Well designed projects in otherwise strange locations

(left) South San Francisco high density housing and (right) San Bruno mixed use

In several towns along the SF Peninsula there are some very nice high-density housing projects and mid-density mixed-use projects. What's striking about some of these projects is the environments in which they're being built. A South San Francisco high density housing project is situated next to a Costco parking lot. In San Bruno, a mixed use retail, housing, office project is situated between an elevated highway (I-380), the intersection of two major thoroughfares (I-380 and El-Camino), and is a safe easy walk to nothing. So the question is -- will these projects succeed on their own, will they lead to pedestrian-centric projects nearby, or are they doomed to failure because they are great projects, but islands unto themselves?