4 COMMUNITY CHARACTER

Transcription

1 4 This chapter describes the community character of the Plan Area. The focus is on the physical attributes that contribute to the impression of the place for the resident or visitor. These attributes include the character, size, and location of buildings; arrangement of streets; existence of gateways and views; and physical and visual barriers. As shown in Figure 4-1, the Plan Area has four distinct subareas: the Hillsdale Shopping Center/Hillsdale Station Subarea, Flores Street Residential Subarea, North El Camino Real Subarea, and 25 th Avenue Neighborhood Business Subarea. Each of these subareas has characteristics of land use, parcelization, and overall built character distinct from each other. El Camino Real is also discussed as a distinctive element in the Plan Area. Immediately surrounding the Plan Area to the west and east are primarily single-family neighborhoods. These are established neighborhoods that are not expected to change in character. To the north and south of the Plan Area, the El Camino Real corridor continues with similar character to that found in the Plan Area. A. Plan Area Overall Character San Mateo is a prosperous and livable city on the peninsula south of San Francisco. It is one of a chain of communities that grew up during the last century around the commuter rail line serving San Francisco. San Mateo is a significant city serving as a regional center with a well-established Downtown, and the regional rail connection remains an important organizing principle for the community. The Plan Area occupies an important location within the greater context of San Mateo. The Plan Area is centered around the Hillsdale Caltrain Station and includes properties with commercial and residential uses, extending from 25th Avenue in the north to 36 th Avenue in the south on the west side of the Caltrain tracks. While the streets and neighborhoods on the western side of the tracks are the focus of the Station Area planning process, the lands on the 4-1

2 Edison St C I T Y O F S A N M A T E O H I L L S D A L E S T A T I O N A R E A P L A N E X I S T I N G C O N D I T I O N S R E P O R T R E L E V A N T P O L I C Y D O C U M E N T S 26th Ave Portola Dr 25th Ave 24th Ave Saratoga Dr Lula Belle Ln Mary Lu Ln 25th Avenue Neighborhood Business Palm Pl Palm Ave 25th Ave Palm Ct Delaware St Delmar Wy Garfield Ct 27th Ave Juniper St Hacienda St 28th Ave Garfield St 29th Ave Flores St Flores Street Residential Edison St El Camino Real North El Camino Real 30th Ave Sylvan Ave Arbor Ln 31st Ave Briar Ln Arrowood Ln Louise Ln Hickory Ln Chestnut Ln Hillsdale Shopping Center/ Hillsdale Station Mc Lellan Ave Curtiss St Winway Cir Hillsdale Blvd Pacific Blvd Poinsettia Ave Otay Ave 37th Ave 36th Ave San Benito St Oso St San Miguel Wy Feet Plan Area Boundary Flores Street Residential Existing Train Station Hillsdale Shopping Center/Hillsdale Station El Camino Real Corridor North El Camino Real 25th Avenue Neighborhood Business F I G U R E 4-1 S U B A R E A S

3 eastern side of the tracks are poised for significant change as the Bay Meadows area is built out. Currently under development, Bay Meadows Phase II will include housing, commercial development, employment opportunities, public parks, a Town Square, and open space. Plans for the development include two new connections to the Plan Area across the rail tracks. Large-scale transportation infrastructure and commercial enterprises dominate the Plan Area and create challenges for its development as a transitoriented development (TOD). These include El Camino Real, the Caltrain right-of-way, and the Hillsdale Shopping Center. Following is a discussion of the four subareas in the Plan Area. 1. Hillsdale Shopping Center/Hillsdale Station Subarea The character of this subarea is shaped by the physical requirements of regional transportation. The speed and scale of automobile travel is reflected by the multiple lanes of El Camino Real, large buildings set behind broad swaths of parking lots, entries oriented to automobiles, and signage large and colorful enough to catch the attention of fast moving traffic. El Camino Real and Hillsdale Boulevard intersect in a grade-separated interchange to accommodate high traffic volumes at significant speeds through the underpass. The existing Hillsdale Caltrain Station is an open platform surrounded by surface parking lots, seemingly catering more to automobiles than pedestrians. Northbound and southbound platforms flank the outer edges of the tracks. The platforms stretch approximately 600 feet, with its southern tip starting at the intersection of Hillsdale Boulevard and El Camino Real. Because of the grade separation here, stairs are available for pedestrian circulation at Hillsdale Boulevard, and ramps are accessible from a station-dedicated parking lot facing El Camino Real. Traveling north along the platform, the grade separation becomes smaller and another parking lot, shared with a restaurant facing on El Camino Real, shares the western adjacent boundary of the platform. Pedestrian circulation on this western side of the station can be largely informal, through the parking lot and onto El Camino Real, and formal, directed by stairs, ramps, and signs. 4-3

4 The character and pedestrian movement is more structured on the eastern side of the station. Pacific Boulevard runs parallel adjacent to the railway, approximately 15 to 20 feet below rail grade. It ends as a public right of way as it reaches the Bay Meadows site, where a surface parking lot at the very southwestern tip is available to Caltrain patrons. A sidewalk, clearly marked pedestrian crossings, and stairways direct a more formal pedestrian circulation. The exterior of the northern portion of the Hillsdale Shopping Center is a blank two-story wall without windows and with minimal signage, and is ringed with parking structures and surface lots. Entry is limited to the main entries into the anchor stores and a few general mall entries. Once inside, the center is a pleasant, vibrant, and well-maintained space that has better connections to natural light and landscape than most similar regional malls. 31 st Avenue connects east to west through the shopping center, which breaks down the potential isolation of the center and brings the city right to the door. The typical national chain retail formula characterizes the architecture of the part of the shopping center south of Hillsdale Boulevard. Formula retail consists of multiple storefronts scaled for high visibility with flat roofs and parapet walls, with entries facing large parking fields and large signs visible from cars passing at high speeds. A monument identifying stores sits at the corner of Hillsdale Boulevard and El Camino Real. The building materials are brick and exterior insulation finishing system (EIFS), a synthetic foam panel with a stucco-like finish. This southern part of the shopping center gives attention to the pedestrian realm with landscaping and sidewalks connecting the street to the front of the buildings. Entries to stores are visible to the street. This shopping center is especially busy and active since the opening of the Trader Joes store. At the southern boundary of this subarea is a multi-family housing development called Hillsdale Gardens. These are garden style apartments two story walkup buildings set in extensive landscaping with interior courtyards. 4-4

5 The architecture of the project is consistent throughout, giving it a coherent appearance. This development extends four blocks to the west from the Plan Area. Running from west to east alongside the apartments and through a parking lot is Laurel Creek. The path of the creek is partially landscaped and includes a footbridge crossing. Crossing east under the railroad tracks on Hillsdale Boulevard gives access to a cloverleaf intersection next to a residential area. This area feels very separate from the rest of the subarea. The public right-of-way is attractively landscaped. This area is included in the Plan Area to ensure that pedestrian and bicycle connections are addressed during the planning process. 2. Flores Street Residential Subarea Along the west side of the Plan Area is the Flores Street Residential subarea. This residential area is bordered by Flores Street and Edison Street and serves as a transition between the largely residential areas to the west and the commercial parcels to the east. The residences are a mix of single-family and multi-family homes. The single-family homes are 1 to 1½ stories high with well landscaped front yards, attached garages, wood siding, and gabled roofs. In the northern portion of the subarea, the character of the homes changes, with more paved front yards and less exterior maintenance. Interspersed between single-family homes are multi-story apartments and condominiums dating from the 1960s and 1970s. The buildings sit over parking and vary in size from larger projects to buildings confined to an original single-family sized parcel. 3. North El Camino Real (North of 31 st Avenue) Subarea This subarea consists of a mixture of types of commercial uses accessed directly from El Camino Real including two newer retail strip centers. The majority of establishments are smaller retail and service oriented tenants: mattress outlets, banks, and service and sales. There is also a large storage facility 4-5

6 in the northeast of the Plan Area and a floral warehouse complex. The buildings are primarily one story with flat roofs with parapet walls or gabled roofs. There are several two-story buildings on the east side of El Camino Real. Many of the older buildings in this subarea are built to the setback line on El Camino Real, with a majority of the frontage being windows and entrances. The storefronts near 25 th Avenue have front entries and display windows allowing for transparency into the stores. Moving to the south, larger retail uses begin to dominate. There is an inconsistent street wall where some buildings are directly adjacent while others have a side setback. Despite the prominence of larger retail uses, parcel size varies dramatically, ranging from long and narrow parcels to lots with a long frontage along El Camino Real. The buildings are older and in varying states of repair with inconsistent signage, cardboard and merchandise blocking interior visibility, and varying levels of exterior maintenance th Avenue Neighborhood Business Subarea The 25 th Avenue subarea consists of a mix of neighborhood commercial stores and offices. The scale is more pedestrian-friendly than other parts of the Plan Area, with a mixture of building styles, massing, and signage. On the west side of El Camino Real, the building frontage is more or less continuous on both sides of 25 th Avenue. The buildings have transparent storefronts with occasional arcades and awnings and architecture of one to two story buildings. The street has on-street diagonal parking and a parking garage at Flores Street and 25 th Avenue provides parking for tenants and visitors. Stylized street-lighting and signs welcoming patrons to 25 th Avenue, as well as consistent trash containers and other streetscape improvements have given the area a welcoming feel and unified the storefronts along the street. On the east side of El Camino Real the building frontage along 25 th Avenue is less continuous. Among the auto shops and lumberyard are a couple of night clubs that could be the nascent center of an entertainment district. Here 25 th Avenue is four lanes and very busy, and pedestrian crossings are difficult. 4-6

7 The sidewalk is frequently interrupted by alleys, driveways, and other obstructions. Off of 25 th Avenue there is an existing system of alley circulation that can be congested for vehicles, yet feels interesting and pedestrian friendly. B. Walkability Walkability is a measure of how conducive a place is to walking. If a place is very walkable, there are more opportunities for healthy, sustainable transportation as well as for recreation. Neighborhoods are considered highlywalkable when they have stores and services, public facilities, and parks in close proximity combined with a network of sidewalks and intersections that are evenly dispersed in a grid. A walkability analysis of the Hillsdale Station Area provides a more detailed evaluation of a ½-mile walk distance around the Hillsdale Caltrain Station. Traditionally, a ½-mile radius around a transit center, roughly a 10-minute walk, marked the extent to which a pedestrian is willing to walk before choosing a different mode of transportation, such as bicycling or driving. However, this circular parameter can be misleading as it is a crow-fly distance and does not account for the grid pattern of street networks, gaps in network, and long, uninterrupted boundaries. Figures 4-2A and 4-2B show two conditions: walkability around the existing Hillsdale Caltrain Station (Figure 4-2A) and walkability around a potentially relocated station at roughly 31 st Avenue (Figure 4-2B). The figures show the traditional ½-mile walking radius from the existing train and relocated stations as a dashed line highlighted in yellow. The station area walkshed is shown in blue. This blue area represents the portion of Plan Area that is a within a ½-mile walk from the existing station, accounting for street pattern, intersections, and perceived walking paths in parks. The red lines depict sidewalks, yellow lines are streets without sidewalks, and green lines are walking paths. The figures also show the Hillsdale Station Area Plan Study Area in black. 4-7

8 Edison St S. El Camino Real Palm Pl C I T Y O F S A N M A T E O H I L L S D A L E S T A T I O N A R E A P L A N E X I S T I N G C O N D I T I O N S R E P O R T C O M M U N I T Y C H A R A C T E R 26th Ave Lula Belle Ln W. 25th Ave Mary Lu Ln 24th Ave Palm Ave E. 25th Ave Delaware St Saratoga Dr Portola Dr Palm Ct Delmar Wy Garfield Ct 27th Ave Juniper St Hacienda St 28th Ave Garfield St Flores St Edison St 29th Ave 30th Ave Preferred Location for Relocated Hillsdale Station Sylvan Ave West Hillsdale Park Hillsdale Existing Train Station Park Hillsdale Shopping Center Briar Ln Arbor Ln Louise Ln Arrowood Ln Hickory Ln Chestnut Ln 31st Ave Mc Lellan Ave Curtiss St Winway Cir Hillsdale Blvd Pacific Blvd Poinsettia Ave Otay Ave San Mateo Medical Center 37th Ave 36th Ave San Benito St Oso St San Miguel Wy Feet Pedestrian network within 1/2-mile walkshed Street with sidewalk Street without sidewalk Off-street walking path Street intersections within 1/2-mile walkshed 1/2-mile radius from existing station 1/2-mile radius from preferred location for relocated Hillsdale station Areas within 1/2-mile walk from existing station Plan Area Boundary F I G U R E 4-2 A W A L K S H E D O F E X I S T I N G H I L L S D A L E S T A T I O N A R E A

9 S. El Camino Real Palm Pl C I T Y O F S A N M A T E O H I L L S D A L E S T A T I O N A R E A P L A N E X I S T I N G C O N D I T I O N S R E P O R T C O M M U N I T Y C H A R A C T E R 26th Ave Lula Belle Ln W. 25th Ave Mary Lu Ln 24th Ave Palm Ave E. 25th Ave Delaware St Saratoga Dr Portola Dr Palm Ct Delmar Wy Garfield Ct 27th Ave Juniper St Hacienda St 28th Ave Garfield St Flores St Edison St 29th Ave 30th Ave Preferred Location for Relocated Hillsdale Station Sylvan Ave West Hillsdale Park Briar Ln Arbor Ln Hillsdale Park Louise Ln Arrowood Ln Hickory Ln Chestnut Ln 31st Ave Hillsdale Shopping Center Existing Train Station Mc Lellan Ave Curtiss St Winway Cir Edison St Hillsdale Blvd Pacific Blvd Poinsettia Ave Otay Ave San Mateo Medical Center 37th Ave 36th Ave San Benito St Oso St San Miguel Wy Feet Pedestrian network within 1/2-mile walkshed Streets with sidewalk Streets without sidewalk Off-street walking path Planned streets Street intersections within 1/2-mile walkshed 1/2-mile radius from existing station 1/2-mile radius from preferred location for relocated station Areas within 1/2-mile walk from planned station Plan Area Boundary F I G U R E 4-2 B W A L K S H E D O F R E L O C A T E D H I L L S D A L E S T A T I O N A R E A

10 Figure 4-2A (Existing) shows that all parcels south of 31 st Avenue in the Study Area are within a ½-mile walking distance of the train station. The San Mateo Medical Center and Hillsdale Park, southwest and west of the Study Area respectively, are also reachable within a ½-mile walk. North of 31 st Avenue, most of the Study Area, except El Camino Real, is not within a ½- mile walking distance. The pedestrian circulation for the current station is presently oriented to the southern section of the platform, causing many pedestrians to take a roundabout route to reach the northern section of the Study Area. As a result, even though the northern portion of the Study Area contains more intersections, most of them are not reachable within a ½-mile walking distance. Furthermore, Bay Meadows Phase II, to the east of the Caltrain tracks, is currently unwalkable due to the lack of a street network. Figure 4-2B shows the ½-mile walkshed for the preferred location for the Relocated Hillsdale Station, which would be approximately 1,000 feet north of the existing station. The walkshed shifts north, making many areas north of 31 st avenue to be reachable within a ½-mile walking distance. The analysis also accounts for the future street network proposed for Bay Meadows, which would be within the walkshed. The blue area in Figure 4-2B is larger than that in 4-2A, indicating the expanded walkshed due to the location of the station and a new road network. One important change is that the foot of the 25 th avenue commercial district is walkable from the relocated station, according to this analysis. However, this northward shift removes the San Mateo Medical Center from the walkshed. Although the southwestern-most portion of the Study Area would not be within a ½-mile walking distance, a greater portion of the overall Study Area would be walkable from the relocated station. C. Character of Streets El Camino Real and Hillsdale Boulevard dominate the street network in the Plan Area. Both serve as major arterial connections to State Route 92 and US 101. The local east-west avenues and Edison Street funnel traffic onto the arterials. There are minimal amenities on the busiest streets in the Plan Area 4-10

11 with few street trees, overhead utilities, and little pedestrian protection from high traffic volumes. Inconsistent and numerous curb cuts also create potential conflicts between automobiles and pedestrians or bicycles. 1. El Camino Real El Camino Real runs the entire length of the Plan Area from north to south and serves as a major arterial for the City of San Mateo and surrounding communities. El Camino Real experiences high volumes of vehicles throughout the day both with Hillsdale as a destination and as they pass through. Due to expanding vehicle lane requirements over the years there is little rightof-way dimension for amenities or street trees and the sidewalks are narrow. Parking is not allowed along El Camino Real for most of its length in the Plan Area. The auto-oriented character is evidenced by the heavily engineered Hillsdale Boulevard/El Camino Real interchange th Avenue The neighborhood retail on 25 th Avenue has continuous building frontage. The buildings are one to two stories and have both street and alley access. Because 25 th Avenue has a lower volume of traffic, pedestrians frequently use the crosswalks as well as a mid-block crossing. The ability to cross the street frequently is characteristic of a successful retail street. Patrons may use the diagonal on-street parking or the parking garage south of 25 th Avenue. Diagonal parking protects pedestrians from traffic. The sidewalks are narrow with very few street trees and overhead utilities th Avenue, 27 th Avenue, and Flores Street Multi-family and single-family uses along 27 th and 28 th Avenues and Flores Street provide a residential presence and feel. 27 th and 28 th Avenues transition to a commercial character only when they approach El Camino Real. Setbacks vary with landscaping and driveways in front, overhead utilities and sidewalks with intermittent street trees. Street parking is allowed. 4-11

12 4. 31 st Avenue The Hillsdale Shopping Center dominates 31 st Avenue, crossing over the top with a bridge between Sears and the rest of the mall. The pedestrian experience along 31 st Avenue is confusing and daunting. Although there are stores and restaurants in the mall that line the street, they are hidden behind the monolithic frontage that is minimally transparent with only a few restaurant windows. The entrances to these stores are only accessible through two primary mall entrances, which do not occur until two block lengths west of El Camino Real, leaving much of the walking environment set against parking lots and structures, blank wall facades, and through a dark underpassing. Street parking is not allowed and sidewalks are narrow with no pedestrian amenities. There is further pedestrian confusion caused by the lack of directional and store signage. 5. Hillsdale Boulevard Moving from east to west, the character of Hillsdale Boulevard changes as it transitions from the train station underpass, over the engineered El Camino Real overpass, past the mall parking and buildings into a multi-family neighborhood. The Hillsdale Shopping Center complex to the south provides more landscaping and improved pedestrian circulation a stark contrast to the north side of the boulevard that has a narrow sidewalk facing a parking garage. D. Nodes and Gateways Entering the Plan Area along El Camino Real from the south or north does not give one a feeling of having arrived somewhere. The commercial pattern present outside the Plan Area along El Camino Real continues through the Plan Area uninterrupted. The El Camino Real Master Plan recognizes places where intersections should be enhanced into recognizable nodes. Although many planning studies have been done, the larger existing challenges have prevented significant change. El Camino Real is a major regional roadway, carrying traffic throughout the Peninsula, and is managed by Caltrans. This makes changes to the street s character difficult to achieve. 4-12

13 Coming from the north, the intersection of 25 th Avenue and El Camino Real has a building form that relates to the street, indicating retail uses to the west. However, minimal pedestrian facilities and six traffic lanes minimize the potential effect of a gateway at this location. Coming from the south, the Hillsdale Boulevard interchange and shopping center serves as the southern gateway into the Plan Area by its sheer mass and the combination of high traffic volumes, engineering impressiveness, and grade change. However, the maneuvering required to negotiate this intersection does not make it easy to note entry to the Plan Area. Eastern access into the Plan Area is by 25 th Avenue and Hillsdale Boulevard, at grade and under the Caltrain right-of-way, respectively. 25 th Avenue transitions from the large San Mateo County Event Center east of the tracks to the mixed commercial cluster of buildings around El Camino Real. Eastern access along Hillsdale Boulevard passes by single-family residential and the cloverleaf accessing Pacific Boulevard before passing under the tracks. Entry from the west into the Plan Area consists of a change of character from residential to commercial uses. There is little transition between the two. An example of this abrupt change is at the southwestern boundary where commercial buildings are separated from the residential neighborhood by a wall or a parking deck. E. Barriers A challenge to improvement in the Plan Area is the character and location of barriers to circulation and access in the Plan Area. The primary barriers are the heavily traveled El Camino Real and the Caltrain tracks, but other barriers exist for pedestrian and bicycle travel. 1. El Camino Real The high volume of traffic and multiple travel lanes are prohibitive to safe pedestrian circulation. Multiple curb cuts along El Camino Real increase con- 4-13

14 flicts between pedestrians and automobiles. Pedestrian crossings are only located at signalized intersections and there are some portions over 1,000 feet without a crossing. Pedestrians must cross six lanes of traffic with limited pedestrian refuges in the median. Several Plan Area signalized intersections contain only one east-west crossing on El Camino, forcing some pedestrians to cross three streets instead of one. There is limited space for pedestrian refuge in the median. 2. Caltrain Tracks Although Caltrain is a significant asset to the Plan Area and the catalyst for TOD, the railway line is a physical barrier limiting east-west connections. In the future, the proposed High-Speed Rail will require a completely separated right-of-way, creating additional challenges for connectivity. Currently, crossing the Caltrain tracks in the Plan Area is limited to 25 th Avenue and Hillsdale Boulevard, as well as the station platform. The lack of connectivity translates into a safety risk as unauthorized entry into the railway line has resulted in train accidents along other parts of the Caltrain route. Caltrain is addressing this risk with more gates, additional fencing, and other safety measures to prevent accidents along the entire length of its right-ofway. 3. Hillsdale Boulevard and Interchange Hillsdale Boulevard crosses the Plan Area under the Caltrain tracks and over El Camino Real. The boulevard is two lanes either direction. Access to El Camino Real is via ramps. The high speed, volume, and lack of pedestrian protection create a barrier to successful circulation and connectivity between the west and east. A pedestrian has to make four separate crossing to get from the Caltrain station to the Hillsdale Mall and then has to walk down a sidewalk adjacent to the parking deck to enter the shopping center. People requiring an accessible route have even farther to travel. 4-14

15 The Hillsdale Boulevard interchange with El Camino Real serves as a significant barrier with multiple lanes of potentially high-speed turning vehicles. No crossing facilities exist at 36 th Avenue as traffic enters or exits the Hillsdale underpass. Hillsdale Mall serves as a Samtrans transit center with ten bus lines connecting there. However, Samtrans users are required to cross Hillsdale to get to Caltrain. 4. Hillsdale Shopping Center Circulation at the Hillsdale Shopping Center is entirely internal. A patron must park in the parking deck or outside the Sears store and then enter the mall. The first floor parking is dark and Sears has closed off its southern entry along 31 st Avenue. Safety is a concern in this area. F. Building Footprints and Parking Area In an urban setting, humans feel most comfortable when the occupied space is a relatively intimate dimension. The presence of a continuous street wall can create the perception of an outdoor room. An example of this is the scale of streets in downtown San Mateo. A significant contrast exists between the experience of walking along 25 th Avenue and the wide open middle part of El Camino Real in the Plan Area. Analysis indicates that the nature of El Camino Real as a commercial arterial and the size of areas devoted to parking are the largest influences on the pedestrian experience of the Plan Area (see Figure 4-3). A clear gradient of increasing scale occurs from north to south in the Plan Area, both in building footprint and size of parking fields. Starting from 25 th Avenue and El Camino, footprints have varying front setbacks, and some buildings abut the right-of-way while others are setback with small areas of parking. Generally, almost all buildings completely cover the parcel. Some older buildings were evidently demolished to make room for sufficient parking for the adjacent building. 4-15

16 Edison St S. El Camino Real C I T Y O F S A N M A T E O H I L L S D A L E S T A T I O N A R E A P L A N E X I S T I N G C O N D I T I O N S R E P O R T C O M M U N I T Y C H A R A C T E R 24th Ave Saratoga Dr 26th Ave Lula Belle Ln W. 25th Ave Mary Lu Ln Palm Ave E. 25th Ave Delaware St Portola Dr Palm Ct Delmar Wy Garfield Ct Palm Pl 27th Ave Juniper St Hacienda St 28th Ave Garfield St 29th Ave Flores St Edison St 30th Ave Sylvan Ave Arbor Ln 31st Ave Briar Ln Arrowood Ln Hickory Ln Louise Ln Chestnut Ln Mc Lellan Ave Curtiss St Winway Cir Hillsdale Blvd Pacific Blvd Poinsettia Ave Otay Ave 37th Ave 36th Ave San Benito St Oso St San Miguel Wy Feet Plan Area Boundary Existing Train Station 1 Story 2 Stories 3 Stories 4 Stories 5 Stories F I G U R E 4-3 E X I S T I N G B U I L D I N G H E I G H T S

17 From 27 th Avenue south, the development pattern begins to reflect the newer redevelopment that replaced the older mix of buildings with larger consolidated parcels. On the east side of El Camino Real, long multi-tenant buildings run the depth of the parcel with larger parking fields. However, parcels on the west side of El Camino Real in this section are shallower with smaller building footprints and parking. The Hillsdale Shopping Center and associated commercial begins at 29 th Avenue. Here the parcels are large on both sides of El Camino. The footprint of the mall occupies the center of its parcel with parking wrapping it on all sides. The parking at the Hillsdale Shopping Center is both surface parking and a parking deck. The ground-level parking under the deck is perceived as dark with few cars parked at the edges. In this southern part of the Plan Area the eastern parcels become shallower as the Caltrain right-of-way moves closer to El Camino Real to a minimum parcel depth south of Hillsdale Boulevard where the parcel is less than 75 feet deep. The shallow depth makes it harder to provide parking behind buildings in this area, with the consequence that most of the visible area is devoted to parking. In the residential areas of the Plan Area, buildings are a mixture of singlefamily homes sited in the center of the lot or multi-family buildings. As one can see in Figure 4-4, the lot sizes are small, and relatively lesser space is devoted to parking, so the experience of being in these areas is more positive. An additional consideration leading to a positive experience for pedestrians is the height of surrounding buildings relative to open space. A very small street bordered by small buildings can feel enclosed and comfortable. A wide street bordered by tall buildings can also feel comfortable. In Figure 4-4 it is apparent that almost all of the buildings on the widest street, El Camino Real, are single story. In contrast, many of the buildings on 25 th Avenue, probably the most pedestrian-oriented street in the Plan Area, are two stories, providing more enclosure to that street. 4-17

18 Edison St S. El Camino Real C I T Y O F S A N M A T E O H I L L S D A L E S T A T I O N A R E A P L A N E X I S T I N G C O N D I T I O N S R E P O R T C O M M U N I T Y C H A R A C T E R 24th Ave Saratoga Dr 26th Ave Lula Belle Ln W. 25th Ave Mary Lu Ln Palm Ave E. 25th Ave Delaware St Portola Dr Palm Ct Delmar Wy Garfield Ct Palm Pl 27th Ave Juniper St Hacienda St 28th Ave Garfield St 29th Ave Flores St Edison St 30th Ave Sylvan Ave * Arbor Ln 31st Ave Briar Ln Arrowood Ln Louise Ln Hickory Ln Chestnut Ln * * Mc Lellan Ave Curtiss St Winway Cir Hillsdale Blvd Pacific Blvd Poinsettia Ave Otay Ave 37th Ave 36th Ave San Benito St Oso St San Miguel Wy Feet Plan Area Boundary Existing Train Station Building Parking *Parking Structure F I G U R E 4-4 B U I L D I N G F O O T P R I N T S A N D P A R K I N G

19 G. Conclusions The auto-dominated nature of El Camino Real reflects the overall character of the Plan Area. The segmented nature of each parking lot requires patrons to make multiple stops in their car. At the same time, many of the shops must rely on street parking. This type of mismatched strip development results in underutilized land that is difficult to improve or redevelop. While it is possible for many residents who live in or near the Plan Area to walk to the mall and other destinations, it is more likely that they will drive to each location, resulting in additional traffic and trips from a very close origin. Pedestrians face significant obstacles to pleasant travel. Although the portions of the area close to 25 th Avenue are friendlier to pedestrians, the historical use of El Camino as a regional thoroughfare and ensuing piece-meal development resulted in an environment engineered and built for autos. Sidewalks are narrow and have only the occasional on-street parking as a buffer. Crosswalks are wide with no refuge. While many of the uses in the northern half of the Plan Area face El Camino Real, multiple curb cuts increase the risk of pedestrian-auto conflicts. Additionally, there is no street face to Hillsdale Mall. Instead, the mall s parking garages line the sidewalk of El Camino Real and Hillsdale Boulevard. For long, uninterrupted lengths of these streets, the character is dominated by the garage s blank and unadorned architectural design, which often does not screen the large amounts of parked cars behind it. 4-19

20 4-20