R&M Wants Density Bonuses for Redwood City Senior Tower

A new senior housing tower is poised to rise in Redwood City.

Palo Alto-based developer R&M Properties is hoping to secure approval to demolish a one-story building at 910 Marshall Street in Redwood City and build a 222-unit high-rise for seniors in its place, the San Francisco Business Times reported.

The continuing care facility, known as 910 Marshall, would be 21 stories tall and include 34 assisted-living and memory care units for residents 55 and older. At that height, which is 84 percent higher than the city’s height cap, it would become the third-highest building in the Peninsula behind South San Francisco’s 317-foot Genesis North Tower and Foster City’s 305-foot Metro Center Tower, per the Business Times.

To make it happen, R&M is seeking waivers utilizing California’s density bonus law to exceed height limits. The firm reportedly told officials it prefers to build larger units of about 1,200 square feet rather than focus on maximizing unit count.

The project would help meet a growing need for senior housing in the Bay Area, which is seeing a rapidly aging population compared to the rest of the country. Almost 19 percent of San Mateo County residents are 65 or older, placing it about 2.4 percent above the statewide average, according to the Business Times. In addition, in Redwood City, 5.5 percent of seniors live in poverty.

The building still needs to clear some obstacles before the project can move forward. All buildings taller than 200 feet must undergo review by the Federal Aviation Administration for potential hazards in the sky. The latest proposal follows an earlier plan from R&M Properties, submitted earlier this year, that would have created an even taller 310-foot-tall structure in downtown Redwood City, though the firm withdrew those plans.

Elsewhere in the Peninsula, another proposed high-rise would set a new record in San Mateo. Mecah Ventures has filed formal permits to build a 14-store mixed-use tower in downtown San Mateo, which would become the tallest building in the municipality.

Though the Genesis North Tower in South San Francisco holds the title for the tallest building in San Mateo County, that could be outdone by N17’s proposed 258-foot-tall building as part of its Willow Park mixed-use development in Menlo Park.

— Chris Malone Méndez