Westlake Urban will soon begin construction on a ground-breaking renovation of Westlake Realty Group’s headquarters at 520 South El Camino Real (“520ECR”) in downtown San Mateo. The remodel of the marquee building will improve the structural integrity of the 118,000 square foot, 9-story facility, originally built in 1960.
520ECR holds a special meaning for Westlake, a third-generation, family-owned business, which has been headquartered in the building for 35 years and will return to the building once the remodel is complete. The building was purchased by Westlake’s founder, T.M. Chang, in 1975. Plans for the renovation are multidimensional but will incorporate sustainable and energy efficient elements and a variety of amenities for the building’s tenants, including improvements to both the exterior and interior and a complete overhaul of the building’s mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
The building will also include seismic retrofitting to fortify its infrastructure. Since its original construction, stricter structural design standards have been adopted by the state of California to ensure commercial buildings sustain minimal damage in the event of an earthquake. The result will be a Class A, seismically retrofitted building that is structurally safe and sound.
“520ECR is both a marquee building in our portfolio and in the downtown San Mateo community,” said Kristina Chang, President, Westlake Realty Group. “This is an exciting project for Westlake and the Chang family.”
Natural Light and Modernized Amenities
An elegant glass and stone exterior will replace the 520ECR’s institutional facade, offering an abundance of natural light to enhance the tenant experience. Westlake’s reconfiguration will also include the addition of a rooftop patio on top of the 1-story annex. The design will vastly improve the overall visual landscape of the property and complement its surrounding areas, as the building stands opposite the vibrant San Mateo Central Park, a 16-acre green space at 5th and El Camino and mainstay at the heart of Downtown San Mateo.
“In addition to the seismic upgrades, we will include a variety of amenities, including showers, bike parking, a patio, and much more,” said Donovan Cole, Development Manager, Westlake Urban. “Employers know that workplace design is critical to productivity, and today’s millennial employees expect a flexible, amenity-filled workplace that is close to green space and public transportation. 520ECR checks all of the boxes.”
The remodel will also include the addition of 6,379 square feet of combined indoor and outdoor space to the second and third floors of the structure. The expansion will better accommodate prospective tenants interested in the leasing of full floors. The building has added transportation amenities to entice new tenants, including electric vehicle parking areas and charge stations as well as covered bike parking to complement the proximity to CalTrain and several SamTrans bus lines. In addition, current and prospective tenants will have access to showers, shared conference spaces, and ample green space on the street level.
Westlake anticipates receiving city approval to begin renovations in August, with an estimate of the building’s completion in early 2020.
