During the annual State of the City address Monday night, Redwood City Mayor Jeff Gee touted the Peninsula city’s efforts to take on the housing crisis. The city was one of the first in San Mateo County to pass a state-mandated plan to build more housing.
When asked the highlights of the city’s accomplishments over the past year, Gee said he believes Redwood City can call itself a “pro-housing community.”
“Our city, Redwood City, was the first city in San Mateo County that had an approved housing element by the state,” Gee said, using the official term for the housing plan. “Because of that, I believe it was our longstanding progress of providing housing.”
During the State of the City address, Gee acted as the moderator of a mock press conference, while the six other City Council members each presented the city’s progress on various city issues while acting as “TV reporters.”
The City Council reported during a meeting earlier this month that it has reached 13% of what’s known as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) goal to develop 4,588 units by 2031.
According to councilmember Alicia Aguirre, who reported on the city’s housing efforts, the municipal and zoning codes were updated to streamline the process of approving more projects.
“Over the last year, the city entitled 316 units and issued permits for 586 units,” Aguirre said.
Out of the 4,588 units the city is expected to develop, Gee told this news organization on the sidelines of the address that 3,000 are “already in the pipeline” at various stages of development.
Aside from affordable housing, developments in transportation, youth programs and climate change mitigation were also highlighted as accomplishments over the past year. The address also outlined new projects expected in the year to come.
On the transportation and infrastructure front, councilmember Kaia Aiken reported that among the priority projects is the 101 and Woodside Road interchange upgrade.
“It will modify on- and off-ramps, local intersections, add new traffic controls and create new traffic controls. It will also create new bicycle pedestrian facilities,” Aiken said. “This will enhance the regional mobility, safety and access to the Port of Redwood City and the planned ferry terminal.”
According to information provided on Redwood City’s website, the project’s design is slated for completion by the end of 2025, with construction expected to begin in 2025 and to be completed by 2030.
As for youth programs, the city recently completed renovations on the playground at Mezzi Park to include a “tot lot” playground, shade structure, new fencing, lighting and a mural. The city also saw increased participation in its youth programs.
“To effectively serve our young community members, Redwood City prioritizes holistic development, positive opportunities, partnerships, equity, community involvement, accountability and innovation,” Vice Mayor Lissette Espinoza-Garnica said. “The goal is to create a nurturing environment that supports not just academic achievement, but also physical, emotional and social growth.”
According to Espinoza-Garnica, over 2,000 youth participated in after-school sports leagues, with 4,000 participating in summer camps and 1,400 in the city’s free summer mobile recreation program.
The city’s library also counted 62,000 attendees in various programs and nearly 9,000 participants in its library summer learning challenge.
On climate change, the city announced that a finalized report detailing the impact of sea level rise will be released by the summer. Additionally, it intends to conduct a series of community outreach events focused on mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Now, Gee said, the city has to prioritize securing enough funding for all of these projects.
“We still need over $150 million to get the construction started (for the 101 interchange project). The levees and the protection for sea level rise – we don’t even know how much that’s going to cost yet,” Gee said. “So we need to take in these pieces to be able to take the long view.”