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Concerns about where best to rezone for and how to more fairly distribute higher density housing took center stage during Monday night’s city council meeting and study session on the draft Housing Element.
While no official action was taken during the study session, several city staff members spoke, including Housing Leadership Manager Alin Lancaster, who gave an overview of the Housing Element draft, and Principal Planner Diana O'Dell, who presented on potential housing sites and rezoning strategies.
In discussing possible locations for new housing development, city officials considered conflicting needs. With lower income housing disproportionately concentrated in the center of the city, Lancaster emphasized the importance of distributing affordable units more equitably. But others worried that might hinder access to resources, such as public transportation.
“Though I agree with the concept of increasing housing justice throughout the city, I also have the belief that housing for the lowest income should be close to transit and services,” Vice Mayor Diana Reddy said.
Mayor Giselle Hale also pointed out that lower income areas tend to have significantly worse air quality because of their proximity to transportation centers. She asked the planning commission to consider “a thoughtful layer around how we improve air quality around low and very low income housing,” including planting trees, creating cooler environments and improving electric vehicle infrastructure.
Five people spoke during the public comment, including resident Adrian Brandt who emphasized the importance of providing transit accessibility for very low income housing. Brandt added that, as is, buses are the only truly affordable mode of transportation for many.
“Low-income people tend to ride the bus, and high-income people tend to take the train. Historically the train is priced as a premium product. As an example, it costs, cash fare, $12 roundtrip to ride from Redwood City to Menlo Park on Caltrain right now. And that same roundtrip is $4.50 on the bus,” he said. “The demographics of Caltrain ridership are some of the richest, whitest, highest tax in the nation.
“There needs to be a shift,” he added, “to a more equitable pricing between buses and trains and so forth.”
The council also raised questions around density limits, preservation of historic houses, rezoning single-family housing and environmental justice.
Hale said she was pleased with the work done so far.
“I’m so very excited about what was presented this evening. For me, what I see is that this is really a floor and not a ceiling,” she said. “And what I know to be true about Redwood City and about our staff is that we’re going to continually innovate…to meet the housing needs of our community.”
Redwood City’s population has grown 13% in the last decade and is expected to increase by roughly 20% in the next 20 years, according to Lancaster. Much of this growth is due to the aging boomer generation as well as millennials, the most highly represented generation, starting to enter their 40s. The city is currently experiencing levels of overcrowding that are higher than the countywide average, particularly in rental and lower income residences.
The draft Housing Element was published in February and is currently undergoing a 30-day review period, through Friday, March 25, during which the public is invited to submit comments. The city also published an interactive map that allows people to explore the various housing sites and strategies described in the draft.
With a goal of building 6,882 units at various affordability levels—150% of the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) target—government officials are tasked with identifying enough sites throughout Redwood City to accommodate new development.
The Housing Element is the most significant part of the city's General Plan, which also includes Safety and Environmental Justice elements, and will be officially adopted in January 2023.
