We have a lot of different types of housing in our area, and a lot of housing units of varying types being built (although not as many as most cities would hope, it seems). This week I had just enough time to pay quick visits to three. Starting at the higher end of the scale, I paid my usual visit to the large apartment building under construction at 557 E. Bayshore Rd. Here many of the apartments will look out over the bay (well, over Bair Island and the various creeks and sloughs that lead out to the bay proper), presumably making them prime real estate:

This particular building will contain 222 for-rent apartments with configurations ranging from studios to two-bedroom, 2-bathroom units that will average 769 square feet in size. Residents will have access to a fitness room, a rec room and a yoga room, plus a community pool, spa, and outdoor common area with seating, BBQs, and the like. Many of the apartments will have views of the Bay Trail, Smith Slough, and the wetlands that make up Bair Island. As of this writing, four of the building’s five stories have been built, so relatively soon the building’s primary structure should be complete and work on the buildings envelope — its windows, doors, roof, and exterior finishes — should commence.

Ultimately this building will be joined by a slightly larger (258 unit) building just to the south, and a nearly 100,000-square-foot VillaSport fitness club. Construction on the fitness club is now underway, although so far the work is not terribly photogenic, being focused on the building’s foundation.

With many units having unobstructed views of the bay, the apartments at 557 E. Bayshore in Redwood City are likely to be priced at the higher end of the scale (although around 40 of this first building’s 222 apartments should be affordable at the Very Low, Low, or Moderate income levels). Not far up the road, though, and embedded within downtown San Carlos, is the Cherry Street Commons project. Every one of the units in this 33-unit apartment building (which is being built on Cherry Street, naturally) will be “for rent at rates that are affordable to moderate- and lower-income households.” Size-wise, they’ll all have either one, two, or three bedrooms.

The building will contain a large community room with a kitchen and media area, plus common laundry facilities for the use of the building’s residents. A small courtyard on the second level will provide some a small amount of private outdoor space for the residents (none of the units will have balconies): that courtyard will contain a small “tot lot” for children in addition to an outdoor gathering space. Otherwise, the building’s close proximity to downtown and to the public library will give residents a wide variety of places to go without the use of a car. Finally, for those residents that do own cars, the building will have an internal parking garage with room for 21 vehicles, plus the building will contain a long-term bicycle and scooter storage room with space for 20 bicycles, eight scooters, and a fix-it stand.

Cherry Street Commons will be all electric and will have a “highly energy efficient envelope,” heat-pump water heaters for each unit, and heat-pump heating and cooling for each unit. As well, it may get rooftop solar panels to help offset the building’s total electricity usage.

Life in Cherry Street Commons sounds as if it’ll be quite comfortable, and I’m sure the demand for the building’s apartments will be high. But even though the units will be rented at below-market rates, residents will still need to pay rent. And as we all know, there are some folks living in our area who aren’t able, or aren’t willing, to pay anything at all for their housing. Their encampments keep popping up around the area, some time after which they are encouraged to either enter the system (through places like the county’s Navigation Center) or to move on. Redwood City in particular has done a pretty good job of moving folks out of the more visible locations (many into a more conventional form of housing), but they, or others, always seem to find new places to call home. Over the last month or two, I’ve noticed a growing community on a narrow piece of land between Seaport Boulevard and East Bayshore Road, on the southeast corner. Trees and bushes hide most of the encampment from folks coming off the freeway (the northbound exit onto Seaport Boulevard) and Seaport itself, although some of the brightly colored tarps can be glimpsed through the gaps by the eagle-eyed among us:

Head around the corner onto East Bayshore Road, however, and anyone can see the full extent:

I have to hand it to these folks: they have an outdoor couch, at least one BBQ, and several tents (including one hiding in that bush on the very right side of the image). And while I was taking these photos, one person was using a blower to, I presume, clean up the area in front of their tent.

They even have neighbors: there appears to be one or two other people living just across the street:

Although I do admire these people’s tenacity, I feel bad for their rough living conditions and wish they were willing to move into more conventional housing.

Speaking of helping people move into conventional housing, if you are planning to attend tomorrow’s No Kings march, stop by The Baker Next Door (before the march; they close at 3) with your sign and they’ll donate 10% of your purchase to @lifemoves_org. LifeMoves, in case you aren’t familiar, provides “safe temporary housing and intensive customized services that help our unhoused neighbors return to permanent, stable housing.” The Baker Next Door feels that this is one way they — and we — can give back, together.

The Baker Next Door is located at 851 Main St. in Redwood City, and is open Tuesday-Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.