Docktown is a good idea, but count the cost

I am a big fan of Docktown.  It’s the most sustainable form of development for a water front town and it’s really affordable.  I love the fact that our city is giving it every consideration in the Inner Harbor Plan. And I love the fact that pretty much every group that opposes any kind of development wants to get on board with supporting the community for the future.  Just one thing is missing:

Developers.

The bottom line in any kind of development is you need one of those “evil” developers to get involved in actually doing something.  The Pauls Corporation (You know, the awful people that took our Pete’s Harbor for an apartment complex with a public marina that the anti-development people are screaming about) has been sending out feelers that they might actually be interested in developing a floating community in Redwood City.  So you know they are going to be opposed at doing exactly what is being asked from every direction imaginable.

I sat down with one of the Docktown leaders, Lee Callister, over coffee and pointed out that before the city is going to actually approve a floating community, someone is going to have to step up the the plate with relatively deep pockets to fund it.  He said they had realized it but perhaps they have not given it the priority it needs.

(Definition time: A priority is not necessarily something that is important.  It is what gets done.  If it doesn’t get done, it’s not a priority, even if it is important.)

There are developers out there in the world that create floating communities.  The first step in getting Docktown made into a permanent community is finding a couple of them and get them in contact with the city.  to me, that is Priority Number ONE.

But I also pointed out something else to Lee, which he agreed was a coming reality.  right now, Docktown runs pretty much on it’s own with little local regulation and a lot of state and federal regulation.  To make it an official “Redwood City Community” the residents are going to have to accept a lot more municipal and county regulation, which means some of their quaint homes are not going to pass muster without significant remodeling.  It’s also going to have to accept a lot more cost.  Conservatively I foresee a tripling of what it costs them to live there now... which will still be affordable in the current market, but maybe not affordable for some current residents.

That's the price of becoming “official.”  That also means we can expect a significant amount of protest over the proposed changes that will come fast and hard if the Inner Harbor Plan is approved with Docktown included.

Personally, I think it is all worth the effort and upset to preserve and expand a floating community in Redwood City. It’s important, though, to know that it comes with a cost that will upset a lot of people.  That’s the worst thing about change and acceptance.