Center Spread

The Rollins Gateway at Millbrae Station

Sofia Madrigal, Staff Writer

November 24, 2025

In Millbrae, the once free area of Rollins Road is transforming into a center of new housing and company spaces. At the center of this change is The Rollins Gateway at Millbrae Station, a project completed over 22 months that now offers 79 affordable housing units and a growing list of amenities designed to support local residents.

The complex features a wide range of onsite resources, including a community room, fitness center, dog park, pool facilities, fast food chains, and garage parking. The surrounding area is also designed with accessibility in mind: residents have immediate access to BART, a public rail system used across the bay area and easy access to the 101 freeway.

Bianca Pando (12), is a middle college student at the College of San Mateo (CSM) who has lived at The Rollins for two years. For her, the location and transit access have been the most valuable parts of living there. Pando commutes to CSM using BART and says the convenience has transformed her mornings. “There’s a shuttle bus that comes straight out of the Millbrae BART Center every hour, and that’s how I mainly transport myself from Millbrae to CSM,” she says. “It’s been the prime benefit of living there.”

She also highlighted how The Rollins apartments differ from other housing options in the area. “A lot of the benefits that they give are nice, as well as the area,” Pando shares. “There’s not that many apartments that are directly next to the BART station. They also are very caring toward the residents. I know a majority of the staff there, if we ever had problems with our apartment, they were very quick to act on it.”

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She also mentioned programs aimed at low-income residents, designed to help families feel supported. “They do this so residents of that complex can feel cared about,” Pando adds.

As Millbrae continues to redevelop the Rollins Road corridor, the new apartment complex stands out not only for its modern design and convenient location, but also for the sense of community it aims to build. With accessible transportation, updated amenities, and support programs for residents, the Rollins Apartments reflect the city’s growing effort to create more inclusive and livable spaces for its community.

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About the Contributor

Sofia Madrigal, Staff Writer

Sofia is a senior beginning her first year on the Journalism team as a staff writer for The Thunderbolt. She looks forward to strengthening her writing skills and collaborating with peers to gain a deeper understanding of everything the class has to offer. Her eagerness to join grew from a desire to explore more creative styles of writing and to put her creativity into practice. After high school, Sofia hopes to attend a four-year college and major in political science or public relations. Outside of school, she enjoys watching movies, her favorites include the Hangover franchise and Pitch Perfect, and spending time with friends. An athlete as well, Sofia is captain of the girls water polo team and also competes on the varsity soccer and track teams. She is excited to contribute her voice and perspective to The Thunderbolt this year.