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The Downtown Precise Plan (DTPP), which was adopted by City Council in 2011, has played a critical role in guiding the revitalization of Downtown Redwood City. However, several factors support taking a fresh look at the City’s guiding plan for the Greater Downtown Area including:

• The DTPP included caps on development that were reached by the late 2010s, resulting in an extensive review process for any new office development within the Downtown.
• The DTPP largely did not account for challenges related to climate change, particularly sea level rise and inland flooding, that we now know will have significant impacts on the Greater Downtown Area given is proximity to the Bay and the high groundwater table in the area (see also question 3).
• Post-pandemic economic dynamics in the residential, commercial, and retail markets present Redwood City with new challenges and realities related to how residents, employees, and visitors live, work, recreate, and travel.
• Major anticipated changes to the Redwood City Caltrain Station, which include the Caltrain Grade Separation Project and relocation and expansion of the Station, were not foreseen at the time the DTPP was originally drafted and adopted (see also question 7).

As a result of these factors, City Council has directed staff to engage the community in creating an updated vision and regulatory framework for the Greater Downtown area to ensure Redwood City is well-positioned to capitalize on new opportunities and mitigate anticipated challenges. While the GDAP will supersede the DTPP, it will build upon many of its foundational principles, which continue to be relevant today.

The plan area for the GDAP follows the existing Neighborhood Association boundaries of Downtown, Stambaugh-Heller, and part of Centennial (south of Whipple Avenue). To view a map of the plan area boundary, click here. To learn more about Redwood City Neighborhood Associations and to view a map of Neighborhood Association boundaries, click here.

Factors considered by City staff when determining the proposed boundary for the GDAP included:

• Improving connectivity to Downtown. The Caltrain tracks and numerous auto-oriented streets limit safe, non-motorized access to Downtown’s many civic, cultural, and entertainment amenities as well as to existing Downtown housing and jobs. Because many of these barriers are located well beyond the immediate Downtown core, the plan area was drawn to include them so that the vision and implementation policies of the GDAP can be crafted in a way to help improve connectivity into and through the Downtown and adjacent neighborhoods.
• Planning for infrastructure and climate resilience. The Downtown, Stambaugh-Heller, and Centennial neighborhoods are City-identified areas that have considerable utility infrastructure needs (e.g. water and sewer) and are at elevated risk for negative climate-related impacts (e.g. flooding, urban heat island effect). Because utility infrastructure and climate resilience planning are most effectively and efficiently accomplished at the multi-neighborhood scale or larger, the GDAP boundary was drawn to extend beyond the Downtown core. The GDAP will complement other infrastructure and climate resilience planning and implementation that the City is undertaking concurrently (for example, see “Other Relevant Plans”, below).

While the ultimate vision for Greater Downtown that is adopted in the GDAP will be shaped during the visioning phase of the project through a collective conversation among the Redwood City community including City Council, the City’s existing policy and regulatory frameworks—particularly as outlined in the General Plan—do not envision significantly expanding the formal or informal boundaries of Downtown Redwood City. Indeed, current City and regional goals emphasize preservation of the Downtown core’s historically compact development pattern with a focus on a walkable core within a half mile of the Caltrain Station. As such, it is anticipated that the Downtown core will continue to be the primary focus of planned high density development in the GDAP. See also question 5 for more detail.

Zoning is the set of regulations used to determine what land uses are permitted in various areas of the city and sets the rules—also called “development standards”—for how properties may be developed (e.g. building height, setbacks, façade design, etc.). In developing the GDAP, the project team will assess the existing zoning regulations found in the DTPP and the City’s Zoning Ordinance to understand whether they continue to serve the community’s vision for the Greater Downtown Area. It is not anticipated that the GDAP will broadly alter land uses within the plan area, particularly since the City just recently expanded areas of permitted mixed use development in the plan area in 2023 as part of its Housing Element implementation efforts. However, there may be targeted areas where land uses and development standards could be reconsidered to better align with and optimize for major anticipated changes such as the relocation of the Redwood City Caltrain Station. See question 7 for more about the Caltrain Station relocation/expansion.

Changes to the boundaries of existing Neighborhood Associations are not anticipated. To learn more about Redwood City Neighborhood Associations and to view a map of Neighborhood Association boundaries, click here.

Separate from the GDAP but in partnership with the City, SamTrans, and the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, Caltrain is studying grade separation of the Caltrain tracks and relocation and expansion of the Redwood City Caltrain Station one block to the north where the Perry Street Caltrain Parking Lot is located today (between Brewster Ave and Broadway). Although a separate process, the GDAP will account for these major Caltrain changes with the goal of ensuring a transportation hub that is highly accessible and well-integrated into Downtown. For more information about the Caltrain Grade Separation Project and station relocation/expansion, click here.

Initial planning work for the GDAP began in September 2024. The community visioning and input phase will take approximately two years, culminating in City Council approval of the preferred plan alternative estimated in fall 2026. Drafting of the plan policies, implementation initiatives, and the environmental review document will take 12-18 months, wrapping up for City Council action in late 2027. For a schedule overview of anticipated project milestones, view the project timeline here. The GDAP’s extensive community outreach will include review and input from the community as well as the City Council, Planning Commission, and several other City Boards, Commissions, and Committees. To review the GDAP Community Engagement Strategy click here.