Redwood Creek
Redwood City, CA | Pre-Development
Redwood City, situated in the heart of Silicon Valley, has a unique relationship with the San Francisco Bay, supporting an active industrial port in the outer harbor and recreational boat marinas in the inner harbor, in close vicinity to its downtown.
J. Richard Hill and Co. was hired by a redevelopment agency to explore opportunities for repositioning this waterfront district to incorporate public access to the water, living, shopping, entertainment, and recreation.
Strategy
Recognizing the strategic location of the site nestled between the San Francisco Bay, Highway 101, and downtown Redwood City, we maintained sensitivity to the impact of any waterfront developments on the downtown.
Working with Hart Howerton land planners, technical, geological, and transportation issues were analyzed and a plan was created to connect the waterfront to downtown along Redwood Creek, with restoration of the creek for canoeing and kayaking along with walking, biking, and jogging trails.
A low impact waterfront shopping, dining &entertainment village.
Analysis of Existing Conditions
The site is located in an environmentally sensitive area adjacent to the inner harbor and in close vicinity to its downtown. The site is bordered by Highway 101, the main road through Silicon Valley
A wide variety of small businesses abound in the historic downtown, and a number of world-class high technology companies are located near the major highways and train stations including the subject site. Many of these companies specialize in software, multimedia, and biotechnology development.
Plan
We developed a concept plan to communicate a vision of a low-impact waterfront shopping, dining, and entertainment village with major themes of conservation, waterfront access, and recreation.
The plan called for 80 specialty shops, a concentration of restaurants on the waterfront, a community playhouse, a working waterfront, and an Olympic Rowing Center combined with community recreation programs.
Process
Market research was conducted to understand household life stages, lifestyles, and consumer demand.
Concept diagrams were produced and reviewed, ultimately evolving into a final master plan strategy that integrated the natural environment and waterfront location into a vision of a whole and complete community at the water’s edge.
A series of perspective drawings were also produced that gave life to the vision and demonstrated how a unique human scale village could be positioned on this sensitive waterfront.
Lightbulb Moment
“The 5-10 resort guest requires a variety of restaurants including three fine dining, breakfast, lunch, and casual dining.”