Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Architectural board approves 45‑unit Milpas project after applicant adds family units and roof‑deck amenities
Summary
After revisions that reduced unit count to add 14 three‑bedroom family units and new roof‑deck amenities, the Architectural Board of Review granted project design approval for a 45‑unit, four‑story residential building adjacent to Tri‑County Produce; neighbors raised concerns about height, delivery trucks and garage clearances.
The Architectural Board of Review on May 26 approved project design for a four‑story, 45‑unit residential building at 5335 South Milpas Street after the applicant revised the plan to include more family‑sized units and amenity space.
Staff read the project description noting the site will be subdivided to retain and modestly expand the existing Tri‑County Produce market and construct a new residential building with a rooftop deck and ground‑level parking garage. The project invokes state housing provisions (Government Code section 65589.5 and density‑bonus law) and uses a concession to reduce parking requirements in exchange for greater affordable housing production.
Applicant Kernel Collective and landscape designer presented a revised scheme that reduced the overall unit count from 53 to 45 in order to add 14 three‑bedroom units intended for families. Designers also expanded communal amenity space, reconfigured the courtyard and proposed a roof deck with pergolas, meal‑prep BBQ stations, raised planters and shaded lounge seating with ocean views.
A neighbor who lives on the adjacent lane objected to the project height and expressed concern about truck deliveries to the Tri‑County loading dock, the garage ceiling heights and rooftop mechanical equipment placement. The applicant said rooftop mechanicals and small individual condensers would be located facing the railroad side and that they planned solar on the roof as well. The team also described a planted screen around the garage entry.
After board discussion about materials, roof‑deck pergolas, and the visual massing, commissioners voted to grant project design approval, with a recommendation that the applicant finalize detailed material and construction‑level drawings with quality detailing for siding, guardrails and planting before building permits are issued.
The board’s approval was recorded on the record; because the project is a qualifying housing development under state law, the decision was processed under the project's statutory hearing limits.
