Longtime Redwood City record store caught in middle of housing boom
REDWOOD CITY – The deadline for cities in the Bay Area to submit their new housing plans has come and gone, leaving some in a state of confusion. At least one city has done well in planning for the future, even if it comes with a cost.
Redwood City is one of only a few Bay Area cities to actually complete their housing elements. On El Camino Real, one can see why, a row of recently-built apartment complexes tower over the busy street.
But there's also a reminder that when you tear down the old to build the new, sometimes you can lose something pretty important in the process.
Most new customers who enter The Record Man store in Redwood City get a tour from the "Man" himself, Gary Saxon.
"We're going down this way," he said as he leads the way into room after room of records stacked in shelves up to the ceiling.
Saxon has been collecting and selling, but mostly collecting, vinyl albums for most of his 80 years. The total?
"A million, probably," he said, nonchalantly.
For him, the place is a labor of love. But recently, he's had some health problems, and to pay the bills, he sold the property to a company that will turn the store into another housing complex.
Saxon said he's now sorry he had to do it.
"I am, but it was inevitable, because they're going to tear this block down," he said. "It's all going away. It was just a matter of time."
The rush to build housing is on. With changes to state law favoring builders, housing advocates are savoring the victory.
"Yeah, well, it's 'open season' as far as being able to propose housing developments that are at least 20% affordable or 100% affordable to moderate income," said Sonja Trauss, Executive Director of the group YIMBY Law.
As late-adopting cities scramble to meet the requirements, some aren't even sure if they are still in control of their zoning.
Daniel Saver, Assistant Director for Housing and Local Planning with the Association of Bay Area Governments, said the law requires that they adopt a housing element that "substantially complies" with mandates aimed at solving the state's ongoing housing crisis.
"There is some question about who gets to determine, and at what point is 'substantial compliance' determined? So, that's where some of the confusion comes in," said Saver. "We're heading to court, you know? That's the only way that gets resolved."
As the housing fight heats up, what's being lost is what's being lost. Places like The Record Man, which 21-year-old employee Will Hill said, feels like a time machine.
"I feel like a major loss is going to happen," Hill said. "One of the reasons I work here is just for the love of this store."
"This is the future. This is the future of Redwood City..." said Saxton as he looked up at a six-story complex being built next door.
Saxon is not angry, but he is sad about the decision he felt he had to make to sell the store.
"Glass and steel and modern is neat. But this has a lot of charm," he said.
Redwood City's recently-approved housing element calls for nearly 7,000 new homes to be built within the next eight years. Saxon figures he has a year left and now he's hoping to find a new location, somewhere in Redwood City, large enough to hold his records, but small enough to feel like home.