October 17, 2025
Ms. Elaine Ling
City of San Mateo
Community Development Department
330 West 20th Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403
Subject: Cover Letter - Hillsdale Reimagined Master Development Plan & Vesting Tentative Map Resubmission (PA-2025-052)
Dear Ms. Ling,
On behalf of HSC Property Owner, LLC (the “Owner” and “Applicant”), we are pleased to respond to the City of San Mateo’s July 21, 2025 incompleteness letter (“Incompleteness Letter”) by resubmitting revised Master Development Plan (“MDP”) and Vesting Tentative Map (“VTM”) application materials (collectively, the “Resubmission Materials”) for Hillsdale Reimagined—also referred to as the Hillsdale District (the “Project”). This resubmittal responds comprehensively to the City’s recent Incompleteness Letter comments.
Since our last submission, our team has made a concerted effort to respond fully and thoughtfully to each of the City’s comments. In every instance, even where a comment extended beyond the explicit requirements of the submission checklist, we have sought to provide information that directly addresses the City’s feedback and advances our shared goal of a thorough, transparent, and collaborative review process.
This resubmittal addresses all of the City’s comments in order to achieve “ completeness” under SB330, and w e look forward to moving the planning process forward with City staff collaboratively. We also recognize and appreciate that the totality of the information contained in this re-submittal is substantial and that the resources and effort required of staff to process this application is significant. To that end, we are eager to continue working closely with staff to ensure that each element is well unde rstood and properly documented, and we will make ourselves available to meet as frequently as the City finds helpful during its follow-up review.
Summary of Key Updates
In addition to fully addressing the City’s comments, this submittal further develops and refines several substantive aspects of the Project:
• Open Space/Public Realm: The distinct identities and designs of the various open spaces within the project have been further developed – from the grassy expanse of Hillsdale Square to the planter -lined greenway of the Neighborhood Passage. Taken together, the site plan weaves together a diverse and extensive open space network that provides a variety of uses and activities that will not only activate the property throughout the day and Sixty 31 st Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403 -3404
evening, but will serve the needs and desires of the community , ranging from immediate neighbors and those coming from further away, to future office workers and those that will someday call Hillsdale home.
• Building Architecture: Although we believe the architectural form of each building will continue to evolve significantly after completeness and then furthermore during subsequent SPAR applications, this resubmittal package includes elevations and architecture for each building so that the community has more information about what the project could look like upon completion.
• Retail and Ground Plane: Throughout the design and engagement process, we have emphasized that the ground plane is the most important element of the project, as this is the space through which the majority of visitors, shoppers, residents, and workers will experience. Although the 20
th-century version of mall retailing is disappearing,
appropriately sized, vibrant, and activated retail districts such as those proposed for Hillsdale are thriving. The updated plans demonstrate how a series of two-sided streets and plazas, accommodate uses that are “outward facing” and engage with the activated public open space, that come together to create a larger overall district. Additionally, a large - format grocer has been programmed into the ground level of the E1 building at the corner of El Camino and 31
st avenue, reflecting both the feedback and desires that we have heard from the community, as well as reflecting the flexibility of the building footprints and their ability to accommodate a myriad of uses.
• Illustrative Renderings: Finally, we have included illustrative photorealistic renderings within the updated submission to better convey how one would feel experiencing different parts of the redeveloped property. While these images provide a clearer sense of place and design intent, we understand and expect that the architecture will continue to evolve , and these photorealistic renderings are intended to convey the general intent, with respect to scale, quality, organization, and use . They purposely do not directly correspond with the architectural elevations in the remaining portions of the Application Checklist Plan set, as these renderings are intended to be a launching point for ongoing architectural discussion and refinement after completeness.
We understand that project refinement is an iterative process. While this resubmission represents a significant advancement and a complete response to the City’s comments, we fully expect—and welcome—additional collaboration and refinement after the City deems the application complete.
Our team looks forward to ongoing dialogue to ensure the Project continues to evolve in a way that reflects both the City’s objectives and the community’s aspirations.
Ongoing Coordination
In parallel with preparing this formal resubmittal that responds to the City’s Incompleteness Letter comments, we have advanced several items that we understand are of particular importance to the City:
• Grocery Store Programming: As described above, a grocery store has been incorporated into the resubmitted plans. While the ability to bring a grocer is largely market driven, we agree with the community that it is a key amenity which would serve both the neighborhood and the Project’s future residents, workers, and visitors.
• Retail Activation and Ground Plane Design: We have detailed the proposed uses and functions of the ground floor environments to illustrate the extent and immersive quality of the envisioned retail experience. Outside of the submission materials, we have prepared some merchandising and demising plans which help to give a sense of the number of and types of tenants that this plan accommodates and that we see as being part of the development. Although it is impossible to confirm who the future retailers will be, we are prepared to share additional materials on the likely storefront breakdown and the target types of tenants that we envision.
• Fiscal Impact Study: We have had an outside consultant complete a fiscal impact study that assesses the impact of the redevelopment project on the City’s finances. W e would welcome an immediate post-submission meeting to review the results, which projects that the City will gain approximately $1.3M-$2.2M in additional net annual revenue compared with the current and future operation of the current shopping center.
• Construction Phasing, Logistics, and Mitigation Plan: In parallel with the advancement of the resubmission materials, we have also prepared an initial document that outlines the likely construction phasing, timing, logistics, and impact mitigations. Although it will be impossible to have no impact during construction of this magnitude, we understand how important it is for the community to optimize construction logistics to reduce its impact on the surrounding residential neighborhoods and on important com muter paths. We would welcome an immediate post-submission opportunity to review these plans with the City.
• El Camino Real-31
st Avenue Crossing: Finally, the design team has developed a concept for one option of how an improved El Camino Real and 31 st Avenue crossing experience could be achieved by necking down the crossing distance on the northern side of the intersection. As expressed previously, this particular location is challenged by the roadway geometry that must account for El Camino widening to accommodate its highway- like trenching along most of the project site. Nonetheless, we believe there are some possible improvements that could enhance the connectivity with the Caltrain station, and we would welcome coordination with the City so we can initiate a coordinated ask of Caltrans to consider the improvements.
For all of these auxiliary items, w e look forward to reviewing these materials with the City at its convenience.
We sincerely appreciate the time and effort that City staff continue s to invest in reviewing and collaborating on the application for this transformative project. We believe this resubmittal reflects our shared commitment to advancing the Hillsdale District toward a complete and compelling plan—one that will continue to serve as a cornerstone of San Mateo’s future growth, economic vitality, and community life.
We look forward to continuing to work together as the City completes its review of this package and as we refine the Project after completeness.
Below is a list of materials included in the resubmission package:
1. Resubmission Cover Letter (this document)
2. Incompleteness Letter Response Matrix
3. Application Resubmittal Processing Letter
4. Master Development Plan
5. Master Development Plan Appendix
6. Application Checklist Plan Set
7. Vesting Tentative Map Set
8. Preliminary Title Report
9. CEQA Environmental Information Form, Appendix H
10. Preliminary Geotechnical Report
11. Phase I Environmental Site Assessment
12. ALTA Survey
13. Hazardous Materials and Air Quality Checklist
14. BMR Unit and Density Bonus Form
15. Density Bonus Request Letter
16. Project Application Checklist for NPDES Permit (C.3 and C.6 Development Review Checklist)
17. NPDES Impervious Surface Data Collection Worksheet
18. Stormwater Treatment Measures Maintenance Agreement
19. Wastewater Masterplan
20. Water Masterplan
21. Water Conservation Landscape Form
22. Preliminary Historic Assessment
23. Lead Paint Management Plan with Mitigation Measures and Recommendations
24. Asbestos Operations and Maintenance Program with Mitigation Measures and Recommendations
25. General Plan Zoning Analysis and Consistency Analysis
Sincerely,
David D. Bohannon II
HSC Property Owner, LLC