MAC Hears Proposal for Small Mixed-Use Project
The Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) gave their tentative support to an early-stage preliminary proposal to rezone a property at 1446 A Street from residential low density multifamily housing to mixed use development.
The item heard at the MAC’s Monday night meeting was information only, so the rezoning would have to be voted on at a future meeting, but the MAC all indicated that they’d like to see the property eventually host a commercial element, something that is not allowed under the current conditions.
The parcel is a corner lot on the intersection of A Street and Ruby Street. As is, there is a two-story, 6,600-square-foot brick building built in 1939- it was a former piano store.
New owners The Lakeside Investment Company, proposes remodeling the existing building with two ground floor commercial stores for retail or restaurant. The second floor would maintain the two existing residential apartments.
Castro Valley and the Bay Area in general have been trending towards these types of mixed use developments with housing on upper floors and commercial uses on the ground floor. However, this project would be among the first that would be outside the existing downtown area.
Additionally, a 72-unit apartment building is set for construction nearby and the MAC indicated restaurants or shops would be an asset as more people come to live in the area.
“There is going to be a need for services in the area when the new housing opens right down the street,” said MAC Chair Ken Carbone. Mixed use is something we have in the commercial corridor and we should have some other tools in our tool belts.
The MAC sent the matter back to county staff to see how exactly the rezoning process should proceed.
Also at the Monday night virtual meeting, the MAC sent a request from the San Lorenzo Unified School District to sell off some of their property back to the county for more information.
The school district wants to sell part of a parcel at 2275 Arlington Drive (formerly the Fairmont Terrace Elementary School) as surplus property and want to sell a portion to the Seneca School, a school for challenged youth which has been operating there for 28 years.
The MAC said there was confusion about what areas and how much of the property would be sold and told the county staff to return to the MAC with clear maps for the proposed uses.