The Redwood City Council has increased the cost for a controversial renovation of the Redwood Life bioscience compound by more than a quarter-of-a-million dollars.
Staff says “unanticipated technical complexities” and coordination difficulties have pushed the project’s Agreement for Services price to a maximum of about $1.7 million. The Redwood Life project, first initiated in 2022, aims to redevelop and expand an existing office and life science campus at 800 to 3400 Bridge Parkway by nearly 2 million square feet, for a total of 2.8 million square feet.
The additional funding, which the developer must pay, will go to support consultant services to facilitate the project’s Environmental Impact Report process, Precise Plan, economic analysis and community engagement, according to the council’s Sept. 14 staff report.
The council made the decision Monday night. Vice Mayor Kaia Eakin and Council member Jeff Gee were absent for the consent calendar vote.
Under the project’s new, extended timeline, which the staff report said was “beyond the original assumptions,” staff anticipates releasing the draft precise plan and draft environmental report for 45-day public review in late summer or early fall.
The Planning Commission will also hold a public hearing to receive comments on the draft Environmental Impact Report, followed by a joint study session update and check in with the Planning Commission and City Council anticipated in October, the staff report said.
The Redwood Life amendment approved Monday will also bridge coordination across city departments and the consultant team, fuel extra work on technical reports and offer a contingency for additional analysis following stakeholder comments.
The project falls under the city’s cost recovery program, which is a fee system that requires applicants to pay the city for staff time and other development costs. As a result, the additional contract amount will not affect the city’s General Fund.
In July 2023, the council adopted a resolution to prepare the project’s precise plan and environmental report, which led the city to enter into an Agreement for Services with Raimi and Associates. Raimi and Associates is an urban design and research firm with a Bay Area branch in Berkeley. It was acquired by Alta Planning and Design, Inc. in February.
Due to the project’s complexity, the time needed to complete the required environmental studies and the need for robust coordination across departments, city staff determined that additional consultant services will be necessary to complete the project, the staff report said.
The project has long been a source of controversy. The Redwood Shores Community Association claimed in August to have gathered over 2,000 signatures in opposition to the development. The petition lists concerns that include environmental toxicity because the site holds a capped landfill that critics say is seismically vulnerable and cannot support housing for all of the workers that would occupy the expanded development.
The petition also argues the Redwood Life buildings would be up to three times the height of the existing structures, worsen traffic congestion, create an emergency services imbalance and impose disruptive construction for decades.
In April 2025, the council approved a scaled-down alternative to the original plan, following pushback from environmental groups, including the San Mateo County Bird Alliance and the Sierra Club, and residents.
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