CC MIN 2014-05-12 Joint w Planning Commission

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Philip Bigelow, a resident of Docktown and a commodore of the Peninsula Yacht Club, spoke about their historic building that was constructed in 1860s. He also spoke about the need for affordable housing saying that about 30 percent of the residents of Docktown are seniors and veterans, or both. Furthermore, he knows of one such resident who had to move out because he could no longer afford to live there. Alison Madden thanked the Task Force for its work and said that the language of ownership is incorrect as it pertains to the public trust. She said that the land is held in trust for all the citizens of California and the State Lands Commission holds that trust for the public and Redwood City does not own it. She also spoke about grandfathering in live-aboards at Docktown and opined that no one at Docktown is antidevelopment but she would personally love to see a soccer field in that area. Diana Reddy urged Council to seek legislative or State Lands Commission remedies and to not displace people while the process is being pursued. Marilou Seiff, Executive Director of the Marine Science Institute, thanked the Task Force and spoke about having a permanent home and their work with students and how they have worked with every school in this city by teaching them about the bay, the impacts of humans, and making stewards out of students. She noted that they are on a year-to-year lease and they need a permanent home with sufficient land facilities to meet their specific needs. Tom Gillman, with DES Architects and on behalf of the Jay Paul Company developers, said they have attended meetings about the Inner Harbor Plan since last Fall and said their design concept embraces the guidelines to date. He requested that Council direct Staff to provide study entitlements as a parallel process. Julie King, an 18-year resident and 10-year plus member of BIAC, said she has attended most of the meetings, appreciates the Task Force, and noted that while people often think sports organizations (like BIAC) only serve families and youth, they are also open to others. She said that rowing is a sport open to others, including seniors. She opined that the land should be open to every citizen and asked that the land allocation be reinstated to the current size and or be considered for a larger allocation. Gita Dev, with the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter Sustainable Land Use Committee, spoke about being proud of the downtown and hopes more will be done for the housing units there because people need space to go outside when they live in more crowded conditions. She spoke against having development in areas that can be flooded. Carol Wong, a Task Force member, said this is an opportunity for shared understanding. She encourages Council to go through the Guiding Principles and incorporate the vision as the Task Force stands down and the Inner Harbor Plan is fleshed out into more details. She talked about using the vision and Guiding Principles to help with deviations, evaluation criteria, and as plans are made more concrete. Mayor Gee said that Mr. Ekern and his team were available for questions. JOINT CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION May 12, 2014 MEETING MINUTES PAGE 11 MINUTE BOOK NO. 65 Page No. 158