Redwood City is demanding more housing

The original project proposal included four buildings at more than 1.1 million square feet and 3,885 parking stalls. Its current iteration includes three office buildings spanning 765,150 square feet in total, a parking structure and surface parking with 2,591 stalls and a 35,000-square-foot employee amenities building. And about 42% of the site will be used as public open space.

“The project as it stands today represents countless hours of work and feedback from the community and its leaders to help us shape a project that will enhance the city, contribute to its strategic goals, and expand local economic opportunity,” read a letter from Jay Paul Company’s Chief Operating Officer Janette D’Elia sent to the Harbor View Ad-Hoc Committee March 15.

On the committee is Mayor Giselle Hale and councilmembers Michael Smith and Diane Howard. Since being formed in February of 2021, the group has held seven meetings to discuss the proposed project benefits, but given the number of changes, has recommended the council and community provide additional feedback, prompting Monday’s study session.

Of the proposed benefits, offered in exchange for the city granting a General Plan amendment and zoning amendment, two areas have been a point of contention — affordable housing and community space.

The developer has proposed purchasing and deed restricting 64 existing units and listing them for extremely low income levels, affordable to a family of four making $55,900. The St. Francis Center, a nonprofit in unincorporated Redwood City, would take ownership of the units.

But the city has countered with a request that the developer bring in at least 116 ELI units, noting that the developer is required to build at least 37 ELI units per city code or to pay an in-lieu fee and an additional 79 ELI units would match was offered by other developers during the city’s Gatekeeper Process.

Those project developers used a housing ratio of about 8-to-1, meaning Jay Paul would have to build about 392 new market-rate homes to offset the impact of the roughly 3,000 employees it would be bringing into town, staff also argued.

“The applicant’s proposed deed restriction and rehabilitation of 64 existing units is of value to the community, and the preservation of existing housing is part of the city’s overall housing strategy in order to avoid displacement of lower income residents when older housing stock is demolished in favor of new construction. However, the 64 preserved units do not add to the city’s housing stock nor are they proportionate to the large number of jobs being created by the proposed project,” staff said.

The plans also previously proposed dedicating 83,000 square feet of land to be used as a publicly accessible ice rink but that offer was scrapped after city officials suggested other uses may be more beneficial to a broader number of residents. In turn, the developers are now proposing to fund a new soccer field on another site within the city and to renovate existing public fields and facilities, totaling $13 million.

But staff noted the cost to acquire the 2 acres of land needed to build a new soccer field and its construction while also installing turf at three schools in the city would cost about $23 million alone, not accounting for continued maintenance, according to the staff report.

More than $56 million worth of community benefits have been proposed in total, including the $36 million for affordable housing, $4.7 million for pedestrian and bike improvements along Blomquist Street and contributions to the Redwood City Education Foundation, YMCA Child Care and Family Services and the Highway 101/Woodside Road improvements.

“We respectfully request that our robust and comprehensive community benefit package receive its due consideration by council in a timely manner so we can provide these benefits to the broader Redwood City community in the near future,” read D’Elia’s letter.

Also on the agenda for Monday’s meeting is a discussion around the replacement of Smith who announced his resignation Thursday. Smith will step down Aug. 1 to travel back to the Northeast to care for an ailing relative.

The council is also expected to make a final decision on whether the city should ask its residents to amend the city’s charter this November. The amendments would include shortening the term a councilmember serves as mayor from two years to one, aligning the city’s general elections with the state’s and clarifying the dates of when a new councilmember is sworn in.

The City Council will meet at City Hall at 6 p.m. Monday, July 25, and the meeting will be streamed live at redwoodcity.org and on Comcast Channel 27 and AT&T U-verse Channel 99. Remote public comments will be received by telephone during the meeting, prior to the close of public comment on an item. *67 (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 994 8182 5639.

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106