Twice the size of the current Sequoia YMCA, the upcoming Red Morton YMCA will be 48 feet tall, two stories high and located at 1455 Madison Ave. It aims to meet the community’s evolving needs with healthy living, veterans, youth, families and recreational and social needs.
Redwood City is partnering with the YMCA of Silicon Valley to reimagine a joint project consisting of the Veterans Memorial Senior Center and the Sequoia YMCA. The development project has taken more than five years so far. According to the Redwood City Parks Recreation and Community Services site, Redwood City and the YMCA originally each separately possessed their own projects and proposals for their respective developments. However, they joined their efforts to see if it would be more successful, and after several public forums, community meetings, an environmental review and conceptual discussions, they firmly decided to partner in rebuilding and reimagining the facilities.
“I know the one at Red Morton is huge, and they plan to have a bunch of different facilities, for all people’s interest,” guidance counselor Francisco Negri said. “Whether they’re older generations or younger generations, they are really going to have a little bit of everything.”
According to the Redwood City Parks Recreation and Community Services frequently asked questions page, the new YMCA will have an aquatic center year-round with indoor and outdoor pools, an early childhood learning center, a health and wellness center and multi-use rooms. There will also be more than 200 parking spaces available.
“There’s a lot of operators in Redwood City or access, and so we’re not the only entity,” Assistant Director for the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department Lucas Wilder said. “The YMCA has such a rich history with it and an existing youth group that they could easily bring over to their new location and then really grow it from there.”
The YMCA offers memberships for use of its facilities but the majority of programs that they host can be used by anyone in the community.
“I think they give access to things that students may not have access to,” Negri said. “If I come from a family that can’t afford to take a cooking class, or can’t afford to take a nutrition class, or whatever it may be, the YMCA is providing access for students.”
There is financial assistance available and programs subsidies for those who need them. The YMCA aims to provide access to their amenities to the vast public and wants to keep costs reasonable.
“We really seek to raise money so that everybody in the community can participate in the programs,” Chief Development Officer for the YMCA Patty Rally said. “[This is] so that they’re affordable for everybody, or at no cost, depending on what the programs are.”
The cost of building the YMCA and Veterans Memorial Senior Center is around $55 million. The YMCA of Silicon Valley is making an effort to raise close to $75 million in a capital campaign. According to Rally, the YMCA is also around the center of the community, so there is easier access to all.
“I think what’s most exciting is [that the YMCA, with] over its 150 year history, has always sought to be a welcoming place, a center for community living,” Rally said. “This is centrally located in the heart of Redwood City’s Red Morton Park.”
The local community that will be especially benefiting from the new development has had their own feedback incorporated.
“There were a number of community feedback sessions conducted before the project was approved,” Rally said. “Community involvement was a big part of it, and without that, the project would not have had the support that it did to move forward through the process.”
When this project was first developed, there was a needs assessment conducted along with surveys according to Rally. The community can stay updated by checking the Parks and Recreation for Redwood City website, and the Current Improvement Projects. The Veterans Memorial Building/Senior Center-YMCA Project additionally offers more information on the project timeline and the project video.
“There were tons of community input feedback sessions on not just buildings, but traffic and parking and all kinds of things at all stages,” Wilder said. “[There was] an incredible amount of community engagement for this project.”
However, even before the development has opened it has affected the area.
“The fields by Red Morton are kind of dirty now from it,” freshman Kgosi Mothokakobo said.
He also said that it has taken a long time. The August 2024 update on the Veterans Memorial Building/Senior Center-YMCA Project site states that the Veterans Memorial Senior Center is around 79% complete and it is estimated to be completed in the first half of 2025.
“The YMCA project is still probably a year and a half or two until they break ground for the facility, and then it’s probably somewhere in the two year to three year time frame before they’d be open,” Wilder said.
Plans were recently officially submitted for the upcoming YMCA facility.
“This project is very exciting and has a lot of support from community members, elected officials, community leaders, and that means a lot to us,” Rally said.
