Menlo Park-based SPSD Developers plans to build an 88-foot tall apartment in Fremont, according to public records. While the Planning Commission unanimously approved the project, commissioners questioned why the development features large apartments rather than more and smaller units.
The project located on 3411 Capitol Avenue will span 260,440 square feet with 103,810 square feet for housing, 14,150 square feet for commercial space, and 7,280 square feet for open space. The building will also include a three level parking garage that can hold up to 192 cars spanning 125,470 square feet, in addition to parking for 52 bicycles.
“These parking spaces outpaces the city’s requirements in an effort to minimize overflow parking into the city,” Rishi Khanna, Founder of SPSD, said at the last planning meeting. “We also have the infrastructure in place to expand it.”
The plan now is for 90 market rate apartments, with the developer still undecided whether to provide affordable options. Those units will be broken down into 21 one-bedrooms, 49 two-bedrooms, and 20 three-bedrooms.
The apartments average 1,156 square feet.
While the planning commission praised the developer for providing excessive parking at the request of local businesses, some questioned whether the space could be used to provide more housing at affordable rates.
“I realize this (excessive parking) is a convenience for businesses around there, but this strikes me as a missed opportunity,” Robert Daulton, planning commission chair, said. “There is one 560-square-foot apartment. We could have more of those and allow a greater range of people to live there.”
Some other examples of housing projects in the works in Fremont are a 128-unit development on Thornton Avenue, spearheaded by the Berkeley-based nonprofit Resources for Community Development, that will be completely affordable. Also, there are two developments by Danville-based 330 Land Company that will bring 500 units near the South Bart Station.
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All-affordable apartment project proposed in Fremont