AgdaPkt 2015-09-21 Joint Special SAF PAF

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REPORT To the Redwood City Planning Commission From Planning Staff August 18, 2015 SUBJECT Red Morton Community Park Sports Lighting Project Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration RECOMMENDATION Adopt Resolution No. 15-17, recommending that the City Council approve the Red Morton Community Park Sports Lighting Project, and adopt the associated Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration. BACKGROUND Red Morton Community Park is located in central Redwood City between Madison Avenue, Valota Road, Roosevelt Avenue, and Myrtle Street. In addition to open space, picnic areas, and playground facilities, the park also includes several ball fields and a tennis court facility. Two of the ball fields (Bechet/Griffin Field and McGarvey Field) and the tennis court facility currently have sports lighting and operate up to seven days per week with the sports lighting turned off by 10:30 p.m. per City Ordinance. Two of the ball fields (Mitchell Field and Kiwanis Field) currently do not have sports lighting and operate until dusk up to seven days per week. The ball fields are primarily used for baseball, softball, and soccer games and practices, and all are heavily used throughout the year. Project Description Due to the heavy usage of the ball fields in the park, the City proposes to install seven new light standards ranging from 60 to 70 feet in height around the perimeter of Mitchell Field in order to allow for its use until 10:30 p.m. seven days per week as is currently done on Bechet/Griffin Field and McGarvey Field. The addition of lighting on Mitchell Field is not being proposed in order to increase the overall use of the field, but to spread out its daily use over a longer period of time in order to relieve congestion on the field during daylight hours of play. In addition to adding the new lighting at Mitchell Field, the City also proposes to replace the existing sports lighting around the tennis court facility. The existing eight 30-foot tall light standards surrounding the tennis court facility are proposed to be replaced with six 50-foot standards. All of the new light standards will house 1,500 watt metal halide lamps with aluminum reflectors, light hoods and visors to direct light onto the field/courts, and reduce the amount of spill light. The new high power lamps will reduce the number of fixtures needed and allow for reduction in the size of the light racks mounted atop the standards. Installation of the proposed lights will require minor excavation to construct the foundations for the light standards. The project scope originally included replacement of the existing sports lighting surrounding Bechet/Griffin Field, and these lights were analyzed as part of the Initial 8.A. - Page 8