AgdaPkt 2019-02-11 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

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It is not satisfactory to only look at RHNA requirements (currently 2789 units) when evaluating impacts from this project. By definition, approving office projects - especially changing the General Plan to do so - when the City has no identifiable capacity to meet the corresponding housing demand, will result in housing displacement. Rising home values will squeeze out low-income workers, and more and more people who work in Redwood City will be forced to commute longer and longer distances to work. This is notjust speculation - it is already happening. If we intend to consider more large-scale commercial development east of 101 we will need to increase housing capacity to accommodate all of the commercial demand, and this will require that we change our current land use policies city wide - which requires a community visioning process. We will need to consider converting commercial and open space lands to housing, and/or upzone low-density residential areas to high-density areas. We can expect that pressure will increase for developing on the nearby open space at the Cargill salt ponds, which will eliminate the opportunity for critical tidal marsh restoration and flood protection that this open space can provide. We should not let future development occur in an ad hoc fashion by approving zoning changes on a project level. If we don't act responsibly to manage this imbalance we may put Redwood City neighborhoods at risk of forced upzoning from State mandates such as SB50 or other new legislation that overrides local control of land use decisions. If we look at the outlook for affordable housing, the imbalance is even more stark. Using County Nexus estimates Harbor View's housing demand on affordable units is close to 1000. Assuming we could squeeze these units into available housing capacity, the developer's proposed donation and housing impact fees would fall short of mitigating the demand by nearly an order of magnitude. There are Lone term Consequences to Upzonine Properties in the Port -Industrial Area Approval of changes in land use and zoning for the Harbor View properties would establish a spearhead into the Port -Industrial area for high-density office development. We know that upzoning raises property values, so we can expect that land values will rise on the nearby properties, potentially increasing the likelihood for further requests to rezone. If Granite Rock or Sims Metal choose to cash in on their increased land values in favor of developing their sites for office use, how would this affect Port operations? How would the City justify saying "no" to these requests if it is willing to amend the General Plan in favor of Harbor View? These are significant considerations not considered in the DEIR but must be evaluated carefully. The current General Plan land use for the Port is the result of an extensive community visioning process. If the City wishes to now encourage high-density office development northeast of 101, it should do so as part of a new community visioning process that looks at all parcels in this area of the city - and not allow piecemeal planning via parcel -specific General Plan amendments. Because this site is within the Port Industrial Center, it is essential to remember that the General Plan is deliberately structured to protect the Port by mandating the preparation of a Port Master Plan and by Redwood City Neighbors United, P.O. Box 416, Redwood City, CA • info@)rcnu.org