What's Being Built at 1 San Bruno Ave.?

You may have noticed the cement foundation that has been laid down at the corner of San Bruno and San Francisco Avenues (across from the Community Park) and wondered what was going to occupy that space. Commercial businesses? Residential housing units? The answer is yes to both. A 2- to 3-story mixed-use project is being built, with commercial businesses and a parking garage on the ground floor, and 15 residential units occupying the floors above. Six one-bedroom units, ranging in size from 817 to 945 sq. ft. in floor area, will be located on the second floor, with 9 two-story units occupying the second and third floors. Four of the two-story units will have one bedroom and range from 899 to 936 sq. ft. in area, and the remaining 5 two-story units will have two bedrooms and range from 1,162 to 1,226 sq. ft. The stuccoed building’s color scheme will be similar to that of the Visitacion Gardens Senior Apartments, dark tan with bluish-green, off-white, and brownish taupe trim. The builder hopes to have the project completed by the end of year 2007.

The project was designed to be as environmentally sensitive as possible, incorporating solar power, energy-efficient appliances, and walls with high insulation value. The builder has selected materials to provide a healthy indoor environment and reduce the demand on natural resources. Because of lower utility and maintenance costs, the residential units are expected to be more affordable than those in other buildings. Of the 15 residential units, one unit will be constructed so as to be fully accessible for persons with disabilities. The sales prices for two units will be restricted in perpetuity so as to maintain their affordability for a low-income household and a moderate-income household (as set by the California Department of Housing and Community Development for San Mateo County). The other units will be subject to a right of refusal by qualified first-time homebuyers under the City’s first-time homebuyers program.

At the time of this posting, there had not been any requests for a business license, so it is still uncertain the nature of the businesses that will be occupying the first floor. Whatever the case may be, the City is excited about the positive feedback it has received from its community members expressing their opinions that the building will be a definite improvement for Brisbane.