Opinion: Proposed Mel's Bowl Development Misses the Mark

By Joshua Hugg, Program Manager for the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County, which advocates for creation of housing at all affordability levels, especially lower-cost housing choices for working families and retirees.

Build it and they will come - a famous phrase from the movie Field of Dreams.

Unfortunately, the opposite is true, too - Don’t build it and they cannot come. This is true when we talk about homes for our teachers, our postal workers, our waiters, and anyone else not fortunate enough to have a salary that can support market rate prices for a home in San Mateo County. The lack of housing that meets the needs of all incomes in our county creates a strain on our community with real economic, social, health, and educational consequences.

Over the last decade, a concerted effort has been made to reduce the Bay Area’s reliance on automobiles by planning and building housing in close proximity to transit options. By doing so, we reduce smog and greenhouse gas production, while creating more walkable communities. Counties and cities have been asked to identify those places where they wish to start focusing growth. Federal, state, and regional money will start pouring into these areas to provide the infrastructure to help build each piece of the puzzle needed for more complete communities.

One of these local efforts is called the Grand Boulevard Initiative. It aims to revitalize the El Camino corridor through a variety of changes like pedestrian improvements, i.e., easier street crossings and wider sidewalks, to streetscapes to public transit enhancements. In San Mateo County, this corridor will be one of the key locations where our communities will grow.

In Redwood City, a housing development, like the one proposed to replace Mel’s Bowl is one of those opportunities to take advantage of this new emphasis on homes with easy access to transit. Placed directly on El Camino Real just south of Woodside Road, this project demonstrates excellent design, but it misses the mark. Here are a few reasons why this project needs to make room for the rest of us:

Affordability: Of the 141 one- and two-bedroom apartments proposed, not one will be affordable to the majority of average workers in San Mateo County, let alone average residents of Redwood City who have a median income approximately $8,000 less than the county median. Market rate apartment prices are not set by city borders, so the prices of rentals for the Mel’s Bowl site will certainly be more difficult for residents than someone moving from another community. Over the last couple years, increases in rental prices have far outstripped increases in worker salaries, which make this problem even worse.

Transit Economics: The idea of the Grand Boulevard seeks to transform El Camino Real into a more walkable, sustainable corridor, for everyone in our community. It is predicated on the idea of housing and transit planning being synchronized. The pure market rate offerings at the Mel’s Bowl site do not fit this model since SamTrans, whose spine is El Camino Real, primarily serves below-median income riders. This is a missed opportunity.

Retail Economics: Census data shows that 60% of employees that work in San Mateo County, live outside of the county. While “drive ‘till you qualify” approaches may serve as a pressure release for the high prices of housing in our community, it also pulls money out as well, since people tend to shop close to where they live. Just think how much better Black Friday, or Small Business Saturday for that matter, would have been for local retailers had workers who earn their money here also spent their money here.

The City may feel that its hands are tied with respect to approval of this project, since the developer, Urban Housing, is doing things “by the book.” However, this is where the City Council must use its discretion and judge whether a project that does not meet the needs of the community is worth having. This is not just an issue faced by Redwood City. As all cities in the County plan to foster growth in these high opportunity areas, they need to ensure that it’s an opportunity that applies to everyone. In the long run, we need our Councils to pass policies that will ensure this will happen. Otherwise, we will continue to see our cities gutted as key members of our community find that working here does not ensure an opportunity to thrive here.

“Thank you for your service, please keep moving.”