Scorekeeping

City Council terms are four years long, but every two years roughly half of the seven seats come up for a vote. Thus, each two-year period corresponds to a different set of councilmembers, plus a new mayor. While I chose buckets that correspond to differing councils, I must stress that many projects are approved by those other than the council; lesser projects may be approved by the city zoning administrator or the Planning Commission, rather than the council itself. But being the only elected body among the three, the City Council sets the tone. Thus, if a pause had been instituted, I would expect to see it reflected at all levels.

Also, note that while the council sets the tone, within the councilmembers are essentially equal. While each two-year term has an associated mayor, that mayor is no different from any other councilmember when it comes to considering project approvals.

According to my data, during the first period — from November 2009 until November 2011, when Jeff Ira was mayor — five projects were approved, including the One Marina condominium development and the new Kaiser hospital building. Alicia Aguirre then took the gavel for the next two years. During her term, the council the city approved eight projects, including Indigo (463 apartments) and the Crossing/900 (“Box”) buildings.

From December 2013 to December 2015 Redwood City’s mayor was Jeff Gee. The number of approvals continued their increase during his term, to a total of 12. Among them were two Greystar projects, the eight-story office building at the corner of Marshall Street and Middlefield Road, and the enormous Blu Harbor project.

The largest number of project approvals — 15 — occurred during the two-year period beginning in December 2015, when John Seybert was mayor. These included some really significant projects, such as the Stanford nonmedical campus on Broadway; the eight-story, 350-unit apartment building being built on El Camino Real; the Arroyo Green senior housing project on Bradford Street; and the “Chan Zuckerberg” building at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Broadway. If ever there was to be a pause, most expected it to come over the following two years, when Ian Bain chaired the council. Although the number of projects approved between December 2017 and December 2019 was indeed fewer than during the two prior years, it only dropped to 11, nearly matching the total during Jeff Gee’s term. Projects approved during this period included the large mixed-use Broadway Plaza project, the 131-unit townhouse project underway next to the former Docktown Marina, and the 125-unit affordable apartment building now under construction at 353 Main St.

One year into her two-year mayoral stint, Diane Howard’s term has so far proven to be the quietest, with only two major project approvals. However, one of those was for the massive South Main Mixed-Use project. And since Mayor Howard has taken up the gavel, the council initiated six major projects as part of its Gatekeeper Process, projects that will likely come up for approval in the next year or two. As well, early in her term, the council initiated the community visioning process for the city’s new transit district, which undoubtedly will include a significant redevelopment of the Sequoia Station shopping center, and thus will add to the already packed slate of upcoming projects.

Although the number of project approvals peaked between December 2015 and December 2017, one would be pressed to claim that what followed was anything like a pause. I began writing about Redwood City in 2013, when some 13 major development projects were actively underway in Redwood City, and have watched an additional 40 be approved since then. Given the number of projects currently in line for possible approval, I see no signs of a development pause in Redwood City’s future. Clearly, our new councilmembers have their work cut out for them.

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.