Friday, January 15, 2016

RWC Keys in on Affordable Housing for Future Growth Along El Camino

light trails by (nz)dave, on Flickr
Photo by, Flickr user, (nz)dave 
With Redwood City's Downtown Precise Plan unfolding right before our eyes, the planning commission has decided to turn their attention towards one of the city's most important transit corridors.
City Council approved a consultant agreement this past Monday to prepare a plan for future growth along El Camino.  They entered into a $195,604 contract with San Francisco based urban planning firm, Dyett & Bhatia, to create the El Camino Real Corridor Plan, which could take as long as 18 months to complete.
According to Vice Mayor, Ian Bain, "this is not a plan to build big buildings. It’s about best uses and improving the overall look and feel of the corridor. El Camino can be a visibly much better looking street.”  Bain assured that a primary focus of growth along the plan will be increasing the supply of below market rate housing, adding that any housing that will be built, will be done in a manner that is "sensitive, height appropriate and doesn’t bring more traffic".
A major criticism of the 2011 Downtown Precise Plan has been that it invited a huge wave of development - both commercial and residential - yet hardly accounted for any below market rate housing.  Rents have risen to unbearably high levels for some residents, and many attribute this to overgrowth brought about by the precise plan.  No significant portion of the newly built housing units are offered at below market rate.  This time around, city council is insisting that affordable housing is at the center of their planning efforts.
Small business retention, traffic mitigation, and pedestrian/bicycle safety will also be among the top concerns throughout the planning process.  With regards to traffic mitigation, Mayor John Seybert has said that Caltrain and SamTrans should be a part of the solution.
Residents will not be without a voice in the planning process.  A community advisory committee will be established to give the people who live along the El Camino Corridor an opportunity to help shape the plan.
According to the San Mateo Daily Journal, the plan could include:
• A form-based code that focuses on design and architecture. The form based code would work within the existing maximum height standards (no intensification beyond existing zoning standards will be proposed);
• Emphasis on housing opportunities with a focus on providing affordable housing;
• Connections and interface with the Downtown Precise Plan;
• Opportunities for implementing the city’s Community Benefit (Partnership RWC) program;
• Implementation of public improvements to enhance appearance and functionality of El Camino Real;
• Design guidelines for future projects; and
• A comprehensive small business preservation and development strategy.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Redwood City Welcomes First Wave of Box Employees

One of Box's buses parked on Winslow St.
in Downtown RWC
Basically overnight, Box Inc. has become downtown Redwood City's largest private employer.  The content and online file sharing company has settled about 950 employees into the recently unveiled Crossing/900 development, with plans to move in as many as 1,800 total employees over the next few years as their workforce continues to grow.  Their move from Los Altos (which took place over the Thanksgiving weekend) is a landmark moment in Redwood City's downtown transformation.
Currently, Box leases the entire 330,000 S/F of office space at Crossing/900, but does not immediately plan to occupy all of it.   For now, they are sub-leasing about a third of it to three other tenants: Pebble Smartwatch, the shopping app shopkick, and the Wealthfront Investment Service.  The leases will expire in stages over 3 years, allowing more "Boxers" to gradually take their place.
With nearly 1,000 new workers making their way to downtown Redwood City Monday-Friday, there are obvious concerns about increased traffic.  In theory, the effects should be minimal.  A major reason Box picked Crossing/900 as their new home was for its proximity to the Redwood City Caltrain station.  Company spokespeople have emphasized that they are committed to mass transit, and their actions seem to reflect as much.  They provide their employees with free annual Caltrain passes upon request,  and run a shuttle service taking employees to and from San Francisco (about 1/3 of their workforce lives in San Francisco).
As far as parking is concerned, the 900+ spaces included in the Crossing/900 development should be plenty to accommodate the Box employees who don't take public transit.  These parking spaces are also available to the public on nights and weekends.

The front of the new Box headquarters looks right down Theater Way.
Photo courtesy of Ana Santos/Peninsula Press
The obvious upside to bringing so many new people to Redwood City on a daily basis is that downtown businesses should see a general increase in patronage.  Whether it be restaurants during the lunch/dinner hours, bars during happy hour, or retail as newcomers become acquainted with the storefronts, all downtown businesses stand to benefit from Box's presence.  With that being said, there is something that may limit the number of trips Box employees make to downtown restaurants in the early going.  That's the "Lunch Box" - a cafeteria located on the 2nd floor of the headquarters offering Boxers a wide variety of free meal options, including a pho bar, pizza, vegan cuisine, and more.  The hope is that once the thrill of free in-house meals fades, employees will start to make their way downtown a couple times a week in search of something new to eat.
For better or for worse, the identity of Redwood City has been altered, and the vision set forth by the Downtown Precise Plan in 2011 has taken form.  A town which at one point in time was oft referred to as "Deadwood City", has become a bustling hub of commerce and entertainment, with the Silicon Valley workforce as an integral part of its culture.
The new Redwood City is bound to be met with resistance by some long-time residents, as most change usually is.  But as time goes on, hopefully we will all reap the rewards of a more vibrant, thriving downtown.