353 Main Street Project in Redwood City Looks to Resident Amenities

By Jacob Bourne

ROEM Development Corporation, based in Santa Clara, is in the preliminary stages of a residential project at 353 Main Street in Redwood City. Having submitted a conceptual design plan to the City, they’re now in the process of reviewing planning feedback and have the opportunity to begin a formal entitlement application process. The project is also currently under review for the California Environmental Quality Act determination. In addition to ROEM, the project team is comprised by LCA Architects Inc., Kier & Wright Civil Engineers & Surveyors Inc., and landscape architect Bruce Jett Associates.

The design concept is for a 157, 056 total square foot, four and five split-story residential building with 125 rental units that will be a mix of studios, one and two-bedrooms. Nineteen of the units designated for moderate-income tenants fulfills the 15 percent affordable housing requirement. The proposed height of the structure reaches 65 feet. An underground parking garage and another level of above-grade parking will allow for 190 parking spaces including private, tandem and guest spaces. A vehicle route on the building’s side will provide access to the garage towards the rear of the structure. Fifty bicycle stalls are also included.

Extensive landscaping incorporating a succulent plant “fountain” on the building’s street-side frontage will meet a stone veneer ground-level facade with large windows providing light to the lobby area. Spacious balconies and bay windows pepper the building’s exterior while earthy concrete tile roofing blends with parapet planters and trellises. A raised wood deck will rest above the upper garage level and will feature landscaped green space, lounge chairs and views.

The design features extensive resident amenities, most notably a gated off-leash dog play area equipped with a pet wash station, lounge area and perimeter trees for screening. Other outdoor amenities are a native garden at the property’s rear, swimming pool, waterfall feature and wooded courtyard with kitchen, seated bar area and a dual-sided fireplace with glass screening. Inside offers residents a fitness room, club house, common areas and a storage facility.

The development would be on a 1.8 acre gross lot, situated just west of the meandering Redwood Creek and within walking distance of the Creekside Plaza Shopping Center and Peninsula Boardwalk. The site is less than a mile from the Redwood City Caltrain Station and event closer to the Downtown Broadway and Main Street intersection. Just off the Bayshore Freeway, the area is zoned as Planned Community and the proposed project would be subject to impact fees and criteria of the North Main Street Precise Plan. The plan area is 9.5 acres geared for higher-density residential and office development, with residential targeted for 20 to 74 units per acre. Parking requirements are an average of two spaces per housing unit.

An office building and surface parking lot currently occupies the site that’s partially located within a flood zone. Records show the property was most recently purchased in 2003 for $2.95 million and estimates put the existing value at $3.42 million.