SERRAMONTE DEL REY NEIGHBORHOOD

The Jefferson Union High School District’s mission is to offer a world class education to the students in our community. This continues to be a challenge as we are the lowest funded high school district in San Mateo County. We cannot attract and retain our educational staff and lose approximately 25% of our staff every year. The District would like to raise revenue by developing the property at Serramonte Del Rey which is something we have done successfully in the past at this site.

JUHSD will negotiate long-term leases with developers to build market-rate housing units on the property. We will retain ownership of the land and the money from the lease can go into the general fund to be used for any educational purpose. We have passed multiple parcel taxes and do not feel it is viable to try to tax a largely working, middle class community once again to raise revenue. 

Thirty years ago our school district used under-utilized land to successfully raise revenue with a long-term lease that led to the development of the Serramonte Ridge apartments and the Medical Office building. Both developments sit on District-owned property and we are still collecting revenue from those leases. It is a sustainable source of income for the students of our District that cannot be taken away. 

The Faculty & Staff Housing initiates the Serramonte Del Rey development project and will go a long way towards addressing the loss of faculty and staff. However, not every member of our staff will choose to live at this site. We also need funding to pay for educational programs, including arts, sports, music, career and technical education, and others.  

The District is committed to being a thoughtful steward of the land. To that end, our hope is to create additional amenities for the community, including retail, parks, and trails. 

The Serramonte Del Rey neighborhood will include many public amenities open to the residents onsite as well as from the surrounding community. These public amenities include a network of public parks and open spaces. Public parks and open spaces include a park at the heart of the site (Central Green), a park at the crest of the site’s hillside overlooking Daly City and beyond (Overlook Park & Community Garden), a recreational trail overlooking the east hillside open space, and a connecting pedestrian path on the south portion of the site and along the west hillside open space that incorporates fitness opportunities, viewing areas, and the retail plaza. 

Students in grades K-8 attend Jefferson Elementary School District at Daniel Webster Elementary School and Fernando Rivera Intermediate School. Students grades 9-12 are served by Jefferson Union High School District’s award-winning Westmoor High School.

The Serramonte Del Rey neighborhood includes approximately 8,000 to 14,000 square feet of neighborhood-serving retail with on-site customer parking, located at the site’s entrance off of Serramonte Boulevard. Examples of potential ground floor retail uses include a coffee/tea shop, flower shop, dry cleaning, ATM/credit union, deli and specialty restaurant, hairdresser/barber, and exercise program.

Pedestrian and bicycle facilities will be provided on all streets within the Serramonte Del Rey neighborhood. Bicycle facilities will include Class II buffered bike lanes along Campus Drive East and other streets will include Class III bike “sharrows” (bicycle markings on vehicle lanes indicating the lane is for shared use). Sidewalks will also be provided on every street with curbside landscaping. The trail loop will also serve as a means to provide both pedestrians and bicyclists access around much of the site that is separated from vehicles and in a more natural setting.

Multi-level garage parking is proposed on every parcel, which provides parking for future residents and their guests. Additionally, on-street parallel parking will be provided on both sides of the street on Campus Drive West and Campus Drive East (either side of Parcel E).

Yes, the development of the proposed project is expected to increase vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic on Serramonte Boulevard in the vicinity of the site. However, the project will open up a north-south through route for traffic to pass through the site via an extension of Campus Drive from the south. While this route will be fairly low speed, it will likely serve some local north-south traffic that currently uses Callan Boulevard or St. Francis Boulevard. A detailed Traffic Impact Assessment is currently being prepared to assess these changes and how they will affect the local street network. Where impacts to these roadway facilities are identified, improvement measures will be developed.

Most buildings will range in building heights of 5 to 7 stories tall (55 to 75 feet). Buildings along Campus Drive East and Campus Drive West will have taller high rises ranging from 12 to 14 stories tall (122 to 150 feet). These high rises would be aligned with the narrow dimension in the east-west direction with wider building faces oriented towards the north and south directions, to minimize obstruction of views from uphill neighbors and shadows.

The garden will be relocated and transformed into a true community garden that is both sustainable and meets the needs of the broader community. An integral part of the development, the new community garden will be built with important features including ADA-accessible pathways, a centralized location, and sustainable water infrastructure. 

Increasing the amount of green space and ensuring that it is sustainable is an extremely important component of the project. The current facility has almost no green space outside of the garden, which has limited access. The new development will double the amount of green space, add a children’s playground, and create a true community garden. Maintenance of these spaces will be incorporated into the operations of the development. Currently, JUHSD provides a substantial amount of water to maintain the school garden which will no longer be available after the District office moves offsite.

JUHSD recognizes that the District and surrounding municipalities exist on the ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone people. In collaboration with Ohlone elders, we were unable to find record of an indigenous presence on the Serramonte Del Rey site. Nonetheless, the District is committed to collaborating with indigenous people about ways to recognize and honor their connection to the land, including discussion of offering land for their use.

Head Start has been a long-term tenant at Serramonte Del Rey and they will continue to be located on the site. The site plan provides for Head Start’s program and integrates well into the overall plan.

No. The project plans to build at least 100 units of affordable housing at 70% AMI.  This housing will be open to the Daly City community at large and will also incorporate the Head Start Preschool Program. The District is very excited about this part of the development and will continue to work to maximize the size of the affordable housing component to serve as many residents of our community as possible.

Although the phasing may change as the site is developed, the Master Plan currently anticipates three phases. Phase I includes Parcels A and B, which are to be built while the existing facilities remain. Phase II includes Parcels C and D. Phase III includes Parcels E and F.  Phases II and III will occur after the demolition of the existing school buildings.