264-Unit Veterans Blvd. Apartment Building Approved

After delaying a decision at its Jan. 17 meeting to allow more public input, the Planning Commission unanimously approved the 640 Veterans Boulevard development.

The Planning Commission erred on the side of caution at its Jan. 17 meeting and . They championed the public input process and wanted as many interested parties to become involved, despite at the actual Planning Commission meetings.

The four-story apartment building will have 264 units, 10 percent of which will be “affordable” units. In exchange, the developer is allowed to build 47 more units than allowed and exceed the maximum 50 feet height regulation by five feet.

“I think it will set the example of what Redwood City’s gateway will be about,” said Vice Chair Ernie Schmidt. “So thank you.”

Though the commissioners were pleased with the affordable housing component, some residents were concerned about the environmental impacts of the project.

“There’s no need to shortcut what is the necessary environmental review to show success,” said local construction consultant John Dalrymple. “I urge you to support our request to have a full EIR [environmental impact report] on this.”

The city attorney ultimately determined that a full-fledged environmental impact report was not necessary under the California Environmental Quality Act. A mitigated negative declaration was only necessary, which highlights all the mitigations that need to be made regarding any significant environmental impacts.

One concern that community members had was soil contamination on the site.

However, the developer’s hazardous materials consultant said that fuel hydrocarbons were discovered at two spots on the site, but at such insignificant levels that these could easily be, and would be, removed during construction.

“This is not a unique site in any way,” said Bruce Abelli-Amen of Baseline Environmental Consulting. “These are common motor oil and diesel gasoline fuels. There are a dozen sites within half a mile that are similar or worse.”

He added that a special team first visits the site to remove the fuel, not the building constructors. These teams are trained in hazardous materials clean-up.

“You would get more exposure to these fuels filling up gas at gas station than living at this site,” he explained.

Residents also encouraged the developer to contract with local workers and guarantee a prevailing wage and benefits for the workers.

“We hope the developer will provide baseline for their bid process and that a “race to the bottom” will not take place,” said electrician Mark Leach. “We care about the environment, the traffic, but about people the most.”

Chair Janet Borgens expressed her agreement, though the city under current law cannot require local hire.

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