Wednesday, March 30, 2016

RWC to Amend Precise Plan, Bring More Retail to Main St.

In a 6-0-1 vote at Monday night's City Council meeting, city staff were directed to make an amendment to the Downtown Precise Plan to require Active Ground Floor Uses on Main Street between Broadway and Middlefield.  This will eliminate office as an acceptable use, but allow for retail, restaurants, and possibly personal/business services such as hair salons and entertainment uses in certain areas.
The amendment will allow storefronts which currently house office space to continue operating as such until the building becomes vacant for at least six months, at which point the new zoning laws will take effect.
Prior to Redwood City passing the Downtown Precise Plan in 2011, zoning laws were in place that required retail in Main Street storefronts.  However, vacancies weren't filling up, and in an effort to bring more money to the city, the zoning laws were changed to broaden the acceptable uses to include office.  Most of the vacancies were filled accordingly, but as we all know, times have changed considerably in Redwood City since 2011 and storefronts that used to sit vacant now have droves of eager tenants hoping to set up shop in the Peninsula's most up and coming city.
Sequoia Hotel, 800 Main St., Redwood City, CA 9-5-2011 6-08-59 PM
To many, this intersection at Broadway and Main marks the end of what Downtown has to offer.  The city seeks to change that perception.

City Council had been facing pressure from the Downtown Business Group and some residents to take up the issue of Amending the Precise Plan, as they felt that the pedestrian appeal of that particular section of Main Street was suffering from the overabundance of offices.  Main Street from Broadway to Middlefield is currently home to several well regarded restaurants/bars, such as Martin's West, Striped Pig, Angelica's and a few others.  Still, for those of whom word of mouth does not reach, that area tends to be missed on a stroll through downtown.  The hope is that bringing retail back will increase foot traffic to that corner of Downtown Redwood City.
Retail is a crucial component of any thriving downtown, and despite Redwood City's recent boom, the retail scene has yet to flourish as it has in other Peninsula hotspots like Palo Alto and Menlo Park.  Broadway is populated almost entirely by restaurants and bars, with only a few exceptions.  Perhaps this amendment will get the ball rolling in Redwood City's retail revival.
Details of the amendment have yet to be hammered out, but we will keep you updated as they are.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Breakdown of Redwood City's State of the City Address

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On March 7th, Redwood City Council presented the 2016 State of the City Address, themed "Looking Forward".  In an attempt to increase community inclusion/involvement, Mayor John Seybert made the event open to the public and hosted it at the Council Chambers of City Hall.  The meeting put forth the city's priorities for the year, which were categorized under: Community for All Ages, Government Operations, Public Safety, Community Building and Communication, Economic Development, and Transportation.

Here is a video of the event in it's entirety:
In case you don't feel like sitting through the whole 48 minute video, here's a quick breakdown of the priorities listed under each category:
Community for All Ages:
-expand the Jardin de Ninos Park on Middlefield
-upgrade/restore features at Linden Park, Dolphin Park, Marlin Park and Shorebird Tennis Courts
-finalize plans for a community garden at the corner of Maple and Lathrop (across from the Franklin Street Apartments)
-launch the Roselli Garden place space planning project
-expand the WiderCircle wellness program (aimed at strengthening connections between the older adults in the community)
-finalize plans with the YMCA to upgrade the Veterans Memorial Senior Center at Red Morton
-expand early childhood learning centers to every library
-transform the under-utilized park next to the main library into a play area
-increase the Fair Oaks library by 20%, as well as add a dedicated teen area
Government Operations:
-Complete the Red Morton Community Center Solar Project: projected to save the city $327,000 over 10 years
-expand the library’s new portable electronic device program by circulating iPads for home check out at the Fair Oaks library
-launch the 50/50 program:a cost-sharing program that will aim to repair the city's sidewalks
Public Safety:
-expand the police department community outreach programs (see Coffee with Cops)
-deploy a new downtown services police unit
-establish bicycle patrol for special events
-develop emergency shelter training workshops
-implement the Fire Safety First Sprinkler Retrofit Program
Community Building & Communication
-expand the public arts program (see current projects)
-complete a study to identify and assess potential future child-care facility sites to serve both businesses and residents
-foster greater community input through recruiting more City Boards, Commission, and Committee members
-expand ways the public can participate in major policy issues both in person and online
Economic Development & Transportation:
-complete a city-owned land analysis to explore affordable housing & other opportunities
-start a study on small business preservation
-ordinance to preserve and encourage retail on Main Street
-upgrade parking options
-begin the environmental review for the 101/84 interchange improvement project - work towards improving the flow of traffic
-start construction on the Middlefield Utility Undergrounding project
-complete a streetcar study to establish a streetcar line on the Broadway corridor/add more improvements at the Redwood City Transit Center

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

San Mateo City Council Unanimously Approves Hillsdale Redevelopment

Screenshot 2016-03-09 16.17.57
Artist rendering of the proposed Hillsdale Redevelopment at the corner of 31st and El Camino
After 3 years of planning and re-planning, the Hillsdale Mall redevelopment is finally clear to begin construction. On Monday night, San Mateo City Council unanimously approved Bohannon Development's proposal for the 12-acre portion of the Shopping Center that currently houses the Sears Building and a parking lot just past 31st Avenue off El Camino.
The approved plan calls for the construction of a walkable central plaza surrounded by a bowling alley, luxury cinema, fitness center, restaurants, boutique shops and more.  The concept behind the redevelopment is to provide services that cannot be offered by the internet, as big box department stores like Sears are getting less and less traffic due to the convenience of online shopping.  The hope is that the bowling alley, movie theater, and restaurants will lead to some spill over traffic into the surrounding shops at the mall.
According to a report from the San Mateo Daily Journal, the mall's foodcourt will be shutting down April 10th and Sears will cease operation shortly after.  The tentaive plan for the project is for the Theater to open late 2017 with the whole project finishing as early as Fall '18.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Redwood City Commercial Vacancy Rates at Historic Lows

building by Dean Hochman, on Flickr
by  Dean Hochman 

While the entire Peninsula has experienced an increase in demand for commercial real estate over the past few years, Redwood City is outpacing the region by a wide margin.  According to data provided by commercial real estate firm, Colliers International,  vacancy rates in Redwood City currently sit at just 1.63%, with the average rental rate at $6.42 per square foot.  Across the Peninsula, the vacancy rate is 7.34% and the average rental rate is $4.74 per square foot.

Mike Cobb, Executive Managing Director of Colliers, said that vacancy rates across the Peninsula are as low as he has ever seen them, including during the initial dot com boom.  With regards to Redwood City's recent boom, Cobb said that city staff "has been very proactive in changing the climate of downtown.  They have done a lot of smart things",  adding that the arrival of Box Inc has further helped increase the area's appeal to expanding companies.  Their vacancy rate of 1.63% is now almost identical to that of Palo Alto (1.64%), a city known for being among the most desirable in the Bay Area's commercial real estate market.

Despite persistently high demand and extremely low vacancy, rumors about venture capitalists tightening up their cash flow has some people worried that an economic pullback might be on the horizon.   VC money is crucial to the growth of the startup market, and a significant slowdown on that front could certainly result in some additional office space becoming available.  Still, Cobb is skeptical about any impending pullback being enough to significantly hamstring a Bay Area economy that has been historically healthy in recent years.  He sees no slowdown in 2016, and we too, remain optimistic.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Wave of Construction to Hit San Carlos in 2016

The SF Peninsula has seen a construction boom in recent years, in both commercial and residential.  Developers have increasingly turned their focus north of the Silicon Valley, and up until this point Redwood City and San Mateo have been the most eager to welcome the trend.  But now even San Carlos, a city known for its resistance to big construction projects and anything that might detract from the city's small-town charm, is beginning to welcome growth in its own way.  The City of Good Livin' is set to begin construction on several major developments this year: The Wheeler Plaza Redevelopment, the San Carlos Transit Village, and the Landmark Hotel.

Here's a brief summary of the projects (per the city website):

The San Carlos Transit Village - Located by the San Carlos CalTrain station at the intersection of El Camino and Holly, this project will include 202 new multiple family rental units with parking, driveways, landscaping and utilities that will be constructed in six 3-story buildings. Two 2-story commercial buildings located just north and south of the existing Historic San Carlos Depot will add 25,800 S/F of commercial space. The project will also include a multi-modal transit center (new parking lot for the San Carlos CalTrain station) including a commuter parking lot and landscaping on 4.27 acres



The Landmark Hotel 
- This will be a 4-story, upscale, extended stay hotel located off of Industrial Rd, near Holly Street (site pictured above).  The hotel will include 204 guest rooms, with associated surface parking and site landscaping. On-site hotel amenities include a lobby, outdoor patio areas with a pool and sport court, fitness and laundry center, limited food service, and a meeting room. All guest rooms will include individual kitchens.



The Wheeler Plaza Redevelopment -  This project involves the redevelopment of the Wheeler Plaza public parking lot located at 657 Walnut Street (site pictured above).  It will also call for the demolition of the buildings located at 616 Laurel Street, 1245 San Carlos Avenue, 1249 San Carlos Avenue and 657 Walnut Street.  109 new condominium housing units with 196 below-grade parking spaces and open-space amenities.  The plan is construct a new two-level public parking structure with 252 public parking spaces resulting in an increase of 65 public parking spaces.  There will also be 10,000 square feet of new commercial space along San Carlos Avenue.  

In light of the wave of impending construction, City Council has decided to hire a consultant onto the Wheeler Plaza Project to help mitigate traffic and parking issues along Laurel Street.  Kitchell Construction will be hired on a $150,000 contract to help develop parking maps, handouts, and communicate with the public on the progress of the project.  Taking the step to hire a parking/traffic/public communication consultant onto the Wheeler Plaza Redevelopment (the only of the three projects located downtown) demonstrates the city's desire to preserve the way of life downtown.

So what?

While these projects are significant by San Carlos' standards, it is clear that City Council is making an effort to mitigate the character changing qualities that large developments can have on a city (i.e. the Crossing/900 building in downtown Redwood City).  For example - with 202 residential units plus a commercial component, the Transit Village will certainly be a large development.  But it's height doesn't exceed 3 stories, and it is located on the opposite side of El Camino from Laurel Street.  By contrast, Redwood City's Crossing/900 building stands 7-stories tall, is located right at the gateway to downtown, and it's primary tenant, Box Inc, became downtown's largest private employer as soon as it opened.  

This isn't to suggest that San Carlos' philosophy towards development is in someway superior to that of Redwood City's, just that there is a stark difference between the two, and the goals each is trying to accomplish.  Redwood City's Planning Commission wanted to change the culture downtown to create a vibrant hub for business and entertainment, and the development they've invited has helped them work towards that goal.  San Carlos' philosophy towards development on the other hand, rests on the preservation of their culture and identity. They approve projects they feel will compliment what they already have, not alter it.  In the end, we'll be left with two very distinct downtown's, each vibrant in their own way, with something to offer that the other cannot.