Redwood City is moving forward on a six-story mixed-use development at 1201 Main St. with full Planning Commission support.
The project, submitted by developer Mike Field of Mecah Ventures, would comprise 32 residential units — a mix of studio and one-bedroom units — and nearly 97,000 square feet of office space. Wings Learning Center formerly operated in the now-vacant building on the site, in between Heller Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
Plans for a similar project were approved in April 2023 but were stalled due to a tough lending climate that has affected many development projects throughout the region. Since then, state legislation has allowed for greater flexibility related to height and density bonuses.
“A lot’s changed,” Field said. “In the time we got it approved and today, we were allowed to add another four units where we had maxed it out prior … and we had to make the project more viable by adding more density.”
Compared to the previous proposal, the project has one additional story to accommodate more office space and has about four more units. Roughly 500 employees are expected to occupy the commercial space.
According to a recent staff report, the city is slightly behind on its state-mandated housing goals, or Regional Housing Needs Allocation. During the same meeting, commissioners voted in support of reducing affordable housing requirements — both the in-lieu fee and inclusionary unit minimums — as a way to lower cost burdens for developers, thus spurring more housing development. The report showed there are about seven projects in the city’s pipeline, which would translate to 2,584 units — 37% of which are estimated to be affordable. That comprises 56% of the city’s state-mandated housing goals between 2023-31.
If developers can’t make the financing work and move their projects forward, the report said that could also result in losing $25.6 million in critical impact fee revenue, in addition to much fewer housing units.
“I think it looks nice,” Commissioner Dylan Finch said. “It’s going to be a much more pleasant place to walk and bike once the project is done, and I think the project is consistent with the surrounding uses.”
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