Condos replace Salvatore’s in San Carlos

Run Date: August 23, 2009

By Judy Richter
Special to The Chronicle

SAN CARLOS BILLS ITSELF AS “THE CITY OF GOOD LIVING”

It lives up to that billing with pleasant parks, respected schools, a bustling downtown and a convenient location about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose.

These assets are touted by 1001 Laurel, a 90-unit condominium project that sits between El Camino Real and Laurel Street, downtown’s main drag.

The 1-acre site once was occupied by the Golden Platter restaurant and its parking lot, according to John Baer, a principal in the Matteson Cos., developer of the condos.

The restaurant became Salvatore’s after chef Sal Campagna bought it in 1977 and offered an Italian menu. The San Carlos resident also served as the San Francisco 49ers’ food consultant.

Matteson talked to Campagna about buying the site in 1999, Baer said. Hoping to capitalize on the dot-com boom, the company planned a 100,000-square-foot office building with penthouses on the fourth floor.

On orders from the city, Campagna closed the restaurant on Dec. 31, 2001, because the unreinforced masonry building, the last in the city, didn’t meet seismic safety standards.

In the meantime, the dot-com bust caused Matteson to scrap its office plans in favor of 104 apartments. Once those plans were OKd, the restaurant was razed in September 2005.

More economic changes led to the 90 condos plus 5,700 square feet of ground-floor retail space. “It was a natural evolution,” Baer said.

Construction began about two years ago. By the time the project opened in mid-July, more than 1,300 people had signed the interest list; 500 of them visited on the opening weekend.

1001 Laurel is close to shops, services and restaurants with cuisine from around the world, many with sidewalk dining. Bianchini’s Market opened on Laurel in May.

Laurel hosts a farmers’ market on Thursdays from May through September, while nearby Burton Park offers free Friday night concerts in July and August. The Caltrain station is four blocks away, and SamTrans buses run along El Camino.

Twenty-five of the condos have one bedroom and one bathroom plus, in most, a tech nook. Averaging about 700 square feet, they start at $430,000.

The 57 two-bedroom, two-bath units range from about 1,027 to 1,097 square feet with prices starting at $599,500. With prices starting at $775,000, the eight three-bedroom units have two or three bathrooms and 1,241 to 1,419 square feet.

Some of the one- and two-bedroom units are available for lower prices to first-time buyers who live or work in San Carlos and meet income guidelines.

The two-bedroom units come in two variations. Of these, Plan 1 is shown as a model.

On one side of its entry hall is a combination closet and laundry area for stacked appliances. On the other side is the kitchen, which features maple cabinets, granite counters, gas stove and stainless steel appliances.

The kitchen looks into the dining area and living room. Off the living room is a door to a patio on the ground floor and to a balcony on the upper floors.

The second bedroom has a wide closet, while the master bedroom has a walk-in closet. Its bathroom includes both a tub and a shower. The other bathroom, across from the second bedroom, has a tub with shower.

Homeowner dues at 1001 Laurel range from $320 to $420, including water and gas. Dues for two-bedroom units are projected from $360 to $390.

One-bedroom units get one underground parking space. Others get two. Extra storage is available for purchase on each floor. All units have air conditioning.

The four-story building is arrayed around a central courtyard with a fountain, barbecue area, fireplace and trellised sitting area. There’s a fitness center on the ground floor.

Matteson is negotiating leases for the retail spaces. Two of the tenants are expected to be an accountant and a drop-off site for White Oak Cleaners of San Carlos.

VITALS

Address: 1001 Laurel St., San Carlos
Developer: Matteson Cos.
Architect: Christiani Johnson Architects
Model: Two bedrooms, two baths
Price: Starting at $599,500
Square footage: 1,027-1,097
Price per square foot: Starting at $583.74
Parking: Two underground spaces
Monthly homeowner dues: $360-$390
Sales office hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday-Thursday
Phone: (650) 594-1005
Web: www.1001laurel.com

Google volunteers join HomeAid Northern California in project

Run Date: August 16, 2009

San Jose Mercury News

THE GOOGLE GROUP’S MISSION WAS TO LAY A LARGE AMOUNT OF NEW CARPET, DONATED BY CREATIVE DESIGN INTERIORS

A team of Google volunteers recently joined HomeAid Northern California in its third annual HomeAid Care Day to make life brighter for the residents of Banyan House, a transitional shelter operated by FESCO (Family Emergency Shelter Coalition) and HomeAid’s second shelter project when it was completed in 2002. The Google group’s mission was to lay a large amount of new carpet, donated by Creative Design Interiors.

After a tour of the multi-family facility that provides up to 10 months of shelter, case management and counseling services to the residents, program manager Martha Trigueros gave a moving presentation to the Google volunteer squad. She described not only the successful programs offered by Banyan House, but said the reasons for being homeless are “not always glamorous: Many families are” referred to FESCO when they are made homeless by illness, job loss, divorce and scarcity of affordable housing.”

“The staff at Banyan House work closely with these families to recognize the factors that made them homeless to begin with,” Trigueros said. “We also concentrate on providing children with counseling to give them self-esteem and dignity, tutoring so they don’t fall behind in school and basic nutrition education.”

“We really enjoyed this opportunity to brighten up the Banyan House living area where more than 23 children can pay every day,” said Chris Millikin, an engineering manager at Google. Google has even pledged a flat-screen television to enhance the room even further. The carpet donation is being used in the community room and offices where Banyan House residents get case management and counseling services. Ron Lewis of CDI said, “Creative Design Interiors is proud to partner with HomeAid and Google on a project like this to make the families at Banyan House feel more at home.”

Julie O’Connor, executive director of HomeAid, Northern California, said, “his evenet wa a great success. It is vital to the HomeAid program to encourage volunteers, such as the team from Google, to become intimately involved in a HomeAid shelter project. We are already planning for another volunteer team to come back to Banyan House again next year.”

Summertime and the living easy at 1001 Laurel

Run Date: July 22, 2009

Judy Clarke and Kelly Clarke
San Carlos Real Estate Blog

It’s the opening that the Peninsula real estate community has been waiting for—1001 Laurel, the new architectural jewel with 90 condominium homes in downtown San Carlos. The sales office will be open Saturday through Thursday beginning July 25th.

Light-washed interior spaces. Exquisite appointments and finishes. A central courtyard and a well-appointed fitness center. 1001 Laurel is stylish and functional—perfect for your buyers wanting a walk-around lifestyle. They’re offering 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom home designs. Check out their website for floor plans and images (a picture IS worth a thousand words!) Pricing starts in the $400,000s for 1 bedrooms. $600,000 for 2 bedrooms and up. HOA dues are in the low $300 to $400 depending n the square footage and include everything but electricity.

“The Real Story with Colleen Edwards” Debuts on KCBS.com Tuesday, March 17th

Run Date: March 17, 2009

Reuters

ONLINE RESOURCE HELPS CONSUMERS NAVIGATE REAL ESTATE

DANVILLE, Calif.—(Business Wire)—Colleen Edwards, a member of the California Building Industry Foundation’s Hall of Fame, brings more than thirty years experience as a strategist for the homebuilding and land development industries to KCBS.com. Today Edwards, co-founder and CEO of EMC Creative, starts her news and information-filled blog and podcasts, ”The Real Story with Colleen Edwards.”

“Consumers need a comprehensive resource tool to research the many complex issues related to real estate,” said Edwards. “There are so many hot buttons for potential homebuyers, re-sellers and those connected with real estate.”

A fully-integrated blog and podcasts will be on KCBS.com and TheRealStoryBlog.com, presenting frank interviews with industry leaders, current news, interactive features, forums and surveys, in an easy-to-navigate format. On KCBS.com, “The Real Story With Colleen Edwards” can be found under the “Extras” and “Audio” sections of the website.

“Look at the opportunities and challenges in today’s real estate market—economic stimulus, green building, mortgage meltdowns, the credit crunch and foreclosures,” said Edwards. “There’s a tremendous amount of information to absorb. ‘The Real Story’ provides a one- stop resource for consumers to visit for critical information.”

“The Real Story with Colleen Edwards” is supported by an advertising /PR campaign, largely funded by Edwards herself. “That’s how strongly I feel about this partnership with KCBS. It’s a great opportunity to talk frankly about real estate issues that impact thousands of people and the communities that they live in.”

Meet Colleen Edwards

Colleen Edwards is co-founder and president of EMC Creative, one of the West’s premier communication agencies and a leader in strategic marketing for bankers, homebuilders and land use development companies. She was honored in 2003 with the Lifetime Legend Award by the Home Builder’s Association of Northern California recognizing her personal and professional achievements.

Edwards is a cum laude graduate of the School of Journalism, University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of “From Good Market Research to Great Marketing.” Her many contacts within real estate and related industries make her an outstanding resource for The Real Story.

Create Buzz! What worked: Show the media what you’ve got

Run Date: January 2009

Windemere — a 2,300-acre, 5,200-home master-planned community in San Ramon, Calif — has been open for about five years and had about 400 homes left to sell when its marketing firm, Danville, Calif.-based EMC Creative, rented a helicopter and took some Bay Area reporters up for a bird’s eye view of the community.

No doubt the reporters were a buzz at the prospect of taking a breathtaking afternoon excursion, but it wasn’t all spectacle. “This was the best perspective at which to view this community, for journalists to understand the scope and scale of the project,” says Scott Tiernan, senior director of marketing communications at EMC.

The timing was right, because during this final phase of build out, most amenities – including a $150 million dollar high school, four other schools, hundreds of acres of open space and more than 20 parks – were complete and primed for viewing.

Not only was a vivid picture planted in reporters’ minds, it was reinforced by photography taken by a professional aerial photographer and provided to the media afterward to be published or broadcast at their respective outlets. “This has generated some very positive news coverage, with more to follow,” says Tiernan. “Windemere’s sales pace is impressive, especially in a market impacted by foreclosures, mortgage meltdowns and credit crunches.”