Laserfiche WebLink
Veterans Memorial Senior Center – YMCA Project <br />What is the benefit of the project partnership <br />to Redwood City taxpayers? <br />A joint Veterans Memorial Senior Center-YMCA Project <br />will provide the Redwood City community with a <br />new resource for health and wellness, community <br />gathering, and enrichment opportunities. The current <br />facilities – while valued by the community – are at <br />maximum capacity, aging, and in need of costly repairs <br />and accessibility upgrades. The partnership between <br />Redwood City and the Y will complement and expand <br />the existing network of recreational resources, engage <br />and inspire the community to be healthy and active, <br />and allow each entity to capitalize on its strengths <br />in order to deliver a complete set of services to the <br />growing Redwood City community. <br />How will the new Veterans Memorial Senior <br />Center meet the programming needs of our <br />seniors, today and in the future? <br />The new Veterans Memorial Senior Center will not limit <br />existing programs at the VMSC, nor will services stop <br />due to construction if the project is approved. The City <br />undertook a deliberate process to engage user groups <br />and the primary stakeholders such as the Senior Affairs <br />Commission to understand existing demand, process <br />questions, concerns about a changing environment, <br />and needs for new programming. <br />The new Veterans Memorial Senior Center will provide <br />a state-of-the-art facility in which to gather, exercise, <br />and socialize. While housed in a new structure, the <br />Veterans Memorial Senior Center will continue its <br />current mix of senior-specific and multigenerational <br />programs, including Adaptive PE programs and events, <br />and will feature new amenities including a chef’s grade <br />test kitchen and dining services, a fully ADA-accessible <br />theater, mini gym, multi-purpose classrooms and <br />adaptive PE facilities. <br />How will the new design maintain existing <br />trees, park land, and other green space? <br />Feedback from the community was clear that <br />maximizing park land, trees, and other green space <br />is an overarching priority. The envelope of the <br />entire project and each individual building has been <br />significantly reduced from earlier proposals to reflect <br />community requests. Substantially set back from <br />Madison Street, the redesigned Veterans Memorial <br />Senior Center seeks to maximize park space, and the <br />larger parking structure is no longer a part of the site <br />plan proposal, in favor of parking lots adjacent to the <br />facilities. The City and the Y are also considering a low <br />profile parking structure as an alternative. Reinventing <br />the new facility’s interaction with outdoor space will be <br />a hallmark of the updated design. <br />How will aquatics be managed in the new <br />design? <br />The strength of the City-YMCA partnership is found in <br />the ability for each entity to “play to its strengths,” and <br />managing aquatics is one of the Y’s strengths. To that <br />end, pools will be under the Y umbrella. The Y will be <br />able to more seamlessly manage the diverse demands <br />on current pool space, and do so at a comparable cost <br />to the public. Additionally, talks are ongoing with the <br />Sharks Swim Club to explore means to continue use. <br />Current pool use is very limited in scope, hours and <br />season; the new YMCA aquatics program will offer <br />more to the community. <br />What is the process to study traffic and <br />parking? <br />Traffic will be studied as part of the project’s <br />Environmental Impact Report, as required by the <br />California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Analyses <br />will be done both at “peak” and “off peak” times to <br />establish traffic counts, parking availability both on <br />site and on the street, and waits at intersections. The <br />findings will be compared against the existing baseline <br />to determine if significant impacts will result from the <br />proposed project. <br />The final design will address traffic and parking in a <br />holistic way, analyzing parking capacity and demand <br />throughout the park and examining implementation of <br />alternative transportation modes, including improved <br />pedestrian and bicycle accessibility, vouchers for ride <br />hailing services, and city-operated vans and other <br />circulators. <br />7.A. - Page 10