City Considering Purchase of Docktown

The City Council approved a 60-day due diligence period to research the possibility of purchasing Downtown Marina at 1548 Maple Street in a motion of 6-1, with Councilmember Rosanne Foust dissenting

The city will now have approximately two months to look into the feasibility of purchasing the property using redevelopment agency funds. Because Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget calls for the , many city councils—including Redwood City—said they are looking to spend this money.

“We’re in a ‘use it or lose it’ state,” Councilmember Jeff Gee said. “But this doesn’t mean we will execute a sales agreement. At any point we can go forward and say this doesn’t make any sense.”

Mayor Jeff Ira told Patch that this is a very preliminary decision and he anticipates requesting another 60-day due diligence period after this one expires. The council can explore several options from housing to businesses to even storage facility in the area.

“This is a giant opportunity that affords us many possibilities,” he said.

But Councilmember Rosanne Foust explained that she would rather focus on building housing and before focusing on Docktown. Ira added that the owners are facing financial problems on the property.

“Docktown has been of concern to the city for a very long time,” Foust said. “I’m all for more information about issues that could affect the city long-term, but downtown is our priority first.”