A request by the Sequoia Station developer to start a general plan amendment for the downtown property failed to win support Monday from the Redwood City Council.
Los Angeles-based Lowe asked the city in January to amend the plan for the 12-acre site where the developer has said it wants to build a new project that will help Redwood City secure its spot as a premier Peninsula destination.
Accelerating planning for a transit district that includes Sequoia Station did win City Council approval Monday — and Mayor Diane Howard spoke about a first-class transit station at the site.
Howard said the community supports a vibrant downtown but not tall buildings that forever change the city.
A city staff report for Monday’s council meeting said many community members have expressed concerns with the jobs-housing balance within the Sequoia Station proposal — and the proposed height of a 17-story building adjacent to the railroad tracks.
In response, Lowe has withdrawn its request for the 17-story building and instead proposes to comply with building heights and asks to study one to two stories of additional height on a portion of the site, the report said. The current limit is 12 stories.
A financial analysis should evaluate the value of the proposed development in relation to proposed community benefits, the city staff said.
Alan Chamorro, senior vice president for Lowe, told the City Council at its meeting Monday that Lowe welcomes a financial analysis.
Chamorro said work on a new Sequoia Station has been underway for almost two years.
“We understand our previous plans were too ambitious with respect to height,” he said.
Lowe only proposed studying a 17-story building to provide flexibility in design but the headlines that proposal generated created an unintended divisiveness, Chamorro said.
He said after the Monday meeting that Lowe’s supports the council decision to expedite the transit district planning and “we look forward to being part of the discussion.”
Housing Trust Silicon Valley, in a Feb. 20 letter to Redwood City, supported starting the general plan amendment and allowing Sequoia Station to move forward.
“We expect the commercial portion is driving this affordable housing development and unlocking the opportunity to provide up to 225 very low, low, and moderate-income homes,” the housing trust said.
(650) 344-5200 ext. 106
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Join us for community fun at the San Mateo Senior Showcase at the San Mateo Senior Center lo… Read moreSan Mateo Senior Showcase
Our Lady of Angels school presents Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr! Read moreOur Lady of Angels School Presents Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
CA Is Burning said:
Mike Caggiano said:
jameschimera said:
It's about time they repair pot holes on 101.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.