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safety issue relating to the height of the building was extremely important because it brought multiple answers to the Council. He said, "the then President of the San Carlos Airport Pilots Association wrote to the City of Redwood City in a letter we received in February of this year, that the issue of the safety of the building in terms of this height should be determined by the FAA in their review. I quote from the letter: 'The developer and his representatives have claimed that no hazard exists. The City of Redwood City has hired consultants to support these claims. It would seem that the final and most appropriate arbiters of these conflicting claims would be the Federal Aviation Administration who has established a 746-1 Form for just this purpose.' We were asked by numerous persons to make sure that this project was reviewed by the FAA, and as you know, it was. Substantial public comment was received by the FAA, in fact, many of the same letters that we received were addressed to the FAA for their consideration. In fact, I believe from the calIs that I reviewed and letters I've received, each of the technical arguments have been presented to us this evening and have been presented to us by way of letters previously, were also presented to the FAA during the course of their review of this project. And as you know the FAA determined that no hazard exists." Mayor Hartnett said many Council Members had indicated they would not vote for the project as designed if the FAA determined there was a hazard, but the FAA has ruled there is no hazard. Mayor Hartnett said "the airport itself has demonstrated in recent years....that they did not believe that a building of the height of 151 feet was a hazard....because the Airport Land Use Plan was recently revised by CCAG and in a revision to it which was principally driven by the San Carlos Airport and its staff and County staff, despite the opportunity to suggest revisions in the Plan that would have adjusted the aIlowabIe heights, there was no such suggestion. I was on the CCAG board at that time and there was no such suggestion made by the Airport or anyone connected with it, or the County.... That is a telling argument in and of itself." Mayor Hartnett said the City's consultant was charged with "teIling it like it is....and I think that is what we received. The issues with respect to the EIR and traffic have been brought up a number of times. I think the file clearly evidences that the EIR that was done in the 1970s was remarkably on point. The update that was done in connection with it restudied the EIR and noted in fact that the traffic impacts that will exist at fuIl build out of Redwood Shores will be in fact less than what was originally projected in the EIR. That document remains as perfectly good today as it was when it was written." Mayor Hartnett said with regard to traffic at fuIl build out in Redwood Shores, "it makes it increasingly less likely that it wiIl be possible to develop the South Shores area.... We have to recognize that with the development that is on line that it would be, in my opinion, very unlikely that we could mitigate the significant impact that might arise from development in South Shores." Mayor Hartnett said the planned traffic mitigations were about as much as could be done in that area, and there is a limit as to how far development and mitigation can proceed. REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTE BOOK NO. 54 JULY 15, 1996 MINUTES Page No. 399 PAGE 27