Construction has started for a new affordable housing complex at 429 MacArthur Avenue in the unincorporated North Fair Oaks community in San Mateo County. The project is set to add 86 apartments close to the Fair Oaks Community Center and public library. San Diego-based developer Affirmed Housing is the project sponsor.
Supervisor Lisa Gauthier addresses the crowd at the Monarch at Redwood groundbreaking, image via San Mateo County
Monarch at Redwood pedestrian view, rendering by Van Meter Williams Pollack
Monarch at Redwood lobby view, rendering by Van Meter Williams Pollack
Jimmy Silverwood, president at Affirmed Housing, said for the groundbreaking, “our goal with Monarch is to strengthen North Fair Oaks by providing housing and support that allow residents to stay close to friends, schools, and the local businesses, keeping the heart of the community vibrant and inclusive.”
The six-story structure will eventually contain 86 apartments, including 39 permanently supportive units, 46 units deed-restricted as affordable to households earning less than 60% of the area’s median income, and one market-rate dwelling for the on-site property manager.
Monarch at Redwood establishing view, rendering by Van Meter Williams Pollack
Van Meter Williams Pollack is responsible for designing the podium-style complex, with butterfly roof accents, sun shades, and accent tiles around the lobby entrance. The exterior will be wrapped with warm-tone stucco.
“I’m so proud that Monarch at Redwood is in my district and in my backyard,” San Mateo County Supervisor Lisa Gauthier said Friday to a crowd of housing advocates, North Fair Oaks community members, and local civic leaders.
The roughly half-acre property is located along San Mateo Avenue between Douglas Avenue and MacArthur Avenue. The site is one block from the North Fair Oaks library, half a mile from a Costco big-box store. Future residents will be 15 minutes away from the Redwood City Caltrain Station by bus, or ten minutes by bicycle.
Monarch at Redwood side view, rendering by Van Meter Williams Pollack
The development is estimated to cost around $70.4 million, including $21 million in housing loans provided by the County from the Affordable Housing Fund. Completion is expected by April 2027.
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