San Bruno B.A.R.T.

  Building on years of high-density housing developments near the railroad tracks, the city of San Mateo is embarking on a plan that could bring more residential and office space near the Hillsdale Train Station, according to a report issued this week.

  The city is applying for $400,000 in grants from the Association of Bay Area Governments and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and is setting aside $100,000 to pay for the development of the Hillsdale Station Specific Plan. The plan will determine what kind of developments best serve the area along El Camino Real between 28th and 31st Avenues, said San Mateo Associate Planner Julia Yeh.

  The city wants to pay close attention to that area because Caltrain is considering moving the station slightly north from Hillsdale Boulevard and the Bay Meadows Development will be constructed just east of the tracks, Yeh said.

  San Mateo began pursing transit-oriented development in the mid-1990s. It created the El Camino Real Master Plan, the Rail Corridor Plan and the Bay Meadows Specific Plan. The previous plans required much public input and each took years to draft.

  The Hillsdale Station Specific Plan would provide for additional housing, commercial and office space on the west side of the tracks. It will establish criteria for new mixed-use developments with the potential for shared parking with Caltrain users, create a possible bike path and create a new transit hub for Caltrain, according to the report.

  The massive transit-oriented development slated to replace the Bay Meadows race track in San Mateo was approved by the San Mateo City Council in 2005 with the understanding that Caltrain had plans to construct undercrossings and move the Hillsdale Train Station. Costs of construction have risen considerably in recent years and late last year Caltrain indicated it was not dropping the plan, but early this year said it would re-evaluate how it could be built at a lower cost.

  A plan by the Mid-Peninsula Housing group to build affordable housing in the 2900 block of El Camino Real, where Goodyear tire shop resides, is currently under review by the city.

  Yeh said that Mid-Peninsula housing, Hillsdale Shopping Center, nearby property owners and residents will all be part of the public input process.

E-mail Dana Yates at dana@smdailyjournal.com.