At the Redwood City Council’s regular meeting Monday, council members discussed an incoming proposal for a 100% affordable, senior housing development at 705 Veterans Blvd.
Council members responded favorably to the proposal.
“We would never have thought of housing on Veterans Boulevard 20 years ago,” Council member Jeff Gee said. “I mean, this is a changing boulevard, Veterans Boulevard… it’ll be interesting to see what’s coming.”
Seeing as the senior community in Redwood City is the fastest-growing demographic, the $20 million project would introduce 75 deed-restricted affordable units —35 studios, 40 one-bedrooms, and one two-bedroom —in as little as six years.
Built entirely locally, 10 units would be for extremely low-income residents, 25 for very low-income residents, and 40 for low-income residents. To guard against flood risk, no housing unit would be constructed on the first level.
The developer is Eden Housing, Inc., an affordable housing nonprofit in California that said it’s developed more than 12,000 affordable homes. The organization is based in Hayward and has another project underway in Redwood City at 847 Woodside Road.
“I like that you’re local,” Vice Mayor Kaia Eakin said, “and I’m excited to partner with you.”
The architects for the project would be BAR Architects & Interiors, which have worked on a number of projects in Redwood City in the past. Eden Housing chose them for their experience with streamlined processes and livable design.
Instead of recreating the same amenities the city has to offer, said Dixie Baus, the director of real estate development for Eden Housing, the building would offer on-site a resident resource networking center, an outdoor lounge, a technology suite, exercise facilities, a community meeting space, and an outdoor gardening center. The home would also include 38 parking stalls and secure bike facilities. A landscaped “respite sitting area” would live at the top level, five stories high.
“We could have gone bigger, we could have gone a lot denser here,” Baus said, “but we really wanted to be cognizant of at least providing some level of parking on site.”
Council member Isabella Chu applauded the nonprofit’s decision to limit parking spaces to encourage residents to walk and use car-free modes of transportation. She also requested consideration of accommodation for older adults with disabilities.
Conversely, Council member Chris Sturkin said he was concerned about the limited number of parking spaces, given the fact that low-income residents are already financially burdened and believes an accommodation like parking is really necessary.
Council member Diane Howard floated the idea of commissioning a mural on one of the walls of the building, which Baus welcomed with open arms.
“I think we have a mural on every single one of our projects now in some form or fashion,” the Eden Housing representative said.
Chu, Sturkin, Mayor Elmer Martínez Saballos and Council member Marcella Padilla backed the idea of a community mural, with Padilla mentioning living walls as another desirable aesthetic improvement.
Baus estimated the project would take about a year and change to complete the entitlement process. The funding application stage will follow, which would likely require another year and a half to find money for what would be an estimated $800,000 a door.
Baus said tax credits would likely cover 40% of that expense, 20% would come from rent payments from residents and the remaining 40% of funds would need to be raised by the staff.
The construction of the podium would likely demand 20 months, so in the best-case scenario, keys would be in the door at 705 Veterans Boulevard five years after entitlements are completed, Baus said.
The mayor and Sturkin requested Eden Housing consider employing union labor for the project.
“While it may add additional costs,” Sturkin said, “if the units are well made, and the folks who are building the units are well paid, it’s worth it.”
The City received a Notice of Intent on Oct. 17 to submit a future application through the state’s approval process for affordable housing projects, Senate Bill 35. The law applies to jurisdictions where the planning goals established through the Regional Housing Needs Allocation and the construction of new housing units have not been aligned.
While Redwood City has made progress in achieving their affordable housing construction goals, a developer would need to provide at least 50% of the project’s units as affordable to lower-income to be eligible, according to a staff report prepared by the city’s Senior Planner William Chui.
To qualify for approval streamlining, developers must meet minimum affordable housing requirements, state-mandated eligibility criteria, specific development standards and prevailing wage requirements.
The City Council held the informational public hearing Tuesday as required by SB 35 for streamlined housing projects.
Eden Housing also submitted a preliminary application on Oct. 17 for a project pursuant to Senate Bill 330, which is also a housing project approval expediting process, but to address California’s housing shortage.
While the presentation and discussion of 705 Veterans Blvd. was just informational, it’s likely just the beginning of what could be a multi-year affordable housing construction process.
