100% affordable housing proposal expedited in Redwood City

The development at 112 Vera Ave. plans on providing 176 low-income units comprising 153 one-bedroom apartments and 25 studio apartments. Units will be available to applicants making between 30% to 70% of the San Mateo County area median income.

The units will be proposed as high-density affordable housing for transit-oriented people, Lingo said.

“We are building an environment that will provide housing options to all segments of the community including the working class, marginalized persons and those seeking an opportunity to live in a state-of-the-art building in the community in which they reside, work and play,” he said.

The state law, or ministerial approval, seeks “objective, not subjective” judgment by an approval authority, minimizing hurdles and inputs on such developments to quicken the time the units are available.

However, in this case, the time to market is significantly shorter than what is expected of other developments in the pipeline: developers estimate groundbreaking for February 2025 and completion late 2026.

In addition, various quality-of-life concerns were raised at the meeting. Public commenters and councilmembers raised concern over the significant increase in density and lack of parking included in the proposal — only six surface spaces are currently proposed.

The city cannot require parking for developments that are half a mile away from a major transit stop, in this case Caltrain. The goal is to reduce miles traveled throughout the state, Community Development Director Jeff Schwob said.

Some residents near the development site shared frustrating experiences in regards to finding parking in the area and said the site will only add to the overwhelming congestion.

One way developers will attempt to address this concern is by seeking applicants who will commit to a public transit-oriented lifestyle. Lingo said the development site maintains a 96 walkability score — a grading system gauged out of 100.

“We are aware that some residents may still desire to have a vehicle,” Lingo said. “We must educate them what their options are, and if the tradeoff between affordable housing rents in a state-of-the-art development is worth forgoing a car in their life.”

The lack of proposed parking is what made the project developers more competitive to receive state funding, Lingo said, making it possible to not need extra funds from the city.

“It is rare and it’s special,” Lingo said. “We are able to bring an affordable housing development of this caliber to the city and not ask for a dime of local housing dollars.”

State law requires the applicant to attend the public meeting and receive public testimony and comments before submitting a formal application, but there is no requirement that the applicant make any changes to the project to address such comments.

Councilmember Elmer Martinez Saballos said he hopes the development company will be considerate of neighbor interest if they are interested in becoming a part of the community, as intended by Lingo.

“We collaborate here in San Mateo County,” Martinez Saballos said. “As the application gets submitted I’d love to see you all work with city staff on these quality-of-life issues.”

Another unique feature of the property is its utilization of modular construction where aspects of the building will be constructed off-site, further shortening the expected length of the project. Councilmember Chris Sturken noted this is a noteworthy effort to mitigate the influence of construction on neighbors.

Studios are proposed to rent between $913 and $2,214 while one-bedroom units will go for $971 to $2,365.

Having worked with individuals seeking affordable places to live through nonprofit housing organizations, Sturken said people are often left to rent rooms rather than entire units.

“This project offers the opportunity for them to potentially get a full apartment, a studio, or one bedroom, for the same price they would a room to rent,” Sturken said. “That’s incredible. You never see $900 rooms to rent on the Peninsula.”

The development was proposed as a mutually beneficial situation for residents in need and the city.

“Allowing residents to have more discretionary income to enjoy life, spend in the community, drive up sales tax, and lessen vehicle miles traveled,” Lingo said. “This is a huge win-win for the city.”

After the proposal is submitted for expedited consideration, staff has 90 days to determine its consistency with city standards and 90 more days for the zoning administration to approve if it meets all objective standards.