City to Lease Additional Land for Jail Construction for $1/Year

A city-owned parcel at 1420 Maple Street will become a construction staging site for the next three years as the new county jail is built on Chemical Way. The county plans to break ground on the project in Summer 2012. The property on Maple Street will be used for vehicle parking, storage of building supplies, and temporary construction facilities.

By allowing the county to use the space, the construction process can be expedited and save public funds, the city reasoned. With constant activity in the area for the next three years, there will be additional incentive for the cleanup and development of the Docktown area. The contractors and construction crew may envision potential recreational and development opportunities along the Bay.

The city also gained design input into the final aesthetics of the jail to ensure that it integrates into the city’s vision of the development of the Docktown area.

In 2010, the city scored what it viewed as a large victory by persuading the county to build its new jail on Chemical Way near the Redwood City police station and east of Highway 101, rather than in the downtown area. Many residents had deep concerns about placing a jail at the center of the city where the majority of foot traffic takes place.

The county Sheriff’s Office has said that a new jail is absolutely necessary to ease severe overcrowding in its current jail and avoid any prisoners’ civil rights abuses. With the state’s ongoing realignment bill AB 109 to transfer non-violent, non-serious, non-sex offenders and parolees to local jails, the county expects the supervisee population to peak at 600 by April 2013.

A portion of the undeveloped land formerly owned by Cemex might be used for expansion of the Bair Island Aquatic Center’s (BIAC) operations. The rest will be temporarily leased to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office for $1 a year.

The first phase of construction requires demolition of the existing buildings on the project site, buildings that are accessed by the land recently leased. 

By obtaining use of the land, the general contractor can be in close proximity to both the job site and the construction management team. The Sheriff’s Office will likely install temporary and job site trailers, storage containers, portable restroom facilities, and other miscellaneous portable structures.

The city has the option of extending the lease agreement for a maximum of three additional years if necessary.

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