Planned Redwood City Senior Apartment Tower Downsized

R&M Properties is tweaking its plans for a residential tower in downtown Redwood City.

The Palo Alto-based developer submitted a new application for a 21-story senior housing tower at 910 Marshall Street, cutting down its previous suggested building height by several floors, the San Francisco Business Times reported.

R&M previously floated constructing a 28-story building at the site, but withdrew those plans in February to help stay in line with “certain parameters for project viability,” the San Mateo Daily Journal reported. Under that taller proposal, the Federal Aviation Administration had to review the design because of the project’s proximity to San Francisco International Airport, though it found the building wouldn’t pose a hazard to air traffic.

The revised plans for the Marshall Street building includes 222 units for senior citizens and amenities such as an indoor pool, movie theater, golf simulator and outdoor dining areas. With a location a block away from Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center, the Marshall Street tower would be licensed as a residential care facility for the elderly under California’s Department of Social Services.

Demand for senior housing nationwide is increasing as the population ages, according to CBRE. More than 250,000 senior units will be needed by 2027 to meet rising housing needs. But progress is lagging; only about 21,750, or about 8.7 percent of the total number needed, were under construction as of the first quarter, per CBRE.

Redwood City has seen a number of housing developments make progress in recent months.

Raintree Partners, for example, is proposing a mixed-use development of 479 apartments, including 70 below-market-rate units, 5,600 square feet of retail and a 5,300-square-foot childcare facility on a 5.3-acre site at 1203 Veterans Boulevard.

Construction is underway on an IQHG and Greystar mixed-use project spanning 8.3 acres across six blocks near El Camino Real and the local Caltrain station. That development will have 540 residential units, including 147 affordable ones, 530,000 square feet of offices, about 28,000 square feet of retail, a 19,000-square-foot entertainment space, outdoor play areas and an 8,500-square-foot public childcare center.

Another affordable housing project from Integrated Community Development received approval in April. That project will bring 178 units to 112 Vera Avenue in downtown Redwood City. In May, MidPen Housing proposed a 100 percent affordable housing development at 1580 Maple Street.

Redwood City’s Housing Element calls for the Peninsula city to build 4,588 new housing units by 2031.— Chris Malone Méndez