A former Ramada Inn in South San Francisco will become 45 studio apartments for formerly homeless seniors, San Mateo County announced Monday, July 21. The $15 million conversion at 721 Airport Blvd. is the county's fifth project under California's Homekey program, which funds the purchase and renovation of hotels into permanent housing.
The four-story building will serve residents age 62 and older referred from shelters countywide through the Coordinated Entry System. The county expects the project to open later in 2026.
"We've got a problem on our hands," San Mateo County Supervisor Jackie Speier said. County data shows 747 of the county's 2,240 homeless residents are 55 or older. HUD estimates fair-market rent for a studio in San Mateo County at $2,485 a month, roughly $550 more than the average monthly Social Security retirement benefit of $1,935.
Episcopal Community Services will operate the building with round-the-clock staffing. Each unit includes a kitchenette, grab bars, and automatic stove shutoffs. Behavioral health clinicians and therapists will be available on site. Staff trained in aging, dementia, and mobility issues will provide case management.
The county purchased the property in 2023 using Homekey funds. Its first hotel conversion, Casa Esperanza in Redwood City, opened that same year after a former Comfort Inn & Suites was transformed into 51 apartments for formerly homeless residents. More than 60 Homekey developments now operate across the Bay Area, according to the Mercury News.
Why Burlingame's Bayshore corridor is worth watching
No Burlingame city official has publicly discussed hotel-to-housing conversions, and no Planning Commission or City Council action on the topic has been documented. But the county's expanding program is relevant to a corridor lined with major airport hotels including the DoubleTree, Hyatt Regency SFO, Embassy Suites, Crowne Plaza, and SFO Waterfront Marriott.
In a January 2021 staff report, Burlingame Community Development Director Kevin Gardiner told the Economic Development Subcommittee that "market interest in life sciences and office uses in Burlingame seems to be increasing while interest in hotel development is waning." Three separate parties had inquired about non-hotel uses on Bayshore Highway properties at that time. Market conditions have shifted since then, and no current occupancy data for the corridor is publicly available.
A new federal law adds another variable. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which became law Friday, July 11, includes a pilot grant program to help local governments convert vacant commercial buildings into affordable housing. David Garcia, deputy director of the UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation, told the Mercury News on Tuesday, July 15, that the law's conversion provisions "could have a more direct impact on the Bay Area," though the effects would "take some time to materialize."
The South San Francisco project has no announced opening date beyond later in 2026. No Burlingame-specific hotel conversion proposals or hearings are scheduled.
