Redwood City balancing need for even more housing

Redwood City officials are looking to balance the high need for housing with the impacts of development and the location of new units as they aim to surpass state expectations around residential growth for the city.

“Redwood City has just been a leader in housing production and rather than figure out how to do the least we’re trying to figure out how to do more,” said Planning Commissioner Isabella Chu during a meeting Tuesday.

Planning commissioners weighed in on two key housing initiatives currently happening in the city — an environmental impact review of the General Plan update and the city’s Housing Element, a state-mandated process that tasks jurisdictions with identifying where new housing can be accommodated.

The city is required to plan for at least 4,588 new homes in the next eight years but is planning to meet 150% of its goal, preparing for 6,880 by rezoning commercial areas as mixed-use, increasing zoning capacity in mixed-use zones, upzoning along Veteran Avenue and Woodside Road, building in greater protections for mobile home parks and encouraging the development of duplexes, triplexes and small apartments in areas zoned R2 and higher.

In response to questioning from Commissioner Filip Crnogorac around potential changes to height and density allowances in R1 single-family areas, O’Dell said the city will also dig deeper into specifics in the near future.

Speaking to the need for more missing middle housing or moderately priced homes for families, Chu questioned whether staff had considered policies that would incentivize developers to accommodate those needs with large units in apartment buildings. O’Dell said the city is working on balancing the “tension” between seeking larger units and the high cost that comes with building them.

But the map could still change after being adopted by the city given that it must pass a state review, said Principal Planner Diana O’Dell. The state may say some identified sites are not actually feasible, partly why cities plan to go above and beyond the number they’re assigned, but some areas may simply not develop while other unidentified lots will O’Dell noted.

“It’s not a guarantee these sites will redevelop with housing in the next eight years. It’s an educated guess based on some of our history and the way that our zoning is,” O’Dell said.

For instance, the city has welcomed 3,050 new units between 2015 and 2021, surpassing its current Regional Housing Needs Allocation goal of 2,789 units. But when broken down into affordability levels, the city is still short 945 very-low, low and moderately priced units.

In addition to a growing number of accessory dwelling units being build in the city, O’Dell noted a number of residential developments with affordable units incorporated into its plans have been recently approved and will help the city meet its goal. Among those projects is the 707 Bradford St. development with 117 very-low-income units, the 1409 El Camino Real project with 35 low-income units, 601 El Camino Real with 33 market-rate townhomes and 515 Cleveland St. with 17 market-rate townhomes.

While eager to see new residential development in the city, particularly in areas with strong public transit, Chu also raised concerns around the health implications of drawing people closer to high trafficked areas by upzoning near freeways when discussing the city’s General Plan update.

“That’s a hazard we want to reduce as much as we possibly can. And in our beautiful, temperate, prosperous city we can really be a leader in addressing that environmental hazard and addressing equity around how much people are exposed to traffic,” Chu said.

Similarly, Crnogorac encouraged staff to consider environmental hazards for areas near creeks and low-lying places near Highway 101 which are at risk of flooding. Vice Chair Rick Hunter also encouraged staff to plan for the worst when considering the effects of sea-level rise on future development.

“It seems sea level rise and climate change sadly is one area every year seems the predictions and forecasts become worse,” Hunter said. “What used to be a worst-case scenario is now a middle scenario.”

The City Council will also weigh in on the General Plan update EIR and the draft Housing Element Monday, March 21 when the public can also address the issue during public comment. City staff will continue to take public comment until 5 p.m. Friday, March 25. Visit welcomehomerwc.org for more information on the city’s Housing Element and to provide comments.

O’Dell said staff intends on submitting the city’s Housing Element to the state by early April with the document returning to the city around June following a 90-day review period. Comments on the General Plan EIR will be accepted until April 4.

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