Photos: One Marina Homes Gives Sneak Preview of Condos

Adequate housing has been a priority amongst Redwood City community leaders as well as county officials, and a new development may be able to make a dent in the housing dearth.

With the One Marina Homes development, 231 homes in 24 buildings will provide more housing options to those interested in moving to Redwood City.

“We can’t build enough housing to make the difference we need, but every little bit helps,” Mayor Jeff Ira said.

Building 1 will usher in the first residents as early as the end of this year. Another building will be completed in February 2012, and two more in June 2012.

The condos have eight different floor plans ranging from 1-3 bedrooms, and from 1,250 to 1,650 square feet with an average price tag of $500,000.

Denver-based developers Pauls Corporation has also built a luxury condo complex at 88 S. Broadway in Millbrae.

“People have been itching to take a look at the condos,” said spokesperson Hugh O’Donnell from the marketing group Polaris Group. The interiors of the condos will be completed in approximately two weeks, he said.

However, O’Donnell said that the first residents to purchase the condo will receive special deals. He added that many young professionals have been looking at the property, as Redwood City becomes an attractive space for software and other technology companies to settle.

Residents of the property can enroll their children to schools in the .

The 13-acre development will not only provide housing, but a communal feel with parks and access to the waterfront, O’Donnell said.

But this development on the waterfront was what caused controversy back in 2004 when the original plan included high rises as tall as 13 stories.

The Friends of Redwood City petitioned the city council-approved development and even formed the group “People for Housing Not High Rises.”

Residents can petition any development that would require a zoning change for that particular property, and the Bair Island property was not zoned for housing. Once the voter referendum “No on Measure Q” was on the ballot, residents voted to overturn it and the project was canceled.

“People thought we were being real progressive, but turns out it was more than the community was ready for,” Mayor Jeff Ira said, who was also on city council at the time.

Eventually, community members worked with developers to build the project that is currently being constructed.