Slideshow A six-acre site in Sylvan Park is being considered for a massive 471-unit apartment project. Previous Next

A massive 471-unit apartment project in the city's Sylvan Park neighborhood will be considered Wednesday evening, Jan. 3, by the city's Environmental Planning Commission.

The project proposed by Prometheus Real Estate Group would build out a 6-acre site near 525 E. Evelyn Ave. with dense apartments as well as a new public park. About half the land is currently vacant and was last used as a flower market years ago. The other half of the property is a commercial storage area.

The land has significant groundwater contamination, and Prometheus representatives promoted the project as an opportunity to clean up the site. In late 2016, the City Council approved a gatekeeper request for the project, signaling support for rezoning the industrial site for residential use.

If approved, Prometheus would develop the site with new apartment buildings up to five stories high, which would be constructed over two levels of underground parking. The project would be required to subsidize at least 15 percent of its units as affordable; however, city officials could seek alternatives. In recent weeks, a similar apartment project by Prometheus was able to avoid adding affordable apartments because the development firm agreed to "pre-pay" an equivalent amount of money to a nonprofit housing organization. In the staff report, city planners suggested elected officials could seek a similar alternative for this project.

The Environmental Planning Commission will review the proposed apartment project at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 3. The meeting will be held at the City Hall Plaza Conference Room at 500 Castro Street. The agenda can be found here.