Three 10-story-tall apartment towers won’t rise in downtown Redwood City if an attorney who owns one of the historical buildings there can sway the city council to reject the project.

Redwood City lawyer Geoff Carr, who co-owns a building at 605 Middlefield Road, is appealing the planning commission’s recent approval of a 471-unit apartment complex across the street at 525 Middlefield Road.

Carr contends the complex would be too big, would generate too much traffic and would clash with neighboring historical buildings.

The planning commission signed off on the towers without considering how they would fit into the downtown landscape, Carr told The Daily News on Thursday.

“How is this corner going to look with a 10-story skyscraper next to a one-story building?” he said.

The planning commission approved the development Sept. 3. In the formal appeal he filed Sept. 19, Carr contends the project would conflict with the downtown precise plan’s stated vision of “human-scaled” and “vibrant and beautiful” developments that blend with the district’s historic architecture.

His appeal also argues that an environmental impact analysis of the downtown plan is outdated and doesn’t account for changes that have increased downtown parking demand, such as consolidation of countywide court functions into the courthouse in Redwood City. In addition, developer Paul Powers’ plan to have tenants pay extra for on-site parking will lead some to seek cheaper parking on nearby streets, Carr said.

The three-tower complex, proposed for construction on a 2.4-acre site bounded by Middlefield Road, Veterans Boulevard, Jefferson Avenue and Bradford Street, would include a swimming pool, spa, gym, recreation room, bike parking and a dog exercise area.

Planning Manager Blake Lyon said a tentative date of Nov. 18 has been set for the city council’s review of Carr’s appeal.

Email Bonnie Eslinger at beslinger @dailynewsgroup.com; follow her at twitter.com/ bonnieeslinger.