Council Approves Housing Overhaul To Speed Development In Redwood City

REDWOOD CITY, CA — The Redwood City Council approved sweeping zoning and municipal code changes at their early July meeting designed to speed housing development, implement the city's state-mandated housing plan and bring local regulations into compliance with state law.

The package includes several changes intended to streamline housing approvals, including allowing 100 percent affordable housing projects to receive ministerial approval without Planning Commission or City Council hearings if they meet objective development standards.

"The proposed amendments would eliminate the requirement of a public hearing in order to reduce the overall time it takes to review and bring affordable housing online faster," said Senior Planner Apollo Rojas.

The council also extended the lifespan of planning entitlements from three years to as many as five years, reduced minimum private open space requirements in residential districts from 300 square feet to 125 square feet per unit, and eliminated minimum parking requirements for 100 percent affordable housing, senior housing, group homes and low-barrier navigation centers.

Councilmember Marcella Padilla said reducing private open space could come at the expense of neighborhoods.

"Our green spaces are finite, and when I see us encouraging policies to further erode those spaces, it's disheartening to me," Padilla said. "I just want us to be very aware of how important our green spaces are."

Councilmember Diane Howard also expressed concern that reducing parking requirements could increase street parking in nearby neighborhoods.

The council stopped short of approving every proposed zoning change.

After residents objected to rezoning two parcels in the Bair Island/One Marina area, Councilmember Jeff Gee proposed removing those properties from the ordinance for additional community outreach and Planning Commission review.

The council approved the motion 6-1, with Padilla casting the lone dissenting vote.