue. The developer and design team committed to studying façade treatments, additional planting and ways to break up long walls facing adjacent homes.
Commission action: Commissioners acknowledged their limited discretion over height and density because of state housing laws and focused their review on aesthetics and public‑realm mitigations. After discussion and conditions requiring detailing, landscaping, and attention to sidewalk design, the commission adopted resolutions approving the major design review with the state density bonus and the tentative parcel map; roll‑call votes were recorded and the motions passed.
What happens next: The approvals carry conditions that the project team must satisfy in subsequent permit stages, including refinement of exterior materials, sidewalk/streetscape details and coordination on off‑site improvements where feasible. Because the project was filed under SB330/AB130, and given the state laws invoked, several components will also be verified during building‑permit review.
