Driving on El Camino Real through the heart of Menlo Park, between Valparaiso Avenue and Oak Grove Avenue, it’s hard to miss Springline, a sprawling new 6.4 acre multi-purpose development. According to the team at Springline and Presidio Bay Ventures, “Springline brings new energy to the heart of Silicon Valley through hospitality-driven modern residences, creative offices for both growing businesses and industry veterans, and a robust line up of Bay Area food and beverage favorites.”
Presidio Bay Ventures, a commercial real estate investment and development firm headquartered in San Francisco, has funded and led the development of Springline since replacing the original developer mid-construction in June 2020. Springline’s team explained that Springline is designed to be “a dedicated location in Menlo Park for the Springline residential community and surrounding Bay Area to seek an upscale, indoor-outdoor space to gather, work, and dine.”
Springline’s culinary offerings make it a new hub of food and beverage in Menlo Park, both for Springline residents and the larger community. The first of these restaurants to open is Canteen, a Spanish-inspired small-plates restaurant owned by Chef Greg Kuzia-Carmel, who also owns downtown Menlo Park’s popular restaurant Camper. In addition to Canteen’s main restaurant, which is in the Springline lobby, a coffee shop named Canteen Cafe is open on Springline’s property on El Camino Real. Kuzia-Carmel said, “Canteen is born out of the desire for a fun, informal place for folks to gather and enjoy, and is meant to be sort of a yin to the yang that is Camper.”
While the Canteen two-part operation is the only open dining spot on Springline property right now, a lineup of San Francisco restaurant staples are in line to open over the next few months, including Che Fico, Andytown Coffee Roasters, and Burma Love.
Behind the restaurants lies Springline’s main residence building. Springline’s website says that its residences are “carefully designed and curated to offer an abundance of space, style, and smarts,” offering different collections of interior design and amenities to residents and tenants. Monthly rent for these units ranges from $3,800 to $8,500, comparable to the average rent in Menlo Park at $4,950, according to Zillow. Springline’s facilities include a gym with bootcamps and yoga classes, multiple outdoor courtyards, a swimming pool, a video game room, and golf simulator rooms. They also hold special gatherings for residents like taco nights, pancake breakfasts, cooking classes, and happy hours.
Additionally, Springline hosts events for the local community, such as fitness pop-ups in the plaza with Barre3 and Barry’s Bootcamp, and community gatherings like a recent outdoor Super Bowl watch party. Springline is also home to The Glade, a communal dog park open to the public. Jen Smith, who takes her German shepherd to The Glade often, said, “We used to go to a dog park on Willow Road, but it’s made out of dirt so it would get muddy when it rains, and this is actual turf, so it’s been nice to have this in walking distance.” She added that the demographic at The Glade is “a mix of people that live at Springline and around Menlo Park.”
Springline emphasizes innovative safety technology, and all residents use an app to unlock doors, contact room service, and turn lights on and off. Part-time resident Apryl Stern said, “The Springline team uses the app frequently to communicate with residents. Sometimes they let us know of upcoming events, or construction that might cause inconveniences. We can also use it to reserve several common spaces, or submit a maintenance request.”
In addition to modern technology, Springline has solar panels and tracks its carbon footprint. Springline’s team stated, “Our goal is to prioritize environmental awareness and impact on the greater community through new and creative avenues.”
Since Springline will still be under construction through 2023, noise can be an inconvenience for residents and employees. To make up for the disruption, Springline has offered residents special events and free tickets to the local Guild Theatre. Stern said, “At the end of the day it is our home. While we have been understanding of the issues, we will be very happy once construction is fully complete.”
Across a courtyard from the residences is luxury office space, which Springline leases to Bay Area companies like the capital firm Menlo Ventures, the tech giant STG, the law firm Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, Norwest Partners, and Cornerstone Research. The Springline offices have cutting-edge technology features, a plethora of dining options right on the Springline property, and a location adjacent to downtown Menlo Park and the Caltrain station. In addition to these leased office spaces, Springline also owns CANOPY, a communal working space with 24/7 access to resources such as conference rooms and tech support.
Stern said, “The way the buildings were thoughtfully designed, with commercial spaces facing the El Camino and apartments towards the back, makes for a living experience that nicely blends the urban and suburban. Having the commercial aspect to Springline also allows the community to benefit from the project, which is a nice aspect. The management, maintenance, cleaning and security teams at Springline are great and they work very hard to keep the residents happy and comfortable.”
