Planners seek info on mixed-use development impacts in Redwood City

Resident Stephanie McDonald said she’s concerned about commuter traffic resulting from the disproportionate number of jobs versus homes included in the proposal.

“It seems to me if we’re creating somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 jobs with this development and only 200 or so units that we’re going to have a lot more commuter traffic coming in,” she said. “So I would ask that the environmental impacts of that commuter traffic be considered specifically along with the general concern of affordable housing.”

Commissioner Rick Hunter also wants the project studied in the context of the jobs/housing imbalance.

“I would like the jobs/housing imbalance studied, or looked at,” he said. “Even if the conclusion is likely to be that there’s no significant impact, I’d like to see the study done of what are the numbers going to be because that will certainly be part of our decision. What is the additional housing need that this project will create?”

Hunter also wants the study to include a range of potential employees who might work at the development.

“The initial study I think used 263 square feet per employee, that’s based on an average from the general plan, but high-tech offices can be as little as 150 square feet and that makes a big difference in the number of employees you can expect,” he said.

Commissioner Rene Alejandro Ortega requested a project alternative that maximizes the housing component. Senior Planner Lindy Chan said an alternative with fewer offices and more housing than is currently proposed will be explored, but said the proposal has provided as much housing as is allowed under existing zoning.

The proposal falls under three zoning designations and one of them — the mixed-use/live-work district — may be changed as soon as the fall to accommodate standalone housing, which is currently prohibited.

Commissioner Bill Shoe agreed that a project alternative with a greater percentage of housing would be beneficial.

“It would provide a discussion point for the policy analysis that the City Council will ultimately have to undertake whether to approve a project with this particular mix or approve a project with a greater mix of housing and non-residential uses,” he said.

Hunter also wants parking studied and said he received two letters from residents, one that said the development includes too much parking and another that is concerned it contains too little parking. The project proposes a total of 1,804 parking spaces and 167 stalls for bikes.

Commissioner Nancy Radcliffe added that air quality should be studied given the child care facility’s proximity to El Camino Real.

Greystar hosted a community meeting on the project on Wednesday and gathered input from residents on the child care center, public art and where it should be placed on site, open space and desired open space elements, said Jonathan Fearn, senior director of development at Greystar.

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