A. DESIGN OVERVIEW

Character

Zones

This plan responds to existing conditions and anticipates future development by creating distinct character zones that respond to the scale of the streets and the built form and land uses along the streets, described in the following pages.

Character

El Camino Real “Promenade”

The Promenade character zone covers the downtown portion of El Camino Real, from Millbrae Avenue to Meadow Glen Avenue. This zone is the “grand boulevard” of Millbrae, with active frontages supported by ample sidewalks, large, tall-canopy trees, civic transit infrastructure, and wide sidewalk spaces. Specific activity zones would be highlighted with design features such as special paving and furnishings. The scale of the street and the future scale of the buildings are large, and the streetscape should be a grand gesture that celebrates both the human scale as well as a larger-scale experience.

Broadway and El Camino Real Frontage Road

“Interactive Urban”

Broadway and the El Camino Real Frontage Road zone are the heart of Millbrae’s commercial district. The scale and character of these streets is small and pedestrian oriented. People using these streets will benefit from a high level of craft and attention to detail, such as special paving materials, investment in street furnishings, and pedestrianscale lighting. Street trees in this zone would be medium sized with seasonal interest such as flowers or fall colors. The existing palm trees at the intersections would be maintained. This character should extend to the cross streets in the core of the commercial district: Taylor Blvd., Hillcrest Blvd., La Cruz Ave., and Victoria Ave.

El Camino Real and Broadway “Parkway”

The Parkway character zone of El Camino Real extends from Meadow Glen Ave. to the northern city limit. On Broadway, the Parkway zone extends from Victoria Ave. to Millbrae Ave. The land uses in this zone are primarily residential and include fewer active ground-floor frontages. The design of this zone emphasizes more lush planting, including trees with lower canopies to provide more privacy for residential buildings and planting strips along the street edge. The sidewalks offer fewer amenities than the Interactive Urban and Promenade zones, and the paving and furnishings design is simpler.

Downtown Alley

The alley running parallel to Broadway and El Camino Real from Taylor Blvd to Victoria Avenue is primarily a serviceaccess road. However, as a prominent feature of the downtown, it should be considered an opportunity for enhanced connectivity, beautification and increased safety. Blank walls along the alley, especially near the intersections, are opportunities for public art. The paving should be improved, including paving unpaved areas that are not viable as planting areas. To save costs, pavement improvements could be concentrated near the intersections. At the intersections, the crosswalks should be raised across the alley entrances, with driveway-type vehicular access into the alleys. This would improve accessibility, pedestrian safety, and the sense of pedestrian orientation in the downtown. And enhanced lighting throughout the alley would improve the sense of safety.