San Mateo Residential Project to Add Housing on Tiny Lot

San Mateo Residential Project to Add Housing on Tiny Lot


 

A property at 4 West Santa Inez Avenue bordering North El Camino Real and Engle Road in San Mateo is owned by Tony Gundongdu who’s working with John Matthews Architects to develop the site for a small housing project. Plans for the 10-unit West Santa Inez Condos were submitted in February and show a mix of six three-bedroom units, three two-bedroom units, and one one-bedroom on the 10,763 square foot lot. Callander Associates Landscape Architecture and civil engineer Bohley Consulting are also involved in the planning process.

“The project on Santa Inez is under review and there are no scheduled meetings,” stated Lily Lim, Planning project manager. “The applicant will be resubmitting once we get additional design comments from our consultant.”Renderings show a building footprint with a trapezoidal shape, marked by townhouse-styled condos, aligned with the overall contour of the parcel’s boundaries. Four floors totaling up to 16,145 square feet will contain the ten housing units with 19 subterranean parking spaces and two guest spaces. Podium-level units will have stoops accessing Engle Road and West Santa Inez Avenue while the higher-level units will feature balconies. Despite the small lot, about 2,512 square feet surrounding the building will be fully landscaped with trees, shrubs, ground cover and grass. About 80-percent of the plant installations will be species requiring low water usage.

“We’re in the planning application phase and have submitted a formal application but don’t have any hearings scheduled,” offered John Lucchesi, project representative and architect, John Matthews Architects. “We already had a pre-application meeting with the neighborhood back in the spring. There may be more outreach meetings in the future.”

“We’re trying to bring something that will accommodate the neighborhood,” he continued. “Something that aligns with the Planning guidelines. It’s a relatively conservative design, something that matches the quiet feel of the neighborhood. We’re trying our best to match the design with what’s already in the surrounding area to be good neighbors.”

Lucchesi explained that due to the small scale of the lot, options for resident amenities are greatly constrained. Open spaces, like balconies, at-grade stoops and a plaza will total 3,178 square feet. Indoor common areas are limited to the entrance, lobby and waste facility.

The proposed project is in a predominately residential part of the city with some churches, a few retail businesses and cinema several blocks away. The San Mateo Caltrain Station is less than a mile away as well as several bus routes.

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