Design for New Apartments at Old Mel's Bowl Site Revealed

Another new apartment development in Redwood City is moving along the path to completion. 

Tuesday, the San Ramon-based development firm SummerHill Apartment Communities revealed the design of the new 141-unit community that will soon occupy the former site of Mel's Bowl at 2580 El Camino Real in Redwood City. KTGY Group is the architect for the new community. 

The parties say they chose a special name for the apartment community that is "a nod to the site's past" and how it once housed a beloved local bowling alley - "The Lane On the Boulevard."

In a press release Tuesday KTGY and SummerHill said the 141 apartments will be "architecturally distinctive, wrap-style buildings" of three and four stories, featuring one- and two-bedroom apartments that are between 705 to 1,106 square feet.

Amenities will include "convenient resident access via same-level parking, a clubroom, a fitness studio, a swimming pool with spa, an outdoor kitchen and fireplace, bicycle storage, and a pedestrian path surrounding the property."

"The apartment homes will be energy- and water-efficient and will include gourmet kitchens with stainless steel appliances and European-style cabinetry, and in-unit washers and dryers," representatives said. "The Lane apartment community will include alternative transportation amenities such as bicycle storage facilities, electric vehicle charging stations and provisions for car-sharing vehicles."

The project's lead designer, Jessica Musick, said the community will target "young professionals working in Redwood City as well as surrounding upscale communities such as Palo Alto or Menlo Park, who want to live close to work but can’t afford the price tag that comes with a Palo Alto or Menlo Park zip code."

Redwood City Mayor Alicia Aguirre told Patch she is particularly excited that The Lane On the Boulevard will include five "median-income units."

Following San Mateo County Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines, the special units will be rented to singles or families who make between 80 and 100 percent of the HUD income limits set forth for 2013.

The income range for a single person is between $59,100 and $73,875 annually. The range for a family of four is between $84,400 and $105,500 annually.

See a table of HUD's income limits for special housing online here, or in the downloadable PDF document included in the photos section of this article.

Mayor Aguirre also praised the project's design and said how glad she is that the community is close by a service-rich area full of shops, restaurants and public transportation.

"We’re really excited about this new development. It’s an excellent design - something we might call 'urban sophisticated' – and it’s designed to be a good fit with the surrounding neighborhood," she said. "It includes some nice, wider sidewalks, and a small public plaza-like area at the front, making good use of the Hetch Hetchy water pipeline right-of-way."

"These 141 new units will be a very nice addition to our rapidly-expanding housing stock in Redwood City," she added.

SummerHill representatives also said they plan to make a wide range of community improvements in addition to those within their own 2.51 acres.

"The scope of the project includes improvements to surrounding sidewalks, the El Camino Real and Northumberland Street intersection, and storefront upgrades for six nearby property owners and tenants," Musick noted.

"El Camino Real has been a focus for development for many Peninsula cities, and KTGY is happy to be part of several developments shaping this historic street," said KTGY Principal Architect David Senden. "This project really exemplifies the goals of the Grand Boulevard Initiative.”

The Grand Boulevard Initiative is a regional collaboration dedicated to the revitalization of the El Camino Corridor as it runs through San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

Redwood City Planning Commission Chairman Ernie Schmidt said he is also pleased with the upcoming project.

"I believe that anytime we can make available residential units that are not only close to downtown, but walkable to restaurants, stores and transportation, that is a good thing," he told Patch.

According to KTGY and SummerHill, pre-leasing is expected to begin in early 2014, and the first apartment homes are slated to open in summer 2014.

Prospective residents will be able to visit www.shapartments.com for more information about The Lane On the Boulevard once pre-leasing begins.

See an artist's rendering of the design for The Lane On the Boulevard in the photos section above.

PATCH WANTS TO KNOW - What do you think of the new development? Tell us in the comments below.

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• Electronic Arts' CEO Resigns Amid Missed Revenue Goals
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