180-Unit Town Hall Square Project Approved at 1199 E. 14th Street

On September 7, 2023, the Board of Zoning Adjustment approved developer BEAM’s 180-unit multi-family residential project at 1199 E. 14th Street – the 1.2-acre site commonly referred to as “Town Hall Square.” The project will create much-needed housing for the community that incorporates sustainable features and tenant amenities and bring short- and long-term economic benefits to the community.

The Town Hall Square project represents the culmination of over a decade of planning efforts to implement the 2007 Downtown San Leandro Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Strategy. The TOD Strategy works to bring more housing, retail, and jobs to the City’s downtown core through projects that create a sense of arrival and place, reduce reliance on automobiles, maximize available transit options, and promote a mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented community. The Town Hall Square development will bring 180 new households to the Downtown, which will support transit, retailers and service providers and complement the mixed-use Centro Callan development under construction across E. 14th Street.

The seven-story building will include five floors of housing atop two floors of parking, as well as common areas and amenities. The project will include 180 rental units, including ten studios, 94 one-bedroom units, 68 two-bedroom units, and five three-bedroom units, at an average size of 940 square feet. Each unit will be equipped with a full kitchen, including a refrigerator, dishwasher, range/oven, and in-unit washer and dryers.

Other amenities include a ground level fitness center, tenant storage areas, a pet area, a library/co-working space, a lounge, and a shared commercial kitchen for residents. A clubroom and deck are also available to residents on the seventh floor. Public art will be displayed inside the lobby and be visible from the public plaza.

The building features multiple public and private outdoor areas that are attractively designed and complement the building. These include an 8,500 square-foot landscaped interior courtyard and a public plaza in front of the lobby entrance at the corner of E. 14th and Davis Streets with decorative paving, outdoor seating, and bicycle parking; the final design of the plaza will be completed prior to construction.

The building will have multiple sustainable features, including EV (electric vehicle) charging facilities, water-conserving plumbing in the units as well as the landscaping and common areas, and solar panels on the roof. The residential units and common areas will also be equipped with energy-conserving appliances.

The development will demolish two existing buildings and the surface parking lot in order to develop the site, which will utilize the State Density Bonus law, which allows a higher residential density in exchange for a percentage of on-site affordable residential units.

18 of the 180 units will be designated as affordable for very low income households, restricted to households with incomes below 50 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). These units will be built to the same standards and will have the same appliances and fixtures as the market rate units. The City’s affordable housing consultant will conduct a lottery to select eligible households for these affordable units when construction on the project is close to completion.

The project will bring a number of economic benefits to the City and community. In the short term, it is estimated that the developer will invest over $40 million in the development, pay over $150,000 in Building Permit Fees, and contribute over $4.5 million in Impact Fees to support the school district, parks and other impacts of the project.

Long-term, the project will result in a significant increase in property value and annual increases to property taxes contributed towards City services. Additionally, the over 400 residents living in the building are expected to shop in the Downtown area, supporting local businesses and increasing annual sales tax revenue.

More information about the Town Hall Square project, including full plans and analysis, may be found here.