A new development is going up at the terminus of the he Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in Millbrae.
The 17-acre Gateway at Millbrae Station will feature a 500,000-square-foot hub with offices, a hotel, retail spaces, apartments, and parking. A 165,000-square-foot contemporary office building designed by Form4 Architecture of San Francisco will be the focal point of the development. Republic Urban Properties is the project developer.
LPMD Architects will be designing the residential space while ACRM will do the hotel portion of the development. HMH Landscape Architecture will be in charge of the landscape architecture, while the civil engineer will be HMH Engineers. Blach + Cahill Joint Venture is the general contractor.
There will be steel-framed expanses of high-performance glass on the three upper levels of the five-story office/retail as well as planted roof terraces on the third floor for the use of the tenants. A combination of wood, metal mesh, and frosted glass delineate two levels of parking above the retail storefronts. The overall design will also feature projecting bays, canted ends, and a cantilevered roof that appears to float.
“We conceived this building as the centerpiece of the new community,” says John Marx, AIA, co-founding design principal and chief artistic officer of Form4 Architecture.
“It is sited to engage the street where most activity will take place. The building is as transparent as possible with gridded planes of glass so people and movement inside will be visible to pedestrians as they pass by.”
Between the new office and residential buildings is the Paseo, site of The Shops at Garden Lane, a permeable pedestrian shopping promenade modeled on European streets. This landscaped linear passageway provides areas for outdoor dining, gathering, and relaxing, and will serve as the main circulation spine of the development, inviting guests and visitors inward.
“The Gateway project represents transit-oriented development at its very best,” says Michael Van Every, CEO of Republic Urban Properties.
“This will be a destination where people can live, shop, work, and play, with walkable streets, public spaces, and amenities. Not only does it provide convenient access to the largest BART station in the Bay Area, but also to rail and bus lines, as well as the airport. The combination of these elements establishes a real authenticity that will have a positive impact on life in the Bay Area at large.”
Construction on the project is expected to begin in late 2019 and completed in 2021.