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A preliminary application for an affordable housing development has been submitted for 112 Vera Avenue in Redwood City, which aims to facilitate new housing construction.
The project, in its early stages, proposes constructing a seven-story building that will include 176 units designated as affordable for low-income residents and two unrestricted-income manager units, for a total of 178 units.
This means the opportunity is open to people who earn less than 80% of the area’s average income. To ensure these conditions are met over time, special agreements are attached to the property itself, said Jennifer Yamaguma, Redwood City deputy city manager.
The development, designed by Architects Orange, encompasses 111,185 square feet of residential space, complemented by 13,141 square feet allocated for non-residential purposes to support a mix of uses.
The proposed development is located between El Camino Real, Adams Street and Madison Avenue and across the street from Elco Yards, a nearly $600 million multiple-use development covering 8.3 acres and six blocks on multiple parcels at 1601 El Camino Real.
According to Yamaguma, per the city’s adopted policy, the developer’s project must come with a plan to encourage people to use different forms of transportation, like biking, walking, or public transit, instead of driving cars. This plan has to be put into action once the project is finished. Its goal is to reduce the number of car trips needed.
“An example of these strategies is providing a secure bike room for future tenants,” she added.
The project, which is located in an AB 2097 zone, has no minimum parking requirement.
Yamaguma said the project site is within walking and biking distance of the Redwood City Caltrain Station and the SamTrans Transit Center.
The SamTrans’s high-frequency ECR Route stops close to the project site on El Camino Real. In addition to being close to transit, the project is also near retail, grocery stores, and Downtown entertainment, reducing the need for vehicle trips, she added.
This application, filed in February, represents the initial step in the development process, allowing the project to secure vesting rights under the state’s efforts to address the housing crisis.
Developers Integrated Community Development has 180 days from submitting this preliminary application to submit a full application to the city detailing the project’s specifics and compliance with local planning requirements. Integrated Community Development did not respond to a request for comment.
The proposed development is part of a broader initiative to increase the availability of affordable housing in an area, district 4, experiencing significant demand.
Redwood City’s district 4 begins south of Jefferson Avenue and encompasses the Redwood Junction “Five Points,” where Woodside Road and El Camino Real meet. The district, made up largely of Latinx members of the community, has a total of 11,102 residents. Of those, less than 40% are of voting age, and 62% make an income of $75,000 or less. Elmer Martínez Saballos is district 4’s representative.
The project aims to contribute to the city’s housing stock and address the needs of its diverse population by proposing a significant number of low-income units.
The project’s submission under Senate Bill 330 highlights the process for housing developments that include affordable units.
