Study of Redwood Shores life science proposal allowed

Longfellow Real Estate Partners, the developer behind the Redwood LIFE project, is proposing to redevelop an 84-acre site between Belmont Slough and Marine Parkway from a 970,000-square-foot, 20-building office park into a more than 3.3-million-square-foot life science campus with 15 larger buildings.

The site would include 13 office structures, a 104-room hotel and a 46,000-square-foot amenities center including a conference and meeting center, food hall and outdoor terrace and three parking structures distributed across the campus. In addition to funding levee improvements along Redwood Shores, other project commitments are an $85 million investment into affordable housing and a $2 million investment into child care. The public benefits package is valued at around $385 million.

For the project to move forward, the city would need to agree to repeal the Westport Specific Plan, a 60-page study document originally adopted in 1985 that laid out how the existing campus could be built while taking into account environmental factors and the nearby residences. 

Under the existing plan, the campus could be built out to about 1.25 million square feet of office space. If Longfellow was to propose building out the site with the remaining permitted square footage under the existing plan, the firm would still need to seek an environmental review, said Jeff Schwab, an environmental consultant. The firm has been conducting some renovations that align with existing zoning, Schwab noted.  

“Instead of doing the studies up front and saying here are the mitigations, the idea is to do the studies, find out what the mitigations are and refine the project from that point,” Schwab said. 

Many residents have regularly come out against the proposal, a trend continued during Monday’s meeting when Redwood Shores neighbors implored the council to keep the Westport Specific Plan in place. 

Concerns have remained consistent. Aside from the mass of the project, which many residents said will loom over their homes and create shadows, opponents have also argued 25 years of construction would be greatly disruptive to their lives, new employees will increase traffic issues, sensitive habitats will be put in danger and what benefits are being offered don’t outweigh the downsides. 

Decades of construction and the finished product could also disrupt a cap placed on top of an unlined landfill decades ago, residents have worried. Some have also begun ringing alarm bells about future research laboratories and the level of biosafety levels that will be permitted on site. 

BSL 2 labs currently exist at the campus and Longfellow representatives have said they’d comply with city regulations on the matter. Councilmember Diane Howard noted the council has previously shared strong support for banning BSL 4 labs and would want to study BSL 3 labs before permitting them. Those levels typically involve research into high-risk and strictly regulated microbes such as yellow fever and West Nile virus for level 3 and ebola for level 4, according to Consolidated Sterilizer Systems, a biosafety company based in Massachusetts.

“I’d just like to suggest that the application consider those activities carefully, and that as a city going forward we could consider studying that citywide,” said Councilmember Chris Sturken. 

But many also support pursuing the study, including Amy Buckmaster, a Redwood Shores resident and president and CEO of Chamber San Mateo County. Buckmaster said some residents have feared coming forward about their support due to the strong opposition. The husband and wife duo behind the Stop Redwood LIFE campaign, Brigitte and Earl Aiken, have also come out in favor of conducting an environmental study that would lead the parties to a compromise — a smaller project that would still bring in vital resources to the city. 

Ultimately, the council voted unanimously to allow the studies to move forward. The decision does not yet repeal the Westport Specific Plan which will remain in place until an alternative plan is adopted. Longfellow is expected to pay for the studies which will include both technical expert review and community engagement, likely done by a third party. 

The council also asked that staff provide regular updates on the process, underscoring the importance of making sure every resident has the opportunity to provide input and can trust that outreach was done fairly. 

“Studying the project means working together with the community and the city to craft transformational benefits for generations to come,” said Peter Fritz, Longfellow’s senior director of development. “Beyond planning documents and CEQA, we have made a commitment to the community over the last several months and the council here tonight to find a win-win-win outcome and that outcome is one that supports a vibrant Redwood Shores, one that supports the missions of our tenants and their life changing and life saving research, and one that advances the council’s priorities throughout the city.” 

sierra@smdailyjournal.com 

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