Formal Application For 2121 South El Camino Real, San Mateo

Formal permits have been filed for the adaptive reuse of an office tower at 2121 South El Camino Real near the Hillsdale Mall in San Mateo, San Mateo County. The project is looking to convert the 12-story office tower into a 144-unit residential complex. Tennessee-based Tourbineau Real Estate Partners is the project developer.

The formal application was filed a few months after preliminary permits were filed to invoke Senate Bill 330. The developer is also utilizing the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act, i.e., Assembly Bill 2011, to streamline the approval process for a housing development in a commercial corridor. There will be 22 deed-restricted units designated for affordable housing, with the exact income requirements not yet specified.

2121 South El Camino Real, rendering by TCA Architects

The 169-foot-tall structure contains around 109,500 square feet, of which 83,500 square feet will be transformed into 144 one-bedroom apartments. Residential amenities will include a new lobby, fitness center, and landscaped courtyards. The 12-story tower is part of a six-building campus. The other structures, consisting of offices and a multi-level parking garage, will all remain throughout construction.

TCA Architects is responsible for the design. The firm’s design approach includes a new grey paint job contrasted with wood panels around the pedestal. The collage-like addition of yellow and white rectangles will haphazardly adorn the exterior. Kimley Horn is the landscape architect and civil engineer.

2121 South El Camino Real pedestal redesign, rendering by TCA Architects

2121 South El Camino Real site plan, illustration by TCA Architects

Tourbineau Real Estate Partners purchased the multi-structure campus in June 2025 for $22 million, and subsequently filed preliminary plans last November. For the transaction announcement, the firm’s CIO, Ben Wong, shared that “the acquisition aligns with our strategy of targeting ‘inflection point’ real estate in key urban markets, where a property’s reset basis affords us the time and ability to choose multiple avenues going forward.”

2121 South El Camino Real, image via Google Street View

The 3.4-acre property is located between El Camino Real and Palm Avenue, between 21st and 22nd Avenue. Future residents will be a 15-minute walk from the Hillsdale Caltrain station, ten minutes from the Hillsdale Mall via SamTrans bus, and just a couple of blocks from a grocery store. The estimated cost and timeline for construction have not yet been established.

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