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5. SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY A. Ceremonial oath of office for newly-appointed City Council-appointed Boards, Committees, and Commissions Members — Patricia Howe, City Clerk B. Presentation: Traffic Congestion in the Vicinity of the Western End of the Dumbarton Bridge — Walter Martone and Richard Napier, County of San Mateo 6. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS AND CONSENT CALENDAR Ralph Nobles, resident of Redwood City and representative of People for Housing Not High-Rises, gave a brief report of the progress of the referendum. He stated that signature gathering was essentially complete and that the group was confident that there were considerably more than enough valid signatures to certify the referendum. He stated that during the course of the 25 days, an unspecified sample of more than 5,000 residents and more than 90% signed the petition. He further stated that the attack on his group at the last meeting from the developer warrants an immediate rebuttal. He stated that the record shows that the group was at early and continued involvement with the planning process and that he never supported the project. He stated that the group would gladly tell both sides of the project when the developer does. He agreed that the group did start small and encouraged people to visit the website: www.housinqnothighrises orq. George Schoenstein, Redwood City native, resident and businessperson, stated that he initially thought the project was rather large and he was skeptical. After attending meetings and studying the proposal, he feels that the city needs this project, we cannot have zero growth, there is not much space available for housing and we need housing. He further stated that it is a growth opportunity and the challenge is somewhat upsetting because there has been due process that is very expensive given the city officials and employees attending hundreds of open forum hours, regulatory meetings and discussions. In addition, an election may occur that was not planned and incur unbudgeted costs. Gwenythe Scove, speaking on behalf of People for Housing Not High-Rises, she thanked the thousands of people for their support, interest and good humor during the gathering of signatures for the referendum petition. She stated that the more than 50 neighbors and friends are volunteers, Redwood City residents and registered voters who gathered more than 5,000 signatures in 25 days and believe that the project should be decided by a vote of the people of Redwood City. She stated their belief that rezoning the property from a maximum building height of 75 feet to 240 feet, to allow buildings of up to 17 Manhattan style luxury condos, particularly skyscrapers not near downtown and public transportation with 23 negative impacts on quality of life should be decided by the voters. She further stated that the developer and some Council Members believe that the project is too complicated for the voters to understand. She urged residents to visit the City's JOINT CITY COUNCIL AND JULY 26, 2004 REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MINUTES PAGE 2