Outpouring of support for waterfront development

“I’ve been on this council since 2005 and I can count two times where there was actually a community that was supportive of a project without a lot of resistance,” said Councilwoman Alicia Aguirre. “And the reason is because the developer and the people they worked with took the time to meet and listen and became part of the community. And I’m saying that out loud to other developers and folks that want to join our community to really embrace it, learn it and be a part of it.”

Councilmembers unanimously approved the project at 1548 Maple St. and its zoning amendment requests at a meeting Monday. They echoed the praises of the Planning Commission and numerous speakers who showed up to both meetings to support the development for revitalizing the Bayfront and bringing home ownership opportunities that don’t otherwise exist in the city.

“We have two kinds of homes in Redwood City: single-family homes on a quarter acre or apartments. So to see over 100 townhomes where there’s a missing middle, it’s something we haven’t seen in a very long time,” said Isabella Chu, a Redwood City resident and development advocate.

The market-rate townhomes will be clustered within 20 three-story buildings and will contain 88 two-bedroom units and 43 three-bedroom units.

The development by Strada Investment group occupies 7.8 acres adjacent to Redwood Creek and the Docktown Marina, and is surrounded by the LifeMoves homeless shelter, Redwood City police station, Bair Island Aquatic Center and vacant city-owned property on which officials hope to build a future park, according to a staff report.

While that potential park would be a separate project for the city to consider, the Strada development will bring its own publicly accessible waterfront park with a watercraft launch area, as well as a Bay Trail extension for bikes and pedestrians and a public playground, each of which will be privately funded and maintained.

The Bay Trail will include landscaping, seating areas, bike parking, interpretive signs, a map and bike tune-up station.

The developer will also extend Blomquist Street from Maple Street to Redwood Creek, and 45 parking spaces will be added near the park site, which Assistant City Manager Aaron Aknin said supports the general plan goal of facilitating Bay access.

Michael Cohen, principal at Strada, said the project’s overall traffic impacts are “quite small” and fully mitigated in the environmental impact report.

Other community benefits include a $4.5 million payment into the affordable housing fund and the relocation and maintenance of the historic water tank currently located on the site. Councilmembers also celebrated the developer for investing in underground utilities.

The council granted a rezone of the project site from tidal plain to mixed-use waterfront. That rezone would honor the vision for the area outlined in the city’s general plan, which includes housing, marinas and businesses.

“This is a situation where the zoning hasn’t caught up to the general plan,” said Councilman Jeff Gee.

At least 50 percent of the total water area of marinas is typically required to be open water, but the new mixed-use waterfront zone allows for some flexibility in approving additional covered areas.

The density of the project is also less than half of what’s allowed under the general plan. Some speakers felt the project was appropriately sized considering its waterfront location, while others expressed interest in additional units.

To protect against 100-year projections for sea level rise, a “significant investment of dirt” will raise the entire project site by 3 feet.

Just about the only concern mentioned during Monday’s meeting had to do with the project site’s proximity to the San Carlos Airport. Gee, who otherwise celebrated the development, requested full disclosure for prospective buyers on noise or other impacts that nearby flight paths may have.

Airplane noise aside, additional praise was heaped on the project’s design and carpenter union members are excited about the job opportunities the project will provide. And the additional Bay access seems to have everyone excited.

“I can remember when I first got on the Planning Commission, Commissioner Nancy Radcliffe, who is now the chair, was extremely passionate about ‘toe in the water,’” Councilwoman Janet Borgens said. “We have a waterfront that we have no ability to put our toe in the water, but this project will accomplish that. It will open up our waterway, which people don’t even know we have.”

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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