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__SBSA Buffer Property Page 1 of 1 /0. P&R-Tom Passanisi From: Jim Bewley [JBewley@sbsa.org] Sent: Monday, August 19, 2002 5:08 PM To: 'George Vorpahl' Cc: Tom Passanisi (tpassanisi@redwoodcity.org) Subject: SBSA Buffer Property Mr. Vorpahh My name is Jim Bewley and I am responding to your email to Tom Passanisi regarding the Redwood Shores Bayfront Specific Plan. There is no expansion of the wastewater treatment facilities in the proposed uses or improvements to the SBSA Buffer property shown in the Specific Plan. The proposed SBSA improvements are for aesthetic or educational reasons. The SBSA proposed projects are 1) wetland restoration/enhancement 2) relocation of existing service road (access to biosolids treatment facilities) from Radio Road across from the Po/rite Office parking lot to parallel to existing SBSA levee adjacent to the northwest property line 3) Establishment of wetlands research beds (between the SBSA biosolids drying area and the KGEI property) 4) Construction of pedestrian access trails from the SBSA plant entrance to the city parking Jot for bayfront access at the end of Radio Rd 5) Installation of a tree screen along the north boundary of the biosolids drying area (EIR consultant recommends relocating the North tree screen closer to the SBSA plant site) 6) West tree screen (along Radio Rd across from the Pointe Office building and under grounding the electric and telephone service on the SBSA access road. (The EIR consultant recommends against tall trees on the buffer pond perimeter). These features are described on pages 4-6 through 4-14 of. the plan. The recycled water storage tanks shown on the SBSA property will be part of the City's water utility and are not an expansion of the wastewater treatment plant. As shown in the specific plan, the tanks will be screened from view from the office and residential areas by a new tree screen. To further reduce any visual impacts the tanks will be constructed mostly below ground level and the height is limited to no higher than 10 to 15 feet above the existing grade along the plant boundary. In the early 1970's the current site for the wastewater treatment plant was chosen. There were many technical and land use reasons for the selection. At the time the plant was constructed (1977-1981) the much of the land on the bay side of what is now Shell Parkway was not designated for residential use. It had a zoning designation of Tidal Plain and a General Plan designation of Urban Reserve. When the property owner proposed changing the zoning and land use to allow residential development in the mid 1980s SBSA objected to allowing residential use close to the treatment plant. Partly due to the controversy related to the effects of the power lines and the radio stations the land on the bay side of the power lines was left as Tidal Plain. In the late 1980s the Lido Specific Plan was submitted to the city and again SBSA objected to residential use so close to the existing "industrial" type of use the plant represented. There were some compromises and the current zoning and land use designations were approved in the early 1990s. SBSA provides an essential public health service to a population of over 200,000 residents and businesses in southern San Mateo County. While there have been no studies done on of the cost of relocating the plant I am confident that it would be in the range of several hundred millions of dollars. One of SBSAs policy objectives is to maintain a good neighbor relationship with the surrounding community and I would be interested in hearing any of your concerns relating to SBSAs activities. If you are interested in getting on the mailing list for our three or four times a year newsletter, please let me know. Jim Bewley Manager SBSA (650) 594-8411 ext 124 8/20/2002