Issue: Housing

• Of Redwood City's 52,512 jobs, 9,720 are held by city residents
• 42,792 jobs are held by "in-commuters" - people who commute from outside Redwood City
• A large number of in-commuters leads to increased traffic congestion
• Redwood City has more in-commuters than any other city in San Mateo County.

• In the last seven years, Redwood City only produced 19 percent of its housing need
• Only three Bay Area cities produced a lower percentage
• Redwood City produced the least housing of all Bay Area cities over 75,000 people

• Higher housing prices
• More traffic congestion
• A shortage of qualified teachers, nurses and public safety workers who live in the community
• A decreased level of disaster preparedness with emergency service workers and "first responders" living out of town
• Eventual loss of jobs and economic development as businesses struggle to retain workers

• Higher density housing that will increase supply and affordability
• Housing near transit and jobs to reduce traffic impacts
• More senior-oriented housing so that Redwood City's older population will have incentive to downsize and open up the stock of single family homes
• Employers to offer a living wage that will make housing more affordable to the local workforce
• More affordable rental opportunities
• To educate potential homebuyers about the risks of owning a home
• A variety of housing types and densities. Not every Redwood City worker wants to live in a downtown condominium; many working families prefer single family homes
• Large corporations to share the burden of providing affordable housing to Redwood City's workforce

• Affordable housing is unlikely to be created unless below market rate housing is mandated by local governments
• 2,500 new housing units in downtown Redwood City is not nearly enough to satisfy the current housing deficit.