By Bay City News.
The San Mateo County Transit District Board of Directors this week authorized the acquisition of a roughly 180,000-square-foot headquarters in Millbrae, agency officials said.
The building is located on Gateway at the Millbrae Station, adjacent to a transit center serving Caltrain, SamTrans and BART.
SamTrans officials said the building will be acquired through a lease-purchase agreement at a cost of $126 million. It is located on BART property and is subject to a 99-year ground lease with BART.
Additionally, they said the site developer will pay for and complete all tenant improvements prior to move-in, which is expected to take 12 to 15 months.
“The Gateway at Millbrae Station is a transit-oriented development that seamlessly blends the agency's mission and space needs with our employees' desires to be adjacent to transit and amenities,” said Board Chairman SamTrans, Josh Powell, in a statement.
San Mateo County Supervisor and SamTrans Director David Canepa said the new headquarters in Millbrae will be part of the “largest transportation hubs in the country that include SamTrans, Caltrain, BART and San Francisco International.”
“This new headquarters represents the future of public transportation and is a symbol that we are here to stay, that we will mobilize people to work for the improvement of the environment. This investment in Millbrae will also boost the city's economic engine and will be a boost. to its center and small businesses,” he said in a statement.
SamTrans officials said the agency plans to retain ownership of its current headquarters in San Carlos. The current headquarters has outdated seismic standards, is in need of repairs, and is not designed for the modern workplace.
According to SamTrans, the potential costs of repairing and developing the current headquarters to modern standards exceed its value.
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