Redwood Shores History

  Hours

Beginning Monday, March 5, 2007:

• Mon - Thurs: 12-6 PM
• Fri - Sun: closed

By Appointment:
inquire at 650-780-7030

The area now referred to as Redwood Shores is a 1,500-acre piece of land surrounded by Highway 101 on the west, San Francisco Bay on the east, Belmont Slough on the north, and Steinberger Slough on the south. The site was originally part of an extensive marshland system that bordered the Bay along what is now San Mateo County. Oysters and clams were plentiful in the area, and there is evidence that the local Native Americans living on the Peninsula gathered much of their food from the surrounding tidal waterways.

From 1795 into the 1850's, Redwood Peninsula as the area became known, was part of the Rancho de las Pulgas owned by the Arguello Family of Mexico. The site was used primarily for cattle grazing. After California became part of the United States in 1848, this land as well as the rest of the Pulgas Ranch, was sold off in sections to various individuals and commercial interests of the rapidly increasing Anglo population.

In the late 1870's, the Morgan Oyster Company began importing and transplanting live Eastern oysters to the bay waters off of the Redwood Peninsula. Two oyster watch houses were constructed on the south side of the Belmont Slough in 1877 and 1884. Morgan's headquarters was located on Steinberger Slough. Because of an increase in bay pollution, however, oyster harvests dropped dramatically after 1900 and the industry collapsed.

According to official San Mateo County maps, by 1877 about half of the land was owned by San Francisco jeweler John W. Tucker and the rest by millionaire and U.S. Senator George Hearst. The maps also indicated that Hearst had purchased all of the acreage by 1894. A partnership between three local individuals - Hall, Dungan, & Allard - had purchased 1,200 acres of the site by 1909, and the Mobil Oil Company owned the remaining 335 acres.

Sometime in the early 1920's, a group of entrepreneurs formed the San Francisco Bay Terminal Company. The syndicate bought several thousand acres of bay front property, including all of Redwood Peninsula, with the idea of building several deep-water docking wharves for ships. Public protest caused the investors to abandon the harbor project, however, and in 1928, the Leslie Salt Company acquired the land. Leslie was originally located in San Mateo, but by this time had moved its center of operations to the Port of Redwood City. Leslie built a series of earthen dikes which protected the land from the tidal action of the Bay. The salt conglomerate also owned Bair Island, the area to the south of the Redwood Peninsula between Steinberger Slough and the Port of Redwood City, and for many years the two land masses were referred to as Redwood Shores and used by Leslie as salt brine evaporation areas.

After rejections from the cities of San Carlos and Belmont, Redwood City accepted the proposal from the Leslie Salt Company to annex Redwood Shores in 1959. Four years later, Leslie Properties, Inc., a subsidiary of Leslie Salt, unveiled a proposal for a planned community of housing, parks, and commercial sites, to be built at Redwood Shores. Modeled after Foster City, the plan projected a population of 60,000 and 20,700 housing units in the Shores by 1980.

In support of the project, the Redwood City City Council authorized the creation of a general improvement district in 1964. General Improvement District 1-64 consisted of $65 million in bonds that were generated from private sources for capital improvement projects in Redwood Shores. This included development of the land, lagoons, beaches, streets, sewers, and water systems. The most important of the improvement projects was the reinforcement of levees along Steinberger and Belmont Sloughs. Storm-water drainage was another critical project that had to be completed before construction could begin.

The first phase of development involved the 1,500 acres of Redwood Peninsula. Leslie Properties retained ownership of the land, but control of the administration, financing, and other elements of the project were the responsibility of Redwood City. City services like parks, a fire station, a community center, and a library branch were to be paid for by the city.

As construction of the first homes began, so did the building of a $10 million, 60-acre aquatic amusement park. Marine World opened its doors in July of 1968. It was located on a site at the northern part of the Shores, near Foster City. The park was built on four man-made islands with interlacing waterways, and was financed and run by the American Broadcasting Company. ABC sold the park to Resorts International in 1972, and a wildlife park and 3,000-seat jungle theater were added under the new management.

In the midst of development, however, the FHA suspended home loan guarantees for Redwood Shores, citing concerns over potential earthquake hazards. The moratorium lasted for 13 months, during which time several seismic studies found that earthquake-damage risk for the area was no greater than that of the rest of the Peninsula. The FHA lifted its moratorium in 1970, but the stoppage had taken its toll on Leslie Properties. The company was on the verge of bankruptcy and could not invest additional capital for development.

In February of 1973, Mobil Oil Estates, Ltd. purchased the property from Leslie. A subsidiary company of Mobil Oil called Redwood Shores Properties, Inc. administered the development from then on. The revised plan, included as part of the 1975 General Plan for Redwood City, called for a population "build-out" of 20,000 residents instead of 60,000, and an emphasis on more commercial development than initially planned.

Even under the revised plan, however, by 1978, only 500 homes had been completed. There were no commercial establishments besides Marine World, and development of city services was slowed by the implementation of Proposition 13. Leaders from Redwood City and Redwood Shores Properties held several meetings to discuss how best to proceed with the project.

The following year, on the advice of Redwood Shores Properties, Mobil Oil decided to invest enough capital to finish the promising Shorebird subdivision. Redwood City then agreed to an $11.6 million public works bond issue, which prompted more construction and building. By 1980, two major housing projects and two large commercial developments were underway. A road linking Ralston Avenue to Holly Street was finished and the first two Shores traffic signals were installed in 1981.

One of the most important public works projects was the restoration of the 76-acre central lagoon. During the 1970's, wildlife was almost non- existent in the man-made lagoon, and the County Health Department had warned against public use. The funds from the bond issue, however, provided for the installation of a more efficient circulation system which greatly improved the chemical content of the water. Today, wildlife is prevalent and the lagoon is one of the most widely-used recreational facilities on the Peninsula.

The economic recovery which began in 1982 also spurred development in Redwood Shores. Housing began to sell rapidly. The homes and businesses on the Redwood Peninsula were now called Redwood Shores, and the proposed construction on the vacant marshland of Bair Island was referred to as South Shores. The latter development never materialized, however, as a citizens referendum narrowly defeated the project in 1982. Redwood Shores Inc. then turned 1,000 acres over to the State for a wildlife refuge, and the remaining part of Bair Island was purchased by the Peninsula Open Space Trust in 1997. The entire piece of property between Steinberger Slough and Redwood Creek is now protected habitat.

Marine World/Africa USA moved from its Redwood Shores site to Vallejo in 1986. The Campeau Corp. bought the property intending to build an office complex. Because of a corporate takeover, however, Campeau had to sell. The new owners, Wilson & Associates, built the Centrum Office Complex, completed in 1989. Their first tenant was a fast-growing software company called Oracle Corporation, who moved its finance and administration departments from Menlo Park to the two new 11-story office buildings. Oracle eventually purchased the complex and built additional buildings for its other divisions.

In 1988, the Shores had 2,400 housing units and a population of over 7,000. A corporate complex called The Shores Center, opened in 1989, and attracted companies like DHL, Oral-B Labs, Fluor Mining & Metals, Hotel Sofitel, and many high-tech companies. By 1993, the population had increased to 8,500 as new residents were attracted to award-winning housing, parks, hiking and bicycle trails, fitness circuits, and the modern Pacific Athletic Club. Redwood Shores Properties sold the last commercial property available in the Shores to Flatiron Funds two years later. Electronic Arts now occupies that site.

1997 and 1998 were exciting years for Shores residents as facilities for which they had been waiting so long were finally built. Sandpiper Elementary School opened in September of 1997 at the 11-acre Sandpiper Park site, the result of a joint effort between the Belmont School District and the City of Redwood City. Marketplace Shopping Center, which includes several shops and a grocery store, opened the following month. Redwood City completed the construction of a fire station in 1998, and the Sandpiper Community Center opened last December.

The latest service for the 15,000 residents is a library branch, operated by the Redwood City Public Library. The branch includes book deliveries and an extensive online service where patrons can check out books, search periodical indexes, and even read about the history of their community .

compiled from sources in the Local History Collection at the Redwood City Public Library

April, 1999