Posted on: November 10, 2026
Source: San Francisco Business Times; Author: Clare A. Fonstein
An underused parking lot next to Fremont BART Station is slated for two residential towers totaling 643 apartments, plus retail and a public plaza.
BART has selected a development team to turn an underused parking lot next to its Fremont Station into 643 apartments in two residential towers.
Pacific Development and Affirmed Housing were tapped following a request for proposals. The developers plan market-rate and affordable apartments on the BART-owned site.
“It’s more than just housing next to a Bart station,” said Kasheica McKinney, BART’s director of transit-oriented development.
She said the vision is for the site to create a stronger connection between the Fremont Station area and downtown Fremont, as well as become a destination.
“I envision this as really being an integrated part of the broader Fremont community,” McKinney said.
She said the project is in early stages and the design is expected to evolve.
Pacific Development has proposed a seven-story market-rate apartment building with 465 units, along with infrastructure including utilities and roads. Affirmed Housing would develop an eight-story affordable apartment complex with ground-floor retail. The development is also planned to include a public plaza oriented around the BART station, said Ali Gaylord, Affirmed Housing’s senior vice president.
“We’re trying to make sure that we’re making a really walkable and nice pedestrian atmosphere,” Gaylord said.
The property is owned by BART, which would retain ownership of the land and lease it to the developers.
McKinney said Pacific Development and Affirmed Housing were selected because of their track record working on similar projects, and that the two developers have partnered in the past.
“They came in really being able to demonstrate their experience to deliver on projects like this,” McKinney said.
The retail component in Affirmed Housing’s apartment complex is planned to include an Art Play Café, which has a location in Petaluma. The concept combines a café serving food and drinks with a children’s recreation space.
“We were really excited about the opportunity to create this connectivity, create community amenities, create a place where people are not just passing through to get to the BART station, they’re actually going to be able to spend time there and it’s going to be a draw for the community,” Gaylord said.
With Pacific Development and Affirmed Housing selected, the companies will begin negotiations with BART and move toward entitlements. Gaylord expects the project to be fully entitled in 2028 and said the market-rate component would begin construction first.
Fremont Economic Development Director Donovan Lazaro said the project’s location near transit, downtown retail and employment hubs offers an opportunity for people to not need a car. He also said the added residents are expected to boost nearby retail.
“When you have the opportunity to take an underutilized surface parking lot and convert it into medium to high density workforce housing that’s a win for the community,” Lazaro said.
The project site is about eight acres and the transit agency has additional parking space at the Fremont station for future development.
Read the full article, here.
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