Broadway Plaza gets final OK in Redwood City

Someone making $30,800 a year qualifies as “extremely low” income while a “very low income” person makes $51,350 a year and “low income” comes out to $82,200 a year.

The Sobrato Organization is responsible for the remainder of the development, which includes 460,000 square feet of offices in three buildings — where an estimated 1,720 people will work. In addition, there will be 11,000 square feet of retail on Broadway, a 10,000-square-foot child care facility and 1.6 acres of publicly accessible open space. Contaminated soil at the site will take one year to remediate.

Councilmembers celebrated the project especially for its affordable housing and child care components and also applauded the developer for incorporating community feedback into project plans. The development has changed significantly since it was first proposed in 2015 and initially did not include affordable housing or child care, for example.

“This is an amazing project. I know the developer has gone above and beyond the meetings we have and we’ve always said when there’s a good development it’s because it’s taken time for the developers to really reach out to the community,” said Councilwoman Alicia Aguirre.

Councilwoman Shelly Masur was especially appreciative of the child care facility and the fact that Sobrato will donate the space to its future operator so that the facility is accessible to children with a variety of economic backgrounds. The space will be able to accommodate 100 to 125 children.

“I hope you’ll specifically be looking for an operator that will provide child care at a variety of affordability levels. That would be important to me,” she said.

Councilwoman Giselle Hale praised the development for the inclusion of three-bedroom units, of which there are 12.

“So many families when they have two children feel squeezed in that two-bedroom or one-bedroom, but they can’t afford to buy or rent a house with three bedrooms,” she said. “There’s demand, but not supply [for three-bedroom units].”

A CVS/pharmacy at the corner of Chestnut Street and Bay Road will relocate to the corner of Woodside and Bay roads to make way for the affordable housing, which, along with the other residential buildings, will be constructed before the offices.

Acting Planning Manager Diana O’Dell noted that the affordable building was designed in such a way that will align with the other residential buildings and not stand out. She also said that while the city typically prefers to see affordable units integrated throughout a project, there are benefits of having a separate building for the below-market-rate units, for example an on-site building manager and various amenities not needed in the market-rate buildings.

Sobrato has agreed to donate 13,500 square feet of land for the Woodside/101 interchange project, which aims to reconfigure the roads and create new turn lanes and bike paths. That project is in the design phase and slated to begin in late 2020 or early 2021 if funding is secured.

Traffic impacts came up briefly during the meeting — the project will generate 3,777 daily car trips, according to the environmental impact report — but councilmembers appeared encouraged by the transportation demand management plan, which aims to cap drive-alone trips at 52%.

Off-site improvements associated with the project include the extension of a recycled water pipeline, the installation of sidewalks and bike lanes along Broadway, Bay and Chestnut streets, the installation of a traffic signal at Bay Road and Fifth Avenue and an improved bus shelter along Broadway.

Invoking the controversial Senate Bill 50, Mayor Ian Bain said the final proposal, refined after years of community feedback, reflects the importance of local control in the entitlement process.

“This is a great example of what happens when there’s local control over projects like this because it allows us to have that back-and-forth dialogue,” he said. “Had [Sobrato] been allowed to build whatever it wants without the council and Planning Commission playing a role, I do not believe it would’ve been as good a project as it is today. That’s an important role local governments play in terms of helping to make sure projects fit the community and that the benefits fit the community as well.”

To apply for affordable housing in Redwood City, contact Housing and Grants specialist Cindy Avila at (650) 780-7229 or at cavila@redwoodcity.org.

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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