3 ms·

That’s changing. They’re building higher up in Redwood City, South SF, and the surrounding areas. It’s costly to replace the older model of American development

by zghst 9y ago

That’s changing. They’re building higher up in Redwood City, South SF, and the surrounding areas. It’s costly to replace the older model of American development from the 50’s. They waited until the last minute to start working on the issue.

shostack 9y ago
Redwood City has been interesting to watch. I hope they get more diverse retail with the added increased density. Right now it is a lot of restaurants and bars, which while nice to have, means that it misses out on a lot of the foot traffic and such that other Peninsula cities like neighboring San Carlos, or Mountain View, etc. have. Redwood City is also nicely positioned as a mid-point between SF and South Bay. Beyond that, it seems the entire El Camino corridor is being heavily developed with retail and high-density condos and apartments.
- closeparen 9y ago
  Interesting. I looked at some of these complexes - similar rents to new construction in downtown SF (and similar unit sizes). Why? Schools, maybe?
  - spike021 9y ago
    Many complexes along El Camino on the peninsula seem to be increasing rent wherever possible. They "renovate" (add stainless appliances basically) and it lets them increase rent for a unit by a few hundred dollars at least. They also charge 200-300 more for a parking spot (I've spoken with complexes before where one unit without parking was 200-300 less than another with one spot, or a unit with an extra/second spot). Some of these areas (Redwood City in this case) are next to major Caltrain stations with Baby Bullet stops. But they're also convenient (technically speaking) for going on 101S/N to work, etc.
    - closeparen 9y ago
      Right, but why are people willing to pay as much/more for these complexes relative to a shiny high-rise in downtown SF?
      - spike021 9y ago
        They may have more square footage, pools, warmer climate during summer, more parks for children/pets, better schools in some areas as mentioned. That's part of why I'd prefer living on the peninsula than in downtown SF. Weather is consistently better in the summer months. More space/less people (except for rush hour traffic). More parks for recreation. Pools aren't necessarily a deal breaker for me, but it's a nice extra. A shiny high-rise is nice but unless you can afford a penthouse or similar you're probably looking at a small unit. Less space, fewer parks, more people everywhere (tourists, homeless, etc.)
  - shostack 9y ago
    The schools in RWC are not great (although hopefully that will change with the influx of reset Prop 13 tax dollars from new residents. The downtown has a solid layout though and lots of room for growth. The RWC downtown has the potential for offering a lot more than some neighboring downtowns that are less dense and could be a nice hybrid between SF and more "suburban" Peninsula cities.

by zghst 9y ago

shostack 9y ago

Redwood City has been interesting to watch. I hope they get more diverse retail with the added increased density. Right now it is a lot of restaurants and bars, which while nice to have, means that it misses out on a lot of the foot traffic and such that other Peninsula cities like neighboring San Carlos, or Mountain View, etc. have. Redwood City is also nicely positioned as a mid-point between SF and South Bay. Beyond that, it seems the entire El Camino corridor is being heavily developed with retail and high-density condos and apartments.

closeparen 9y ago
Interesting. I looked at some of these complexes - similar rents to new construction in downtown SF (and similar unit sizes). Why? Schools, maybe?
- spike021 9y ago
  Many complexes along El Camino on the peninsula seem to be increasing rent wherever possible. They "renovate" (add stainless appliances basically) and it lets them increase rent for a unit by a few hundred dollars at least. They also charge 200-300 more for a parking spot (I've spoken with complexes before where one unit without parking was 200-300 less than another with one spot, or a unit with an extra/second spot). Some of these areas (Redwood City in this case) are next to major Caltrain stations with Baby Bullet stops. But they're also convenient (technically speaking) for going on 101S/N to work, etc.
  - closeparen 9y ago
    Right, but why are people willing to pay as much/more for these complexes relative to a shiny high-rise in downtown SF?
    - spike021 9y ago
      They may have more square footage, pools, warmer climate during summer, more parks for children/pets, better schools in some areas as mentioned. That's part of why I'd prefer living on the peninsula than in downtown SF. Weather is consistently better in the summer months. More space/less people (except for rush hour traffic). More parks for recreation. Pools aren't necessarily a deal breaker for me, but it's a nice extra. A shiny high-rise is nice but unless you can afford a penthouse or similar you're probably looking at a small unit. Less space, fewer parks, more people everywhere (tourists, homeless, etc.)
- shostack 9y ago
  The schools in RWC are not great (although hopefully that will change with the influx of reset Prop 13 tax dollars from new residents. The downtown has a solid layout though and lots of room for growth. The RWC downtown has the potential for offering a lot more than some neighboring downtowns that are less dense and could be a nice hybrid between SF and more "suburban" Peninsula cities.