New Development Unanimously Approved by RWC City Council

rendering of the approved project

According to Redwood City Mayor, Jeff Gee, a new development unanimously approved by City Council on Tuesday should improve parking in the downtown area. The project, located behind the Fox Theater at 815 Hamilton Street, consists of 7,141 square feet of retail use on the ground floor, 60,322 square feet of office use on the upper four floors, and two levels of underground parking consisting of 88 parking stalls.

The parking garage for this project will connect to the existing city-owned garage on Jefferson, giving it a second exit. Gee says that as it is now, the Jefferson garage is under utilized during the day even though the first 90 minutes are free. He speculates that this is because the single entry/exit point on Jefferson makes it inconvenient to use, and hopes that this new project will change that. The new parking garage will be open to the public nights, weekends, and holidays.

The site is currently housing a surface parking lot and a single story building, both of which will be demolished for the project. A 650 S/F dressing room wing attached to the Fox Theater will also be demolished.  The tall blank walls on the backside of the Fox will be covered up by the new buildings, which should serve as an aesthetic improvement.

What does this mean for us Redwood City residents?  For now, just more construction and traffic in the downtown area.  Currently there are already 6 projects under construction in the area, consisting of 1,810 units of housing and 313,000 S/F of office space.  The increased noise and traffic generated by these projects has already been enough to irk some residents, and this next project will likely further congest that portion of Middlefield Road.  But Mayor Gee insists that in the end it will all be worth it, and we think so too.  Especially at the site of 815 Hamilton, where the addition of 7,141 S/F of retail should be a welcome change from an otherwise underused parcel of land.

The construction isn't fun while it lasts, but the finished product will hopefully be a more fun and vibrant downtown Redwood City.

Facebook's Plan to Redevelop TE Connectivity Site Takes Shape

Facebook's plans to redevelop the TE Connectivity campus - a 58-acre site running along Constitution Drive in Menlo Park - are beginning to take shape.  The latest development proposal includes a 175,00 S/F hotel and two 75-foot tall office buildings.  Facebook purchased the site last year for $101.6 million.

The design features numerous environmentally friendly features, including water-saving systems, and drought-tolerant landscaping.  According to a representative from the Gehry Partners, the architectural firm working on the project, vegetation will be heavily incorporated into the campus, and "as the trees grow, the (campus) is really going to disappear into that landscape".

The plan also includes a pedestrian bridge which would go over the Bayfront Expressway to the Bay Trail.  The other end of the bridge would go under the new Facebook buildings into a "planned green-space" that would be accessible to the public, providing the Belle Haven community with a pathway to Bedwell Park.

There will be a total of 4,055 parking spaces, including 3,810 for the office buildings and 245 for the hotel.

The Menlo Park Planning Commission did express some concerns about the hotel, which was described as a "select-service" hotel.  The city doesn't fully understand who the hotel is intended to serve, and requested that further details be provided by Facebook in subsequent meetings.

The proposal calls for a total floor area of 1.318 million square feet, which is a net increase of 302,000 S/F from the current TE campus.  In order for the project to progress any further, the area will need to be rezoned, as the current district only allows for a building height of 35 feet.

The plan also seeks the removal of some heritage trees, which are protected from removal based on their age and circumference.  In return for the removal of those trees, Facebook has offered to sign onto a below-market rate housing agreement.

San Carlos Set to Approve 204 Room Hotel

The city of San Carlos has partnered with an Irvine, CA based company, R.D. Olson Development, to build a 204-room extended stay hotel at the intersection of Industrial Road and San Carlos Avenue.  The San Carlos Landmark will be built on a 4-acre property that the city purchased for $13.69 million in November of 2013.  The hotel will be the largest in the city, and will offer 165 parking spaces, and shuttles to the San Jose and San Francisco airports.  According to Dustin Schmidt, R.D. Olson's VP of Real Estate Acquisitions, the project is expected to receive final City approval July 27th, begin construction in November, and completed some time in early 2017.

The hotel - which will include a 1,500 S/F meeting space - will primarily cater to the "executive business traveler", and according to the Community and Economic Development Director of San Carlos, Al Savay, "It’ll be bigger and the most modern and contemporary version of executive travel suites on the Peninsula".  Schmidt noted that the hotel will have accommodations for leisure guests including kitchenettes, a pool, a basketball court, and tree-lined walking areas.  No indication was given as to how how much it will cost to stay there.

San Carlos stands to benefit a great deal from transit occupancy taxes generated by the hotel, and initial concerns from residents about increased traffic at the Industrial/Holly intersection were addressed when the already high-traffic area was signalized.

New Life Given to Century 12 Redevelopment

It has been 12 years since the last time a movie was screened at the Century 12 Theaters on East Bayshore Road in Redwood City.  In 2003 they were shut down in favor of the new Century 21 complex downtown, a moment that marked a huge turning point in the city's history.  Since that time, the downtown area has undergone a massive revival, with "Theater Way" playing a huge role in drawing people and their money into local restaurants and businesses.  But as downtown flourishes, the old Century 12 Theater site sits frozen in time, serving mostly as extra vehicle storage space for the neighboring car dealerships.  Several plans for how to redevelop the land have surfaced over the years, but none ever gained any significant momentum.  This may be in part due to the fact that right around the time Century 12 shut down, the owner of the 14-acre parcel of land, SyWest Development, had begun focusing energy and resources into other business endeavors, effectively moving the redevelopment of the site to the back burner.  However, recent reports indicate SyWest is now turning their attention back towards the site. According to the Silicon Valley Business Journal, SyWest Development has recently submitted a conceptual proposal to redevelop the land.  The proposal includes a 100,000 S/F luxury "VillaSport" health club, and 550 housing units (275 1-bedrooms, and 275 2-bedrooms).  It is unclear at this point whether these units will be for rent or for sale, though a site plan does allegedly show a "sales office".  This proposal is said to be only preliminary, meaning it's primary purpose is to gather feedback from the city, from which point the plan could either change or be dropped all together. Regardless, in order for this project to progress at all, SyWest is going to need approval from the city to rezone the land for residential development.  This might not be a huge obstacle though, as Redwood City Planning Manager, Steven Turner, noted that the precedent for residential has already been set in that area with the nearby 249-unit One Marina development, and the city is not opposed to approving more. I will post updates to this development, as they arise, directly to my blog: camiloperezrealestate.com/blog.