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Can South Laurel Become "SOLA"?

December 2, 2011

SOLA
A few around San Carlos are looking down at their chips and about to go all in for the south end of Laurel.  South Laurel, now named “SOLA” by San Carlos developer, Bob Stafford, is about to get its chance to shine.
North & South
Anchored by heavy hitters such as Town, Piacere, Spasso, Cask and a host of others, the north end of Laurel has become not only a favorite among San Carlans, but a destination for those who do not live in San Carlos. The south end of Laurel, or Laurel south of Brittan Avenue, has a noticeably different feel. Restaurants are far and few between.  The nightlife is almost non-existent. Professional offices, older buildings and vacant lots occupy much of south Laurel.  For years, bringing the south end of Laurel to life has been a focus of the City Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the Planning Commission. It appears that the right spots have finally opened up and there is a movement to transform south Laurel to SOLA.
Key Locations Are Now Under Contract

The vacant lot at 1580 Laurel Street is about to see life. Owned by a family from Atherton, the architectural designs have been undertaken by a high-end, very well respected firm in Burlingame, according to Stafford.  The plans will call for ground floor retail and residential units above. 1580 Laurel Street is currently the largest plot of vacant land on south Laurel. Establishing a new, vibrant building to fill the void can only help blend the overall feel of south Laurel.
Perhaps the most important location on south Laurel is the old White Oaks Hardware building.  I am happy to report this building has been sold and from what I have been told, the new owners have plans to establish some type of eatery. Situated at a busy four-way stop at Laurel and St. Francis, it’s the one intersection on south Laurel that receives a decent amount of traffic.  I would argue that this is the one location that cannot misfire if south Laurel is to move toward SOLA.
Success has been found by some on south Laurel.
Mack’s BBQ has been incredibly successful on the south end of Laurel. Others have found south San Carlos to be profitable as well.  While it is a block in front of Laurel on El Camino, The Office Bar and Grill has been wildly successful and is extremely popular with San Carlos residents. The success of both of these establishments seems to indicate that there is room for more in SOLA.
North Laurel started in a similar fashion
There was a time in the not-so-distant past when you could walk down the north end of Laurel at 7:00 pm on a Friday or Saturday night and feel as though you were one of about 6 people downtown.  However, eventually, someone took a chance.  A Tavola set up shop in the old Tivoli Building and became successful. The transformation kicked into overdrive when A Tavola became Town and the other like-minded entrepreneurs could not set up shop on north Laurel fast enough.
SOLA will never be north Laurel
I don’t think anyone is under the impression that SOLA will one day be north Laurel.  For one, the vast majority of north Laurel is zoned for commercial/retail.  South Laurel has apartments, retail and professional office space.  Even with these differences, there seems to be a strong consensus that it is under performing. The right players and locations seem to finally be in place.  The movement has the backing of the council, the chamber and all commissions. The chips are nearing the center of the table for SOLA.
 

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Featured  / San Carlos Community Issues

Bob Bredel

9 Comments


Julie
December 2, 2011 at 10:55 am
Reply

Glad to hear of some movement on SOLA…..hopefully not too much activity as the north end. I do like living on the “quiet” side of Laurel.



Karen
December 2, 2011 at 11:27 am
Reply

This is great news! I think the sleepy end will be a nice reprieve from the crazy foodie end, but agree with Julie that we hope that it doesn’t good too far since it does have residential. Hope they factor parking and family-friendly eateries/activities into the plans. I would support businesses down there if I could park and bring my kids. I am sad that “The Office” has not been as open to supporting community gatherings there – unlike some of the other businesses that welcome groups to meet in their space. Hope he realizes that supporting the community pays back big time. We need more business owners that understand this. Looking forward to watching the transformation.



Cathy
December 2, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Reply

I agree with Karen about parking and family-friendly destinations even though my kids are grown. I’m happy to have places to go but don’t need more crowded and noisy streets. The parking has already been a problem since The Office was under-planned in that regard. I support several businesses in that area already and will be interested to see what kinds of businesses will come in.



James
December 2, 2011 at 1:01 pm
Reply

The city needs the sales tax revenue. I agree in that I do not want to see it as busy as the north end. Bob’s description is a good one. “Under performing” is a very fair description. I hope that a balance can be achieved.



Chris Willsher
December 3, 2011 at 5:46 am
Reply

Maybe a third starbucks or 7th coffee shop should get it kick stated. The negative in south Laurel is parking and the lack of upkeep on some of the buildings…also the city (i don’t think) even hang Christmas decorations on the streets…..why is there no street fair even once every 4 months….I know they tried this years and years ago…..They need 4-5 places where people want to walk five of six blocks…also donate or create a space for small park or theme place for adults…what happened to bars or clubs with Dancing…(just dated myself)….or a piano bar, or a place to eat and watch old movies something quaint seats 30-40……just some thought. I lived in SC for 47 yrs…and still own building on El Camino in this area. Which is for sale, as I moved up north 4 yrs ago.



Matt W.
December 17, 2011 at 10:40 am
Reply

@Chris, there already is a nice coffee shop in SOLA that serves my favorite ‘Blue Bottle’ coffee called ‘1665 Cafe’. One guess as to its address.
The planning commission has had be a bit worried lately as the new businesses have been TJ Max and the Dollar Store.



Chris Willsher
December 18, 2011 at 6:45 am
Reply

Yes…well they have to those are anchor tenants who pay large tax revenue for the city. And yes I have driving by your shop and will stop in to check it out. But SOL still needs many more “walking” destinatons down there…..people with not get in thier car and walk from Brittan south….unlesss its medical or dental. Maybe eminant domain thee sjould be a small kids park installed on one of those vacant lots…even pay rent to current owner…



Ken Williams
February 13, 2012 at 7:06 pm
Reply

Hi Bob, your article made me wonder how many apartments are in San Carlos? Do you know where I could find this info by area (white oaks, howard park, etc)?



Bob Bredel
February 13, 2012 at 8:40 pm
Reply

Hi Ken,
Thanks for your post. I have just sent a request to the City of San Carlos to obtain this information. I should have it shortly.
Best,
Bob



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