The owners of Redwood City’s historic Sequoia Hotel are seeking a renovation that would add four floors to the building for additional rooms while featuring a ground-floor restaurant and rooftop bar.
“The historic story of the hotel and the region at the time have very much influenced the future we and our partners have visioned,” said Dani Gasparini who co-owns the historic Sequoia Hotel.
Built in 1912 on the corner of Main Street and Broadway, the Sequoia Hotel was designated a Redwood City Historic Landmark in 1981, Gasparini said in an email, noting she and her husband are also “locally grown.”
An additional four stories would be added to the three-story 53-room hotel, growing the bedroom count to 82 rooms and the building to nearly 71,500 square feet. On the ground floor there would be 617 square feet of retail space and 2,193 square feet for a restaurant with a 372-square-foot bar.
An additional bar, spanning more than 900 square feet, would be featured at the top of the building where a roughly 970-square-foot outdoor terrace would be located, according to the proposal.
Also proposed is the addition of one rooftop suite. On remaining floors, most other rooms would be king-size. Aluminum mirror walls would line the top two floors with a glass railing along the terrace. The remaining two additional floors would be made of brick, matching the existing building.
Still in the early stages of planning, Gasparini said vendors to operate the bars or restaurant have yet to be identified.
In the basement, the proposal outlines amenities including a wine room, private dining room, meeting room and fitness center. An additional meeting room or event space would sit on the ground floor and 25 parking spaces would be located off site.
Given the building’s historic status, renovations will require a historic resource review, ensuring the project meets Secretary of Interior’s standards. The standards are described by the U.S. Department of Interior as “common sense historic preservation principles” that can be applied to various proposed changes to any type of historic building.
“We have hired a historic preservation company to do the analysis of the building as well as help us follow the city’s historic preservation guidelines,” assured Gasparini.
The project will also require architectural, use and sign permits and a Downtown Precise Plan Amendment. A California Environmental Quality Act study will also be required.
“The level of environmental review will also impact the timeline, so it is difficult to assess how long the Planning review process will take,” said Ryan Kuchenig, a senior planning with Redwood City.
Kuchenig noted the city’s Architectural and Historic Resource advisory committees will also review the proposal before it is sent to the Planning Commission and eventually the City Council.
Mayor Diane Howard was unable to comment on the proposed project due to conflicts of interest that will expire Sept. 29. Vice Mayor Giselle Hale, anticipating the future council discussion, noted the importance of the structure in relation to the city’s downtown,
“The Sequoia Hotel is very early in the review process and the council looks forward to seeing it after staff and Planning Commission have had the chance to weigh in,” said Hale. “It is in a key location that is important to our downtown vibrancy.”
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