Office building and off-site affordable housing gets 1st OK in Redwood City

The affordable housing development — located at 847 Woodside Road — will have 72 units, made up of 25 studios, five one-bedroom, 22 two-bedroom, and 20 three-bedroom units. These units will be deed restricted to low- and very low-income residents. 

Chair Rick Hunter noted the uniqueness of providing two- and three-bedroom units that are particularly ideal for families to be able to take advantage of the site’s affordability.

“These homes are for families,” Kate Conley, principal of proposed architect firm Architects FORA, said. 

The previous proposal suggested more units, and fewer parking spaces, but after adjustments were made to prevent shadows on nearby properties and more open space, the parking to resident ratio has gone up, Conley said. 

The site’s 79% parking ratio, which will include electric vehicle charging stations, results in 52 parking spaces. Parking spaces will be provided by lottery, if need demands, Dixie Baus, director of Real Estate Development at proposed developer Eden Housing, said. 

Although there is not a parking spot for each unit, developers will be providing transit passes to all residents and are promoting alternative methods of transportation with 90 secured bicycle parking spaces on the ground level. 

Additionally, on-site amenities including laundry, a community room, a playground and open space will provide resources close, further promoting minimal car use, Baus said.

Public comment was split, with many sharing support of the housing opportunities and others sharing concerns about parking. However, Baus said they felt there are sufficient spots considering the walkability of the area with a grocery store across the street and nearby bus lines. 

Commissioner Isabella Chu noted that it costs $60,000 to $100,000 to maintain one parking spot given the need to reserve 300 square feet per spot. 

“For every parking spot we add, that’s basically a big incentive to drive,” Chu said. “If you offered people $100,000 or $60,000 if they took the bus, they’d be much more likely to do that.”

Considered alongside the affordable housing development is its partner, a mixed-use building downtown. 

The project proposal includes a 256,205-square-foot, seven-story building located at 1900 Broadway — currently a vacant Wells Fargo and parking lot — that will mainly include office space with a public community plaza and ground-floor retail space. 

Office developments in Redwood City are required to pay affordable housing impact fees, construct on-site affordable housing units or use a land donation option. This conjoined project is the first of its kind in the city since the revised affordable housing ordinance in 2023 began allowing for this alternate option. 

“This is a chance to build on and expand the great downtown experience that Redwood City has created in the last decade or so,” Mark Murray, principal at proposed developer Lane Partners, said. 

Lane Partners developed the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Community Space. 

The proposal also includes the closure of the diagonal Spring Street, bringing the city more toward a grid layout. This will absolve an existing triangular parklet space, but the proposed green space is larger, making up nearly half of the community plaza. 

Further site improvements will include new sidewalks and bike lane improvements on all frontages of the development. 

With the Planning Commission’s approval, the two developments are tentatively scheduled for City Council review and final decision Oct. 28.