Cal Skate Sale to Housing Developer Pending

Roller-skating rinks are going the way of the dinosaurs, and the Bay Area could soon lose one of its last. is in the process of selling its family-owned roller rink and vacating 2-acre site for a housing development that will total five acres.

Plans for the project have been OK'd by the Milpitas Planning Commission and will go before the City Council for approval on Mar. 15.

But until there is a closing date, it’s still business as usual at the rink, said co-owner Chris St. Germain. "Yes, we are in contract. No, we are not closed."

St. Germain's father started the business more than three decades ago, and when he retired, she and her brother, Trace, took over. After keeping the roller rink open , they decided selling was in the best interest of the family.

But for the St. Germains, it is not easy to leave Milpitas after 34 years. "We are working closely with family to make sure we handle it with grace," she said. 

The housing project, according to the city staff report, would add 83 new, three-story, detached townhomes on the 5-acre site that includes Cal Skate and a lumber yard. It's next to the Calaveras Boulevard on-ramp to Interstate 680. 

At the planning commission meeting on Feb. 23, developer Mark Robson of Robson Homes said, “We are new to Milpitas and are excited about this project. We have been building homes in Silicon Valley for 21 years.” 

The timeline will ultimately depend on the developer, once the project clears the council and passes a 30-day period in which the public can try to get the decision appealed. St. Germain estimates it could be six months to a year.

But until the deal is done, things haven't changed at Cal Skate of Milpitas.

“We have lots of local school fundraisers and class skating parties," co-owner Trace St. Germain said. "We're so busy now, we're booked through June.” 

Some skating enthusiasts are already planning ahead.

At the planning meeting, they brought up salvaging the flooring and moving the rink elsewhere in Milpitas under new ownership. 

Chris St. Germain said she is supportive of helping others open new skating rinks and can consult based on her experience in the family entertainment business. 

"They are never competitors," she said of other skating rinks. "There are enough customers to go around."