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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 />What is the process to study traffic and <br />parking? <br />The project team has heard concerns about parking <br />and traffic and is organizing a meeting with immediate <br />neighbors which will include a discussion about overall <br />Red Morton Park parking capacity, and how the hundreds <br />of spaces coming online before the expected completion <br />date for the Veterans Memorial Senior Center – YMCA <br />project will address neighborhood-wide demand. <br />Additionally, alternative facility orientations and <br />circulation plans are being examined which would <br />further disburse vehicles around the park, and may be <br />included as an alternative for analysis, as is integration <br />with the considerable new parking capacity throughout <br />the Red Morton Park complex. <br />Regardless of the final site plan, traffic will be studied <br />as part of the project’s Environmental Impact Report, <br />as required by the California Environmental Quality <br />Act (CEQA). Analyses will be done both at “peak” and <br />“off peak” times to establish traffic counts, parking <br />availability both on site and on the street, and waits at <br />intersections. The findings will be compared against the <br />existing baseline to determine if significant impacts will <br />result from the proposed project. <br />How will the new Veterans Memorial Senior <br />Center meet the programming needs of our <br />seniors and veterans, 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 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 />new 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 PT facilities. Additionally, the project team <br />is assessing ways to provide a memorial outside the <br />main building entrance, an updated and expanded <br />display area, improved storage, and security options for <br />Redwood City veterans’ prized memorabilia. <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 for 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 facilities be accessed by <br />those who use the Veterans Memorial Senior <br />Center when they are part of the YMCA? <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, which is <br />why the pools are part of that facility. We heard from <br />community members the aquatics facilities’ distance <br />from the Veterans Memorial Senior Center could inhibit <br />usage. However, seniors can choose to park adjacent <br />to the YMCA if they prefer or to be dropped off right <br />outside, and the benefit of being able to provide a large <br />diversity of pool uses and programs is far superior to <br />what the city currently provides at Herkner Pool. <br />7.A. - Page 14