Location: San Carlos, CA
Client: City of San Carlos & Silverstone Communities
Scope: Environmental Analysis - EIR
Project
This infill project was a public/private partnership (Silverstone Communities) for the redevelopment of a 2.5-acre portion of a city block in downtown San Carlos. The project proposed to replace an existing public parking lot and adjacent underutilized lots with new over 100 new multi-story residential units (including an affordable component), ground floor retail restaurant and office space, a three-story parking structure, and a new outdoor public gathering space. As a redevelopment project (prior to the end of redevelopment in California), this was an important project for the City because it promised additional off-street parking to support the City’s retail core businesses and additional affordable housing opportunities.
Assignment
Lamphier-Gregory won this job on a competitive bid basis. Rebecca Gorton, Senior Planner was the Project Manager and principal author of the Project EIR.
Environmental Issues
Typical of infill projects in many communities, environmental concerns were largely local in scale and extent: traffic, construction noise and air emissions, and aesthetics - the scale and height of the new project relative to existing buildings in the vicinity.
Value Added
While it was determined that thresholds for a significant environmental impact were not met for aesthetics, Lamphier-Gregory and our subconsultants were able to coordinate with the City to provide visual modeling and analysis adequate to allow informed flexibility for the City’s decision-makers to decide matters related to scale, height, bulk and upper floor setbacks.
Images courtesy of BDE Architecture
