Impacts of 54-unit townhome project scoped in Redwood City

Councilmembers have conducted a preliminary review of the project given that it was one of nine considered during the Gatekeeper Process and one of six given the green light to formally submit plans for city review. The draft EIR, part of the formal review, found the future project could have potentially significant impacts on air quality, biological resources, hazards and hazardous materials and transportation but also found those impacts could be reduced to less than significant through 16 mitigating measures.

Vice Chair Filip Crnogorac said the report addressed many of his concerns but said he’d like to see more details about land use infrastructure for pedestrians, such as bike parking. He also encouraged developers to detail additional safety measures that would be implemented along the Bay Trail, a 500 mile walking and cycling trail that travels through all nine Bay Area counties.

“The Bay Trail is something that connects all the communities along the Bay from east to west to North Bay and I think it’s a very valuable public resource. Currently, there’s no ability to access it from foot from East Bayshore and I think it’s very valuable if this project could have that 8-foot-wide sidewalk in the plan to be protected,” Crnogorac said.

Commissioner Isabella Chu echoed Crnogorac in stressing the importance of safety for pedestrians, suggesting the project developers consider sound buffering measures as well given that noise from the nearby Highway 101 could be a deterrent for pedestrian use.

Additional safety measures along pedestrian right-of-ways and greater access for pedestrians and cyclists through the project are key for encouraging residents to opt for alternative modes of transportation, Chu said.

“What really determines, more than anything else, what people choose is what makes sense. There are sort of enthusiasts who will bike no matter what or drive no matter what but most people just make logical choices,” Chu said. “It’s incredibly important that whatever facilities are for nondrivers are wide, high quality, well marked, connected and protected.”

Commissioner Chris Sturken agreed with Chu and noted improvements along Bayshore Road will be appreciated by avid cyclists given that it’s the most direct path to downtown.

Chair Rick Hunter also requested that the document include references to a future extension of Blomquist Street, a project the city has been pursuing for years as a vital safety route for Bair Island residents.

“The Blomquist extension, it’s most likely going to happen and it may have a large impact on the transportation analysis,” said Hunter, who also asked that the developers outline how they intend to mitigate traffic and safety impacts during construction given that only one road lets out of the area.

The effects of sea-level rise on the site, which sits right along the waterfront and is currently in a high flood and sea-level rise risk zone, were another top concern. If the project is approved, construction would include raising the site by about 13 feet but Gita Dev with the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter said during public comment that it’s still unclear how it would impact flooding in areas near it including city roads.

Dev called the construction risky and noted the organization has asked that development in the area be paused until the city can complete a sea-level rise risk analysis. Heeding Dev’s concerns, Chu said whatever is built in the area should be able to last decades into the future.

No formal decision was made either in favor, or against, the project or its draft EIR Tuesday night. A 45-day public comment period began on Sept. 21 and extends to Nov. 7, from which point staff and consultants will provide comments for a final EIR. Another 10-day comment period will begin once that document is released.

Formal consideration from the commission is expected to occur in early 2023 with a final decision by the council to follow shortly after.

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