Frequently Asked Questions

Longfellow is a world-class life science real estate company that owns, manages, and develops projects in dense urban and suburban environments across the six major life science clusters in the United States and the UK. What separates Longfellow from its competitors is its long-term investment in the communities where its campuses are located. Longfellow’s Bay Area operations are based at the Redwood LIFE campus in Redwood Shores.

Redwood LIFE stands for “Lab and Innovation Focused Environment.” Today, Redwood LIFE is home to leading life science companies pioneering life-saving treatments for some of the most critical health issues facing the world’s population. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to invest in life science innovation and has triggered increased demand for modern R&D lab space. While the region has seen substantial growth in more traditional office space development, demand for purpose-built life science lab and innovation office space continues to far outpace supply.

Located on approximately 84 acres between Bridge Parkway and Marine Parkway on the Redwood Shores peninsula, the site was developed into a classic 1990’s era office park—20 nearly identical two-story boxy buildings spread across a sea of surface parking. The site’s highlight is its own portion of the San Francisco Bay Trail, which facilitates easy access to and incredible views of the Belmont Slough.

Longfellow proposes to evolve the outdated office park over time into a premier life science campus that thoughtfully engages its surrounding ecology and community. The carefully phased development proposes approximately 3.3 million SF of research and development space (a net increase of 2.3 million SF), a 104-room hotel, a 46,000 SF Amenity Center which includes a 1,400 SF dedicated community space and other community accessible amenities, and over 47 acres of green spaces and trails that will provide new recreational opportunities and gathering spaces for our neighbors, community, and tenants.

What is the process and timeline for the project? Where are you currently in the process?
We are currently embarking upon a years-long approvals process, and nothing contained in this plan will be happening without robust community input and environmental review. Our first step was to host a series of community meetings and open houses to get feedback from our neighbors before filing a project application with the City, which was submitted June 2022. The project will now begin several years of environmental review, another public process that will provide extensive opportunity for community feedback and engagement. Longfellow hopes to start phase 1 construction in 3 to 4 years.

Visit the Project Updates page for the latest information about the Redwood LIFE Evolve project.

Yes. Longfellow values collaboration and will engage with the community throughout the lengthy permitting process. In addition, the City’s environmental review and entitlement process is required to be open to the public, and we expect the City will also engage directly with residents to solicit feedback on how our plans can best align with the priorities of the community. We invite you to sign up for our email list, attend community meetings, and learn more about the project.

The City-led study will include a comprehensive analysis of potential environmental impacts covering topics important to the Redwood Shores community such as sea-level rise, noise, traffic, air quality, and construction impacts connected to the landfill. The City will hold a public EIR scoping session to directly solicit feedback from the community about what areas of concern should be studied in the EIR.

Redwood LIFE: Evolve will promote and accelerate Redwood City’s sustainability initiatives with new all-electric buildings that will be designed to LEED Gold standards. The project will restore the site’s natural habitats and manage stormwater runoff with native landscapes that reduce outdoor water utilization by at least 50%. Because the site has approximately 1 mile of shoreline along the slough, Longfellow will invest in the Shore’s resiliency from sea-level rise by providing necessary levee improvements. Longfellow will also seek partnerships with OneShoreline and other stakeholders to work strategically on addressing sea-level rise in Redwood Shores.

Longfellow recognizes that transportation and traffic is a critical issue in Redwood City and for the Redwood Shores community. Longfellow engaged transportation consultant Fehr & Peers early on to analyze the project’s potential impacts and to begin formulating the components of a robust, multi-faceted Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program that embraces multimodal connectivity and reduces dependency on single-occupancy vehicle trips by expanding our shuttle service, investing in bike and pedestrian improvements, right-sizing parking, and conducting regular monitoring to ensure accountability.

Longfellow has extensive experience managing complex construction projects and is working with experts to plan and execute the proposed project, applying rigorous health and safety standards. Before breaking ground, the project plans will require approval from several local, regional, and state agencies including the Regional Water Quality Control Board and the County Department of Environmental Health. In addition to utilizing the latest advancements in construction technology, during construction we will continue to monitor methane levels throughout campus and require construction workers to wear monitors to ensure construction activity is conducted safely.

If approved, Redwood LIFE: Evolve will deliver community-centered benefits aligned with Redwood City’s Strategic Priorities for Children and Youth, Transportation, Housing, and Equity. Project benefits include investment in off-site affordable housing, expanded public open space, dedicated community space, child care, improved bike and pedestrian paths, increased shuttle service, enhanced bay trail access, environmentally sustainable building design, investments in sea-level rise resiliency, and long-term economic vitality.