UPDATE: On Monday, May 21, the Redwood City council unanimously voted to deny the appeal, which means the project will move forward.
The Redwood City planning commission’s approval of a multifamily, 125-unit residential development for 353 Main St. is facing an appeal over concern about potential environmental impacts from the project’s construction.
A hearing on a request to appeal the commission’s March 6 approval of the project by ROEM Development is scheduled for tonight’s City Council meeting at 7 p.m.
The group appealing the project, called Better Neighborhoods Inc., believes the development, a six-and-seven story project located on 1.8 acres between Veterans Boulevard and Brewster Avenue, should not have been categorically exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act.
In a letter to the city, Michael Goolsby, president of Better Neighborhoods Inc., said the city needs to look into the impacts of excavation and construction at the site, including the degree of noise, truck trips to and from the location and potential impacts to groundwater connecting to Redwood Creek. To view Goolsby’s full letter, go here.
City staff is recommending that council deny the appeal by Better Neighborhoods and allow the project to move forward. The city denies the project involves “over-excavation” and adds that dewatering measures have been recommended to address instances when the project reaches groundwater levels.
“This recommendation is not unusual as it was also recommended by the geotechnical engineers for the categorically exempt projects located at 849 Veterans and 707 Bradford, both of which entail 6-7 story residential development in the nearby vicinity and same flood zone area,” according to the city.
The project at 353 Main St. involves demolishing a single-story office building and constructing a residential development with 19 units of affordable housing and two levels of above-grade parking. The development would also have 182 private parking spaces and 42 bicycle parking spaces and includes constructing a scenic, 14-foot-wide trail and overlook point along Redwood Creek. Read more about the project here.
