Questions loom about Redwood City transit district

The Redwood City Transit District would act as an end point of the Dumbarton Rail Corridor, a transit development effort by the San Mateo County Transit District, or SamTrans; Cross Bay Transit Partners; Facebook and Australian infrastructure investment business Plenary Group. The Dumbarton rail system would act as a bridge between the East Bay and South Bay.

Additions being proposed for the downtown section of the project would include an increase of services including 12 or more trains per hour traveling in both directions, potential grade separation for the railroad and streets for safety and traffic reasons, and redevelopment projects along with new affordable housing developments.

The Redwood City Council unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding to set guidelines with involved stakeholders including the city, Caltrain and SamTrans. The agreement includes a timeline for gathering public feedback slated to begin this summer with results being released by the end of the year. 

While outreach efforts have always been included in the project’s scope, methods for collecting feedback have been disrupted due to health risks associated with the pandemic. Instead of hosting public in-person meetings, staff has suggested a transition to tele-town halls, matching traditional methods for outreach such as mailed information with digital capabilities. 

While online platforms work as a solution for information gathering, uncertainty remains around the need for a boosted transit district if employees and students in the area continue to work remotely. 

“We know there’s a near term immediate disruption of transportation. One could see that by simply walking to the Caltrain platform during what would have been rush hour, but it’s now appearing there could be some long-term consequences and changes in behaviors as well. And that could very well change the need and demand for additional capacity,” said Councilwoman Giselle Hale.

Councilman Ian Bain raised health risks associated with enclosed public spaces such as offices, stores and transit units as a deterrent for transit use. 

“We’re learning on a daily basis about how COVID-19 spreads. Touching surfaces is not the primary way it spreads by any means. It’s by being in close quarters with people who have been exposed who are spreading germs because of bad ventilation systems,” he said.

Citing his personal experience working out of an office space, Bain said a majority of his staff would rather stay out of office buildings for the foreseeable future and recommended developers reconsider the ratio of office to housing space proposed to be erected near the transit center. 

“We’re in the beginning of a huge unknown situation right now. That doesn’t mean we should change anything about what we’re doing with the outreach but I think the outcome will be a little different than what we expect.” 

Staff was directed to make connections with high school student bodies and representatives of the Boys and Girls Club for youth input. The recommendation follows previous directions given during a January meeting when council advised staff seek feedback from neighborhood associations.