Redwood City Discussing Major Housing and Transportation Initiatives

REDWOOD CITY, CA — Two major initiatives addressing affordable housing and transportation concerns in Redwood City –a result of the City’s Feb. 8 Managed Growth Study Session and ongoing public input – will take substantial steps forward over the next few weeks at key meetings.

The City will hold a study session about affordable housing with the Housing and Human Concerns Committee (HHCC) this Monday night at 7 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting comes on the heels of the Council’s Oct. 17 meeting, where they provided scope input for the upcoming Citywide Transportation Plan project, which would focus on improving traffic flow and mobility for those getting around Redwood City on foot, by car, by bike or transit. The hiring of a planning consultant to spearhead this project is set to come before the Council on Monday, Nov. 7. Comprehensive citywide transportation plans are not common, and reflect the City’s commitment to addressing community concerns about congestion, including ways to aid those using transit and active transportation.

Over the past six years, the Bay Area economy and population have steadily grown, with employment currently at record high levels on the Peninsula. This surge in employment and population has not only resulted in increased demand for and construction of new buildings, but a substantial increase in the occupancy rates of existing residential and commercial buildings. The number of jobs associated within residential neighborhoods, such as construction workers, gardeners and other home occupations, has also increased. Together, these trends have significantly increased traffic congestion, including in residential neighborhoods, and reduced housing affordability.

“The City Council understands the challenges residents are experiencing related to housing and traffic congestion,” said Redwood City Mayor John Seybert. “We look forward to discussing new ways to address these important issues.”

Below is an update on the City’s efforts to address these trends.

Affordable Housing

The City’s primary affordable housing tool, its Redevelopment Agency, was eliminated by

Governor Brown in 2012, along with all other local redevelopment agencies in California. This led to the City losing $10 million in redevelopment funds set aside for affordable housing, which the City has been seeking to get back from the State. In spring 2016 the City Council asked the Housing and Human Concerns Committee (HHCC) to convene a series of community meetings on housing issues, such as renter protections and producing new affordable housing.

To date, the City’s low-interest loan program, created to help keep Redwood City residents in their homes, has enabled 2,800 homes to be rehabilitated at more affordable costs. To help continue creating more affordable housing, the City Council approved a commercial and residential housing impact fee on all developments on Oct. 26, 2015, which will be used for developing more affordable housing. The City was the first in the County to create a program like this, following a countywide study. The City also updated the Accessory Dwelling Units policy to be more flexible, making it easier to build new housing.

The City is negotiating with Airbnb to collect TOT taxes on rentals, 100 percent of which would be earmarked for affordable housing programs. In addition, the City amended the Downtown Precise Plan (DTPP) to require that 15 percent of new residences developed under the DTPP be affordable.

Currently there are over 200 affordable housing units in the queue for development, and over 700 deed-restricted affordable housing units. Read about more initiativeshere.

On Monday, Oct. 24 the City Council will hear recommendations from the HHCC on potential ways to address affordable housing, such as: a rent increase moratorium capped at 7 to 10 percent annually, minimum lease terms of six to 12 months; mediation programs offering binding arbitration for tenant/landlord disputes related to rent increases of certain amounts; providing senior and accessible housing programs, creating affordable housing developer incentives; and an Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance that would include requiring 15 percent of new development units per project be affordable on site. Based on the Council and HHCC discussion, staff may move forward with legal review and feasibility analysis of specific initiatives in order to develop actions for Council adoption. The Council will also hear a report on current City affordable housing funding sources and recommendations from the Finance and Audit Committee on potential new affordable housing funding– including proposed Council endorsement of the County’s Measure K half cent sales tax extension that includes additional monetary support for affordable housing. Learn more here.

— Submitted for publication by the city of Redwood City / Image via Shutterstock