Another Day, Another Crash on Montgomery!

Yet another crash on Montgomery.  This time, on San Carlos.

It was WAY past time to put stop signs at all of the Montgomery intersections to stop the speeding down the cross streets.

The 100 block of Rutherford needs either speed bumps (2) a stop sign, or both.

I have a radar detector on order.

Redwood City: City Plans to Turn El Camino into Travel Mecca

More affordable housing in the works on El Camino, another reason NOT to go against the will of residents and Rezone Rutherford Avenue for one person’s profit.

“The El Camino Real Corridor Plan, launched by the City Council in January 2016, envisions making it easier to travel by car, bike, transit or foot along El Camino Real to boost businesses and possibly reduce traffic congestion.

The plan, which emerged from six public meetings led by a 10-member citizens advisory panel that included Vice Chairman Kevin Bondonno and Commissioner Muhammad Safdari — place the highest priority on allowing all forms of travel while not reducing the number of car lanes. Other priorities include more ground-floor retail and housing, particularly affordable housing.”

Full Story Here.

More New Apartments Approved for El Camino

Adding to the list of reasons Rutherford Avenue should not be rezoned for 10 apartments where 2 houses currently stand:

City Council tonight (Oct. 23) approved 50 new apartments for housing-starved Palo Alto, with eight votes in support of the project at 3001 El Camino Real and one abstention.

The Sobrato Organization project at the Ventura neighborhood site where Mike’s Bikes is now located will include 19,800 square feet of retail space, 24 studio apartments, 10 one-bedrooms, six two-bedrooms and one three-bedroom loft on the corner of El Camino Real and Acacia Avenue.

Full Story Here

Rutherford Avenue Median Trees Meeting Info

Some of the neighbors in the 100 block have been in touch with CityTrees regarding what will be planted in the median with support of the County.

We will be meeting somewhere in the 110 block of the median at 6:45 on Tuesday, October 24th.

Here are some very rough transcripts of some email exchanges:

“Daniel,
We met on site a few weeks back and we talked about some landscape improvements that Citytrees was considering with support of the County. We had a City trees board meeting last night and myself and a few other volunteers are planning an onsite meeting this coming  xxxxxxxxx to review and inventory current trees on site and look at potential planting sites. Feel free to drop in if  your around, more importantly would you be able to meet up some afternoon/night afterward to talk about the plan? Would love to get your thoughts and welcome you to be part of development and implementation to this project. Reply or call anytime with any questions.
Jess”

Jess Running
District Manager
Davey Tree Expert Co.
Menlo Park Ca

 

“We met on site last week and have come up with a preliminary plan for a planting project on the median. Would you be able to meet up to discuss our plan? “
Jess

“Thinking native oaks, blues, valley, live, possibly native sycamores.”
Jess

“I think you’ll have enthusiastic support for those selections. 

I know the neighbors on the north side of the street would love deciduous trees heavily interspersed with live/cork oaks due to the winter sun blockage of live/cork oaks… but also we’d want some live oaks especially at the head of the street for wind control.

We will be losing a lot of tree coverage when the high-rise apartment goes in on the corner and that will create a heck of a wind funnel. 

I’d like cork oaks where possible simply because of their amazingly fast growth in our climate.”
Jesse

NASA Seeks Proposals for 1,930 Homes at Moffett Field

Saying that rezoning Rutherford Avenue, which was protected against this in 2004, will bring affordable housing to the area is ridiculous. At most there would be 1 unit out of the proposed 10 apartments. Meanwhile:

More details emerged about NASA’s plan to build 1,930 homes at Moffett Field yesterday (Oct. 18) when the federal government released a 53-page request for developers’ bids to build the project.

The request for proposals, or RFP, envisions 4,900 people living on the 46-acre site at the south end of Moffett Field, east of the Wescoat Village family housing development, north of Highway 101 and west of Ellis Street.

A development of 4,900 people will need coffee shops and grocery stores nearby, so NASA is seeking a developer who will build 100,000 square feet of retail space on site.

More Details Here

Condos Planned for El Camino Honda Dealership Site

Adding to the argument that rezoning Rutherford Avenue is not only against the neighborhood’s will, it is utterly unnecessary:

A 33-unit condominium building proposed for 601 El Camino Real at Hopkins Avenue is up for review by the Redwood City Planning Commission Tuesday.

Five three-story buildings are being proposed to replace two one-story buildings used as a showroom, office space and auto repair shop for a Honda car dealership currently open on a 1.2-acre site just west of the Caltrain tracks, according to a staff report.

The project is expected to provide 24 two-bedroom and nine three-bedroom condominiums with two covered parking spots each. The applicant is requesting permission to build tandem parking, in which one car parks directly behind another car, for 12 of the 33 condominiums, according to the staff report.

Full Story Here

 

 

Rutherford Avenue Major Development Pre-Application Workshop Update

Selby Lane area residents that attended the June 21st workshop should have received an email and a snail mail copy of the planning department’s meeting notes, attached below.

I will collect some thoughts and post a response. Thoughts? Feedback?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello,

A summary letter is attached as a PDF regarding the Major Development Pre-Application Public Workshop that took place on June 21, 2017 at 6:30PM at 455 County Center, Room 101 regarding the proposed merger and rezoning at 1301/1311 Woodside Rd (PRE2017-00012) in the unincorporated Sequoia Tract of San Mateo County.

Thank you,
Ruemel Panglao

Planning and Building Department
455 County Center, 2nd Floor
Redwood City, CA 94063
(650) 363-4582  T
(650) 363-4849  F
www.planning.smcgov.org

 

131 New Town-homes Coming To Redwood City?

“How 131 three-story townhouses at 1548 Maple St., along a 7.9-acre stretch of Redwood City’s waterfront can provide affordable housing, affect car and bike traffic as well as access to open space, were among the points of discussion at Tuesday’s Planning Commission meeting.”

So the argument that Rutherford Ave and Woodside Road needs to be rezoned,  after neighbors met just 14 years ago to prevent this type of thing from happening, in order to provide more housing  – has lost ANY credibility.

Details Here

Woodside Road Upgrades Coming

Lots of changes ahead for Woodside Road. Still don’t want nor need rezoning for 10 apartment complex on Rutherford Ave:
#RedwoodCity #RutherfordEstates #Woodside

AECOM will design widening Woodside Road from four to six lanes, plus turn pockets; lowering Woodside an additional 6 inches to boost vertical clearance at the 101 undercrossing to 15 feet; reconstructing ramp connections between Woodside and 101, replacing a northbound 101 ramp to connect with Seaport at a new signalized intersection and constructing flyover ramps between Veterans and 101; eliminating the five-legged intersection at Woodside and Broadway; adding a series of new sidewalks and bike lanes throughout the project area; and adding high-occupancy vehicle lanes to 101 ramps.

Details Here