PAS • SAGE

  • Local Housing for Local Jobs

What Is Passage?

Passage at San Mateo is a transit-oriented, mixed-use development composed of housing and neighborhood retail. Located within walking distance to Caltrain, Passage is equipped with robust transportation services aimed at bringing housing near jobs and transit, which will reduce daily car trips by 25%.

After 40 community meetings and presentations, the updated project plan incorporates community input. As part of a public benefit package for a proposed development agreement, these include more affordable housing units, preserving a home for the Peninsula Ballet Theatre, adding on-site daycare operated by the YMCA and doubling the size of Hub Park within the project

The project is uniquely suited to both reduce traffic congestion and address the Bay Area’s housing crisis. Passage is within walking distance of several major local employers and will create more than 900 new housing units.

Read more by downloading our project overview here. Read our current application here.

View our Community Meeting Presentation Materials HERE.

The Depot – A mobility hub for the 21st Century

Mobility options are essential for residents of the Bay Area and combined with information sharing technology, the Depot offers a unique amenity to the Passage. The Depot will combine ride share, public mass transit, bike share, local shuttles, private employer shuttles, co-working office, and aggregated parcel delivery, all in a single address with well appointed facilities. It is designed to be flexible as a staging area of the technology driven transportation services yet to be available in anticipation of a less auto centric future. The Depot is open to all the surrounding businesses and San Mateo community residents alike to enjoy.

Community Benefits

Passage at San Mateo is a unique project that welcomes neighbors across San Mateo to enjoy its diverse, state-of-the-art amenities including:

  • A spacious food hall and entertainment center accessible to the neighborhood, providing an important community gathering space
  • Public art throughout the project and the open space areas, featuring local artists
  • 109 affordable housing units and 10 live/work units on-site
  • Three acres of public park space and well-lit pedestrian pathways that connect it with the surrounding neighborhoods

FAQ

How will this project impact traffic in the neighborhood?
With nearly 5,000 people already working within a 10-minute walk to the property, Passage will help to reduce escalating traffic congestion. Regional retail would generate up to 12,000 daily car trips; replacing the retail with mixed-use, local-serving retail and housing, car trips would decrease to about 9,000 per day, or 25% fewer car trips. Putting housing near existing jobs, retail and transportation options will reduce car traffic even further.

What impact would this project have on the environment?
This project reduces daily car trips by 25% over what a retail-only use of the site would generate.

Case in point: The new nearby Bay Meadows mixed-use development project has been successful in balancing jobs, housing and reducing the need for cars. Recently surveys show more than 40% of Bay Meadows residents ride Caltrain, exceeding original projections. 85% of residents walk or bike to shop or dine nearby on a regular basis.

How will this project help alleviate the Bay Area’s housing crisis?
Between 2010 and 2014, 55,000 jobs were created in San Mateo County, but only 2,100 homes were built.

As job growth in San Mateo County continues, a dire housing shortage is driving up the cost of living, creating longer commutes and gridlock for the region’s freeways. This project provides over 900 housing units immediately adjacent to existing major job centers—including Oracle, Rakuten, Medallia and the YMCA—and mass transit options.

What changes were made to the project after community input?
After 40 community meetings and presentations, the updated project plan incorporates community input. These include more affordable housing units, preserving a home for the Peninsula Ballet Theatre, adding on-site daycare operated by the YMCA and doubling the size of Hub Park within the project.