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As Hunter Properties settles in as the new owners of Sequoia Station in Redwood City, it plans to rehabilitate the shopping center before redeveloping the property.
Previously owned by Lowe Enterprises, the development firm had plans to transform the shopping center into a transit-oriented, mixed-use development, dividing the property into six new blocks with more than 800 housing units, 1.2 million square feet of office space, 166,000 square feet of retail space and nearly 90,000 square feet of public open space.
During a City Council presentation, Deke Hunter Jr., Hunter Properties president, said there have been several vacancies in the shopping center in the past few years.
“What you will see us focus on is putting, what I want to say is, Humpty Dumpty back together,” Hunter Jr. said. “You will see us focus on making the shopping center vibrant, safe (and) engaging.”
He said over the next five to seven years, his company plans to develop its redevelopment plan to follow the city’s vision of creating a transit-oriented mixed-use property but added the old plans were aggressive.
Council member Diane Howard said she is pleased with making it a safe and vibrant environment for the present.
“We often hear that it is an unsafe environment at Sequoia Station,” Howard said.
Hunter Jr. added that he plans to have similar elements to the old plan, such as restaurants, retail, office space, residential, and multi-modal to deemphasize parking.
Hunter Jr. said he is a local who attended Woodside High School, and during his senior year, he worked at a car dealership, the exact location today as Sequoia Station.
Hunter Properties is a development arm of Hunter Storm, a commercial real estate development firm founded in 1960 by Hunter Jr. The firm focuses on Bay Area development and is known for its high-rise buildings in downtown San Jose. In Redwood City, Hunter Properties owns the Redwood City Technology Station, University Station, and Crossing 900, commonly known as the Box Inc. building.
The firm purchased 6.65 acres of Sequoia Station in December for $53 million. The 12-acre shopping center comprises two parcels: Safeway’s 5.43-acre parcel and the adjoining 6.65 acres, which Hunter Properties purchased, which includes 25 commercial spaces and 326 parking stalls.
