Are More Hotels on the Horizon for San Carlos?
July 16, 2014
In its upcoming meeting on Monday July 21, the San Carlos Planning Commission will hold a hearing on a proposal to re-zone a two block stretch of Industrial Road between Holly Street and Quarry Road to allow the potential development of more hotels. There are already a couple of hotel projects in the works for that area of San Carlos, according to this article in the San Jose Mercury News, and rezoning of these parcels would clear the path for potentially more hotels to be built.
This would certainly be an economic boon to the City of San Carlos, which would stand to reap significant revenues from hotel taxes and increased patronage of the downtown dining area. And it also fills the need for more modern hotel room capacity for the mid-Peninsula since the Palo Alto Medical Foundation is slated to open later this year, and tech firms such as Oracle continue to grow.
If the proposed zoning change is approved by the Planning Commission, it must ultimately be approved by the San Carlos City Council at a future meeting. Stay tuned to this site for more details.
What are your thoughts on this proposal? Feel free to comment below…
Posted in:
Chuck,
Just so your readers don’t get surprised, the July 21st Planning Commission meeting was canceled due to scheduling issues involving commissioners. That’s not uncommon during the summer vacation season.
FYI, the proposal — which is part of a number of possible zoning adjustments to be considered first by the Planning Commission and then by the Council — will not change any of the height or setback requirements for the areas which would have their zoning modified. Put another way, no bigger or denser structure could be built, even if the change is adopted, because only the allowable use is being modified. Zoning rules set standards for both physical dimensions and the type of activity which can exist on a parcel (among other things).
Of course, height and density are not the only impacts that new construction has on a community. Hotels have a different impact profile than, say, an office building, even if they are the exact same dimensions. That’s part of the reason why the proposal makes hotels a conditional use, rather than an allowed use. Allowable uses can be built without any review or approval by the city, provided the zoning requirements are met. Conditional uses, even if they meet all the zoning requirements, must still be approved on a case-by-case basis by the city.
I’m sorry about any confusion or stress people may be experiencing regarding this issue. The Eslinger article in the Daily News only covered part of the story.
– Mark Olbert
Council Member, San Carlos City Council
Unless noted otherwise, the opinions and perspectives I’ve offered here are my own, and do not represent the official position of the City of San Carlos or its City Council. Interested in my perspective on City issues? Check out http://council.olbert.com/, and consider subscribing to my blog.
You are correct Chuck, I am one of the owners at 390 Industrial road. Just north of us the Tanklage buildings will be bought by the Swire Property Group of San Francisco. They approached us recently and stated it is very likely that a hotel will go in just north of us. They also stated they may keep the buildings as is and continue to rent them or level them and build to the new tenants needs. During our conversation it did sound like the best option is a hotel if the city allows for the rezoning to go through.
Thanks for the clarification Mark!
I’m all for more development. More development means more tax revenue and we can do away with the repetitive school bond measures that are placed on the ballot every few years. While we’re on this subject, I see a lot of unused land above the McMansions in the Hyde Park Estates and below the Crestview ridgeline. I see a gold mine there.