Vol 1 Edition 5
MARCH 2022
Sequoia Station: A Transformational Green Development
Welcome to Reimagining Sequoia Station, a newsletter highlighting the local and regional benefits the Sequoia Station mixed-use development project will help bring to life. This edition focuses on the project’s sustainability features – and how redevelopment supports Redwood City’s sustainability and climate action goals.
Don’t forget to forward this email to your friends and neighbors too!
What is Green Building?
Green building is the application of environmentally responsible and resource efficient processes in the planning, design, construction, and operation of buildings to mitigate or eliminate negative impacts to the environment throughout the entire life cycle of a building. Focusing on the relationship between the built and natural environment, key considerations for green building are energy use, water use, indoor environmental quality, materials selection and the building’s effects on its site.
Green Building Certification Systems
Sequoia Station will be seeking certification by the below green building rating systems:
LEED
GreenPoint
Living Building Challenge
Infill Development: Sustainable Solutions to Growth
What is Infill development?
Infill development refers to building on unused and underutilized lands within existing development patterns, typically in urban areas. Infill development is critical to accommodating growth and redesigning our cities to be environmentally and socially sustainable while avoiding urban sprawl and expansion into the greenbelt.
Why is infill development more sustainable?
Building more densely where there is existing transit and infrastructure reduces greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the distance people need to travel to access jobs and essential services.
Infill housing development is considered critical for meeting social, economic and environmental challenges – including accommodating California’s rapid growth. By adding housing along transit routes, increasing walkability and the availability of local destinations, and replacing underutilized parcels and parking lots with pedestrian-friendly buildings, we can revitalize and bring connection to established communities.
Lowe’s Sustainability Commitment
Sustainability is a core value for Lowe. By building an infill development at Sequoia Station, Lowe is committed to achieving critical sustainability benchmarks and realizing the full potential of transit-oriented development in urban cores – including activating Downtown Redwood City, creating mulit-modal neighborhood connectivity, and providing diverse and equitable benefits to the community.
Championing Redwood City’s Climate Action Plan
Redwood City’s Climate Action Plan provides a detailed and strategic framework for a pathway to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and related climate impacts. Redwood City’s goal is to reach carbon neutrality before 2045 by focusing on four main sectors to reduce emissions:
Energy & Water
Reduce energy use, shift from natural gas to electricity, and reduce water consumption
Transportation
Use public transit, commuting, and sustainable development to reduce GHG emissions
Waste
Reduce emissions by reducing waste, recycling and composting
Food & Consumption
Reduce food waste, shop local, and curb unnecessary air travel
Redwood City has identified a comprehensive list of policies for achieving Climate Action Plan goals, and the below represent several of the strategies supported by the redevelopment of Sequoia Station:
Green Building Policy:
All Electric Update building code to require proposed new buildings to be all- electric
Smart Growth Development:
Prioritize infill, high density, transportation-oriented and mixed-use development, with growth in Downtown and transit corridors.
Walkable/
Bikeable Streets:
Modify landscape to make walking and biking more desirable to form a citywide network of active transportation.
Parking Policies:
Promote public transit, biking and walking with parking policies such as reduced requirements for new development.
Aligning with Redwood City’s Reach Codes
Reach Codes are local rules that “reach” above and beyond state minimum requirements for energy use and green building design in construction. Reach Codes lead to energy efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while working towards statewide goals of developing zero net energy buildings.
Redwood City has adopted “all-electric” Reach Codes to reduce GHGs through new building construction requirements. “All-electric” means that all new office and residential buildings may only use electricity as the source of energy for things like space heating, water heating, cooking, and clothes drying, with no natural gas or propane plumbing installed. In addition to all-electric requirements, new buildings must install photovoltaic systems (solar power) and demonstrate compliance with either LEED or GreenPoint.
Sequoia Station Will Help Redwood City Achieve Sustainability Goals
Sequoia’s Sustainability Vision
Sequoia Station is targeting multiple Green Building certifications, and will implement sustainable features including electric, solar, low carbon and energy efficient systems in support of Redwood City’s Climate Action Plan. The strategies the project team implements at the time of development position Sequoia Station to achieve carbon neutrality over time.
Centering Equity in Climate Action
In Redwood City, and globally, climate change disproportionately affects those who are least responsible for generating greenhouse gas emissions, most vulnerable to negative impacts, and least able to adapt – which is why Redwood City, and the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors emphasize the need to take health, socio-economic, and racial equity into account in policymaking and climate solutions at all levels.
Building a sustainable and equitable community where residents of all income levels can access critical resources including mobility, jobs, high-quality schools, and food is key to the Sequoia Station project team’s redevelopment strategy. Sequoia Station is the largest affordable housing project in Redwood City – and by delivering affordable housing, services, and a walkable community directly on transit, we have the opportunity to center equity in our approach to climate action.
Supporting Local & Regional Transportation Planning Goals
The redevelopment of Sequoia Station further supports Redwood City’s Climate Action Plan by promoting and accelerating critical transportation improvements for Redwood City.
The project will dedicate over an acre of land for additional right-of-way to support the Caltrain 2040 Business Plan – an initiative that will provide higher frequencies of electrified rail service from Downtown San Francisco to Gilroy and support the ridership of 180,0000 daily Caltrain passengers. The increased capacity called for by the plan is equivalent to a reduction of 110 metric tons of GHG emissions every day and takes nearly a million vehicle miles off Bay Area roads.
Redwood City Housing Element Update
Redwood City has published an interactive map to help identify potential sites for rezoning and building new housing. Click below to view the map and participate in the process that will shape how Redwood City will grow and change over the next two decades.
Redwood City’s Draft 2023 – 2031 Housing Element is now available for review. Public comments are due Friday, March 25, 2022 at 5:00 pm. Click below to review the plan.
In the News
From redwood town to Redwood City: Sequoia Station’s redevelopment in the modern era
Sequoia High School student and staff reporter for the high school’s Raven Report, Mateo Mangolini spoke with Alan Chamorro, Executive Vice President of Lowe and Andrea Osgood, Senior Vice President of Real Estate Development of Eden Housing to discuss the redevelopment of Sequoia Station – and how the project helps shape the future of Redwood City and regional transit. Congratulations to Mateo on such a well-researched article.
Community Events
SPUR: What It Takes to Deliver Affordable Homes for Bay Area School Employees
04/07/2022
5:00 PM – 6:00pm
Due to the high cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area, school districts here face significant challenges in attracting and retaining teachers and staff. Join SPUR for this digital discourse to learn about Jefferson Union High School District’s efforts including the $33 million general obligation bond, Measure J, approved by voters in 2018 to fund 80 units of housing for teachers and staff in northern San Mateo County. Learn about the opportunities, obstacles and lessons learned as well as how these initiatives might be replicated throughout our region.
We Want to Hear From You
As a reminder, the our team is available to meet and provide project updates to interested community members. If you have any questions or would like to request a presentation from the project team, please email sequoiacentervision@gmail.com or visit sequoiacentervision.com.
Sincerely,
Alan Chamorro
Lowe
Andrea Osgood
Eden Housing
