Draper University and Collective Entrepreneurs Club PA12-040
| Location: |
36-44 East Third Avenue (Benjamin Franklin Hotel building)
37 E. Fourth Avenue (Fourth Avenue Office building)
51-65 E. Third Avenue (Collective building and publically accessible walkways), including Benjamin Franklin Court
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| Assessor Parcel Numbers: |
034-143-240, -280, -290
034-143-230
034-142-030, -180 and
publically accessible walkways, including Benjamin Franklin Court |
| Owner: |
Tim Draper
Heart of San Mateo
2882 Sand Hill Road, #150
Menlo Park, CA 94025 |
| Applicant: |
Carol Lo, COO
Ken Wilson, Head of Development
Draper University
44 E. Third Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94401 |
| Description: |
The project is a request to reuse three existing buildings (including two historic buildings) to establish a school and ground floor office uses, and includes physical improvements to the buildings and properties. The buildings include: the Benjamin Franklin Hotel Building (36-44 E. Third Avenue APNs 034-143-240, -280, -290), Fourth Avenue office building (37 E. Fourth Avenue APNs 034-143-230) and Collective Building (51-65 E. Third Avenue APNs 034-142-030, -180). The project also includes modifications to the publically accessible walkways (including the Benjamin Franklin Court, located between E. Third Avenue and E. Fourth Avenue) with changes to landscaping and removal of trees.
The project site, which is comprised of multiple parcels, is approximately 57,466 square feet in total, and public access walkways are all located in downtown San Mateo and are generally bound by Second Ave to the north, S. San Mateo Drive to the east, E. Fourth Ave to the south, and S. El Camino to the west. The properties are zoned Central Business District (CBD) and the publically accessible walkways are areas dedicated for public access use. |
| Planning Approvals Requested: |
- Mitigate Negative Declaration.
- Site Plan & Architectural Review (SPAR) for exterior changes to historic Benjamin Franklin hotel building and site improvements.
- Site Development Permit for removal oif major landscaping, including removal of 11 trees.
- Downtown Economic Development Permit for a new private school and office use on the ground floor.
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Status:
March 2013 NEW
Jan 25 2013
Jan 8 2013
Dec 10, 2012
Nov 30, 2012 |
The project was approved by the City Council on February 4, 2013 and building permits for the project were issued in March 2013.
Contractor: W. L. Butler Construction, Inc. Charlie Kelly, (650) 743-3337 and
Draper University Head of Development: Ken Jillson
The project has been scheduled for a City Council Public Hearing on Monday, February 4, 2013. The staff report and related attachments for the public hearing will be avilabe online on the City Council webpage on Febraury 1, 2013 at this link: http://www.cityofsanmateo.org/index.aspx?NID=170
A Planning Commission Public Hearing was held on Tuesday evening, January 8, 2013. The Planning Commission voted to recommend to the City Council approval of the project with the incorporation of new conditions, the incorporation of the Updated Ground Floor Plan for the Collective Building, and also provided additional recommendations for the Council to consider. The Administrative Report and related attachments are available at: http://www.cityofsanmateo.org/index.aspx?NID=2526
The applicant provided the following program description:
Environmental Document:
The City prepared an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration which identifies and discusses potential environmental impacts of the project and proposes mitigation measure to be incorporated in the project to eliminate any potentially significant impacts. The previously circulated environmental document has been updated with more information regarding the proposed usage of the Collective Building and is was recirculated for public review between November 30, 2012 and December 19, 2012.
Notice of Availability
Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration
Project Plans dated November 19, 2012
Parking Analysis and TDM Plan dated November 29, 2012
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Background / History:
Dec 10, 2012
Dec 10, 2012 |
Pilot 2 Program (PA12-080):
A Temporary Use Permit for a Draper University pilot 2 program was approved by the Zoning Administrator on December 4, 2012. The program is expected to being on December 14, 2012 and would operate for 30 days with the option to extend the program, if necessary, for a total of 60 days. The pilot is intended to be residential "advanced incubator" for advanced entrepreneurs and for advanced entrepreneurial students. The program will be limited to no more than 40 participants, who will live and work in the former Benjamin Franklin Hotel building (floors 1-4 only). Additionally, the pilot will be staffed by 2 administrators who will stay in the hotel building full-time to ensure safety and address any issues. Speakers and coaching events will occur 1-2 times per week, and the speakers and coaches will be at the hotel building occasionally for 1-2 hours at a time. This pilot program will enable the applicant to refine their ideas for an "advanced entrepreneurship" experience, which they intend to incorporate in the formal planning application for Draper University (PA12-040).
The applicant held a neighborhood meeting on November 20, 2012 at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel to discuss the Pilot 2 program.
Formal Planning Application (PA12-040):
The formal Planning Application for Draper University was submitted on June 20, 2012. The project includes the reuse of three existing buildings to establish a school and ground floor office uses, and includes physical improvements to the buildings and properties. The project site is comprised of multiple parcels:
- 36-44 East Third Avenue (Benjamin Franklin Hotel building);
- 37 E. Fourth Avenue (Fourth Avenue Office building);
- 51-65 E. Third Avenue (Collective building);
- Publicly accessible walkways, generally know as the Benjamin Franklin Court.
The project was reviewed by the Planning Commission at the October 23, 2012 public hearing, where the Commission gave direction to provide more information regarding the use of the Collective building and continued the project to a future public hearing.
The administrative reports and attachments, including the previously circulated Initial Study / Mitigated Negative Declaration environmental document are on our website at: http://www.cityofsanmateo.org/index.aspx?NID=2387.
Pilot Program (PA12-025)
A Temporary Use Permit for a summer Pilot Program was approved by the Zoning Administrator on May 18, 2012. The 30-day Pilot Program began on June 1, 2012. Floors 1-4 of the Benjamin Franklin Hotel were temporarily occupied during the pilot program with classes generally occurring between 10am and 10pm in the Fireside Lounge. The pilot was intended to be a mini-version of Draper University's 10-week academic program and provided the applicant and school organizers an opportunity to test their concepts and refine their formal planning application to establish a permanent Draper University.
Pre-Application (PA12-001):
A neighborhood meeting was held on February 7, 2011 at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel's Fireside Lounge to discuss the preliminary concepts for Draper University. A Planning Commission study session was held on March 27, 2012 to discuss the conceptual ideas for the private school. The materials for the meeting are available here:
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| City Contact: |
For additional information please contact the project planner, Julia Yeh at (650) 522-7216 or by email e-mail |
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