Construction Milestones Highlights for Community-Defining Project in California

Join venture Blach Construction and Cahill Contractors recently celebrated significant topping out and groundbreaking milestones at Gateway at Millbrae Station in California. Among these were the topping out of both the residential housing and hotel components of the project and the groundbreaking of the veteran’s housing structure.

Located along the Highway 101 corridor, in very close proximity to San Francisco International Airport, Gateway at Millbrae Station is one of the largest transit-oriented development projects in California to date. Not only will this highly anticipated mixed-use complex assist in addressing critical Bay Area housing needs, it will enable access to sustainable transportation through BART, CalTrain, SamTrans and other local transit agencies while providing spaces to work, stay, shop and eat.

The project is poised to create 1,100 new jobs and will include 300 market-rate apartments,100 affordable apartments – 80 of which are veteran-preferred, a 164-room Marriott Residence Inn, 150,000 square feet of Class A office space, 44,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurants and establish new public open spaces, plazas, pedestrian/bike paths and dog parks.

A key transit center connecting all corners of the greater Bay Area, the project was deemed essential and construction continued throughout shelter in place. At approximately 943,000 square feet, it remains a safe and efficient site throughout the construction process thanks to the calculable nature of the buildings’ Design-Build delivery method. Leveraging a pre-designed, pre-engineered framing system, the project team was able to address current impacts including price escalation, materials shortages, project safety and sustainability on several portions of the development in which the system was used. This approach, led by the joint venture, was the first to be used on a project of this size and has been key to meeting target deadlines.

Gateway at Millbrae Station, which first broke ground in 2019, remains on schedule, with final completion expected in 2022.