The primary aim of this week’s walk was to check on the status of two affordable housing projects underway in North Fair Oaks: Middlefield Junction and Monarch at Redwood. With that being the end goal, I of course made sure to visit a couple of spots in Redwood City that were along the way, so I’ll start with those.

First off, the rest of the landscaping in front of the Veterans Memorial Building/Senior Center is finally getting installed! I’m not sure what took so long, but I was delighted to go by Red Morton Park this week and see crews actively working on the landscaping. For instance, here is a big pile of mulch that was being spread over the cleaned up planter bed along Madison Avenue:

And here is the promenade that runs between the new VMSC and the old VMSC building (which will one day be replaced by a new YMCA):

(The new VMSC building is just outside the frame, on the left.)

Over at the ELCO Yards project, in a recent post I had noted that the benches outside the free-standing restaurant building at the corner of Main and Chestnut streets had disappeared. Well, they’re back (and the mural now appears to be complete):

As for the spot where I had been guessing there was to be an art piece (to the right of the benches in the above, near where the orange netting has been set up), I was indeed correct. Although the piece itself has not yet been installed, its base and the electrical connection that it’ll require are there:

In addition, as you can probably see, there is a plaque describing this new piece of public art, which the artists — Yelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu — have named “Halite.” Here is what the plaque says:

Halite, inspired by the nearby Redwood City Salt Ponds, draws on the crystalline structure of salt, which forms into nearly perfect cubes. The diffraction pattern etched into Halite references the scientific phenomenon where x-rays reflect off atoms in a crystal. At night, the sculpture’s perforations allow interior LED lights to cast intricate patterns on the pavement. This piece celebrates the beauty of natural geometric forms, seamlessly blending sculpture, light, and shadow to create a harmonious experience from day to night.

Sounds interesting! Keep an eye out for this one.

Heading down Middlefield Road towards North Fair Oaks, I just had to check in on the Jardin de Niños park expansion project, which is receiving a new art installation of its own in the form of an elaborately decorated gazebo. I was excited to see that a crew was there working to install what turned out to be a rather tricky part of the new gazebo’s cladding:

This is the cap that will sit at the very top of the gazebo (there will be a spire, presumably tree-shaped, inserted into that root structure in the center). While I was there the work crew was discussing the best way to get it up to the top of the metal structure. They went off to the lumberyard to get some wood that they could use to construct a ramp along which it would slide, so I took the opportunity to get some lunch. Unfortunately, by the time I returned they had already managed to get it installed, so I missed the fun. But it sure looks great up there:

Looking at it from the sidewalk, I had assumed that the cap was pretty heavy, but was told that in fact it was pretty easy to lift: it is made of fiberglass. Soon the entire gazebo will be clad in similar material. At least the many remaining pieces should be somewhat easier to install…

Walking down Middlefield and crossing into North Fair Oaks, I walked behind the Fair Oaks Health Center (at 2710 Middlefield Rd., just south of where the railroad tracks cross Middlefield). The Middlefield Junction affordable housing project is located back there, which I find to be somewhat regrettable; the two new housing buildings are fairly good looking and from the street are completely blocked from view by the health center. But the county had a large empty parcel back there upon which to build this large housing project, so that’s where it ended up.

This project, you will likely recall, is the one that experienced a disastrous fire back in mid-2024. That fire wiped out pretty much all of the larger of the two buildings that make up this development; only its ground-floor concrete podium — where the building’s lobby and parking garage will be located — survived. But thanks to quick work by all involved, the debris was cleared away and work began almost immediately to once again frame up the building’s five residential floors, which will contain a total of 104 apartments (the project’s sister building, which only sustained minor heat-related damage, contains another 75 apartments plus a 10,000-square-foot childcare center and a community room). Today, the fire-damaged building is only six months behind schedule.

Here is what the smaller building looks like today, as viewed from just behind the health center:

This building will house the childcare center. That center will surely have an outdoor play area, which I presume is what this area will be:

While I was there, some benches were being constructed just on the other side of the play yard fence:

Finally, the south side of the building has a very different look, one that blends in with the nearby health center (which in the following picture is what appears to be a wing of this building near the very right edge of the image; that is in fact a bit of the health center, extending out towards Middlefield Road):

This building being pretty much done: as you can see, I was able to walk completely around it. That was not the case with the other building, which although looking very close to done, isn’t quite. Here is a view of that second, larger building, showing its eastern face and the parking garage entrance:

And this is another angle on that same building, showing the building’s southern and eastern faces:

As you can see, the contractors have made tremendous progress since the fire! Just to remind you, on June 21, 2024 I took this picture from pretty much the same angle:

The above was taken just about two weeks after the fire. Now, though, the 75-unit building is basically ready to occupy (if it isn’t occupied already) and the 104-unit building should be ready in another six months or so — perhaps in April of 2026.

On the subject of occupancy, over the summer a lottery was held for the development’s 179 affordable apartments, and over 2,000 applications were received. Clearly there is need for this type of housing (and clearly there is need for more than what this project provides). Accordingly, I walked back up Middlefield Road to Douglas Avenue, and headed east one block to San Mateo Avenue. There, the county recently held the groundbreaking for Monarch at Redwood, another six-story, 86-unit housing development being brought to the community by the county and Affirmed Housing, a San Diego-based developer and manager of affordable housing for families, veterans, seniors and those experiencing homelessness.

Monarch at Redwood is replacing a small single-story building on MacArthur Avenue that contained a towing company, plus the adjoining lot — bounded on three sides by MacArthur Avenue, San Mateo Avenue, and Douglas Avenue — where vehicles were stored. This is the building that until recently stood where Monarch at Redwood will soon rise (the vehicle lot is to the right, and mostly out of the frame):

And here is the cleared half-acre parcel as it looks today, viewed from Douglas Avenue looking back towards where the towing company was located:

Finally, here is a rendering of what the building should look like when complete (as viewed from the corner of MacArthur and San Mateo avenues):

Of the building’s 86 apartments, four are to be located on the ground floor (with exterior entrances and small street-level patios) with the rest on the building’s upper five floors. An internal parking garage will be accessible from MacArthur Avenue (note the car entering the building towards the left side of the rendering). Above the first level, the remaining five floors will be arranged in something of a ‘U’ shape, surrounding a south-facing second-floor courtyard. The building will be all electric, with heat pump heating/cooling and water heating, and PV solar panels on the roof to help offset the building’s electrical demand. The developer is aiming for the highest GreenPoint Rated certification level — Platinum — indicating that this will be a very green building indeed.

Regarding who will live in this building, 28 studio apartments will be set aside for unhoused families with significant healthcare needs. Another 11 will be for homeless individuals that are experiencing behavioral health challenges. Another 46 apartments will be deed-restricted for households earning less than 60% of the area’s median income, and one market-rate apartment will be for the on-site property manager.

Monarch at Redwood will sit just one block off of Middlefield Road; that one-block walk takes residents to the Fair Oaks Community Center and the North Fair Oaks Library. Just a few blocks north from there along Middlefield Road is Redwood City’s Costco store, Sigona’s Farmer’s Market, and Outdoor Supply Hardware. Plus, buses running up and down Middlefield Road will take residents to and from Redwood City’s transit center (and its Caltrain station) in just 15 minutes. So this development is well-positioned for residents who don’t have access to a private vehicle.

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For reasons that no one can fathom, Redwood City’s downtown Starbucks is one of the many stores that were permanently closed last week. I took a peek inside while walking back home from North Fair Oaks:

Very strange. Hopefully someone will snap up this prime downtown location.

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My wife alerted me to the fact that The Yard Coffeehouse will be closed from October 6 – 26 for renovations. They’ll be adding a service counter inside the Offerman House (next to the roaster) and will be leveling the bricks in the courtyard. They intend to add “additional goodies” over time, so keep an eye out for new food items once they reopen — which they hope will be on October 27, but watch their Instagram (@theyardrwc) for updates.

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Redwood City is conducting its yearly community survey, and needs as many residents (aged 18 and over) to respond as possible. The survey, which is being run by independent research firm Polco on the city’s behalf, is somewhat lengthy, but pretty easy to fill out (I already submitted mine). You’ll find the survey online, here: https://polco.us/RedwoodCity2025OP. Note that some residents may have already received an invitation to take the survey in the mail; if you are one of those, use the URL on your invitation, rather than the one I’ve included here. Do not respond to the survey more than once.