October surprise

Even though the project has just entered the starting gate, thanks to a brief description and a set of preliminary plans, we already know a lot about what YMCA of Silicon Valley hopes to build along Madison Avenue in Red Morton Park. In brief, the proposal is for a two-story, 36,700-square-foot building surrounded on two sides by surface parking lots. Within the building, there will be a health and wellness center with workout equipment and spaces for exercise and stretching classes — including one outdoor space on the second floor. There will be two pools, one indoor and one outdoor and, on the roof, four pickleball courts. Finally, there will be an extensive daycare facility and multiuse rooms for hosting classes and meetings.

As for the design, the building will be modern in appearance, with exterior walls made of glass, colored aluminum and cementitious fiber panels. Together, these materials will give the new YMCA a distinct appearance while still complementing the VMSC building next door.

The only surprise surrounding the YMCA building was when the application would appear. As for the other project that appeared last week, however, it was a total surprise. Not only had I heard no whispers about the project at all — the proposed site is currently very much in use.

This new proposal — titled “300-400 Walnut Street” — is a residential project that would replace a portion (but, thankfully, just a portion) of the Peninsula Boardwalk Shopping Center, located along Walnut Street between Veterans Boulevard and the freeway. It appears the portion of the L-shaped center that runs parallel to the freeway would remain, meaning Kohl’s, Planet Fitness and Sports Basement aren’t being threatened. However, the rest would be replaced. New homes would have to be found for Starbucks, Erik’s Deli Cafe, Perfect Nails, an optometrist, Arthur Murray Dance Studio, Game Kastle, Fashion Tune, Massage Envy, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, Dollar Tree, JOANN Fabrics and Quickly Boba. (The now-empty Sizzler restaurant building would also be replaced.)

In place of those retailers, Harvest Partners — the developer — aims to build a condominium complex consisting of 105 units arranged into 14 three-story buildings. Nearly half of the condominiums would be traditional townhouse-style units, with the remainder being “zipper units.” This latter is not a term I’m familiar with but, given the name, I’m guessing some of the units won’t stand shoulder-to-shoulder the way townhouses typically do but will instead be laid out so that some rooms in one unit will end up above rooms from another unit. (So far, the plans don’t show enough detail to be sure.) Regardless, it appears each unit will have a two-car garage, however, in some cases those two cars will be arranged in tandem. In total, the 105 garages will provide enough room for 210 vehicles, with another 12 in surface parking areas intended for visitor use.

This latest project was submitted under SB 330, which restricts the ways in which cities can deny residential projects containing affordable units. Fifteen of the 105 condominiums would be for those falling into the moderate income category. Because the current application is merely preliminary, it’ll likely be at least a year or two before it could be approved (if it is) and get underway, giving today’s merchants some time to find new homes. Ideally, all of them can be accommodated elsewhere in or near Redwood City — perhaps in the ground-floor retail spaces of some of our other new developments.

Greg Wilson is the creator of Walking Redwood City, a blog inspired by his walks throughout Redwood City and adjacent communities. He can be reached at greg@walkingRedwoodCity.com. Follow Greg on Twitter @walkingRWC.