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City Council,
<br />
<br />My name is Rachel Holt and I am a resident of the Mt. Carmel neighborhood. I am here tonight asking
<br />that you proceed as quickly as possible on adopting design guidelines and FAR for all of Redwood City’s
<br />unique neighborhoods. My neighborhood is not only at risk of losing its neighborhood character, but in
<br />addition, the decimation of its affordable housing stock.
<br />Current zoning (absent the review by HRAC and PC) incentivizes developers to tear down smaller homes,
<br />build bigger homes and sell them at huge profit. Homes that would be considered a “starter home” for
<br />a young family, as insane as that sounds at 1.5 million dollars, are being bought up by developers, torn
<br />down, rebuilt at typically two to three times their original size and then sold for over 3 million dollars.
<br />Most of these homes were perfectly sound homes that a young family might have added on to or done
<br />an extensive remodel after building some equity. These homes were all typical representations of what
<br />most find so unique about this neighborhood. The examples I have for you tonight are but a few of
<br />homes that were lost before the city corrected and started requiring homes built prior to 1940 go
<br />through the HRAC, which gives greater notice to neighbors, and the opportunity to object (to the tune of
<br />$640). These homes were lost prior to that change, while most neighbors were going about their day-
<br />to-day life, not noticing the pattern. We are noticing now.
<br />1. 18 Elwood St- A 1920s or teens bungalow, approximately 1500 sq ft on a 9,000 sq ft lot. It sold
<br />on April 22, 2016 to a developer for $1,285,000 (listed for $1,000,000) and then bulldozed. It
<br />next sold on February 12, 2018, as a 3,011 sq ft house for $3,356,000.
<br />
<br />2. 76 Nevada St- This was a home built in 1936, 1,665 sq ft on a 9,000 sq ft lot. It sold to a
<br />developer on April 24, 2015 for $1,625,000 (listed at $1,279,000) and then bulldozed. It next
<br />sold on 11/15/16, as a 3,105 sq ft house for $3,150,000. A few months later that sale fell
<br />through and it was back on the market, selling January 29, 2017 for $3,250,000.
<br />
<br />3. 32 Myrtle St- This was a 1939 bungalow, 1,380 sq ft on a 9,100 sq ft lot. It sold to a developer
<br />on October 4, 2016 for $1,400,000 (listed at $1,199,000) and bulldozed. It next sold on March
<br />14, 2018 as a nearly 3800 sq ft house for 3.8 million.
<br />
<br />4. 221 Myrtle St- This was a 1930s-40s bungalow- the original size of the home now lost- on a
<br />6,500 sq ft lot. It sold on July 12, 2016 to a developer for $980,000 (listed at $788,000) and then
<br />bulldozed. It next sold on June 8, 2018 as a 2,900 sq ft house for $3,250,000.
<br />
<br />5. 231 Myrtle St- This was a 1941 cottage style bungalow, 1700 sq ft on a 6,490 sq ft lot. It sold on
<br />April 28, 2017 to a developer for $1,460,000 (the listing price is not known) and then bulldozed.
<br />The original house was bulldozed and the new one is currently under construction.
<br />
<br />6. And lastly 173 Fulton St- A 1926 craftsman, 1,190 sq ft on a 6,500 sq ft lot. Sold on 12/19/17
<br />to a developer for $1,595,000 (listed at $1,170,000) and then bulldozed . The new, well over
<br />3,000 sq ft house and ADU are currently under construction.
<br />
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