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CLK-Pamela Aguilar prom: Jim Gernand > bent: Sunday, February 10, 2019 9:07 PM To: GRP -City Council Subject: Harbor View Proposal - Study Session Feb 11, 2019 Attachments: 2.10.17 CITY INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO ADVANCE PROTECTIONS FOR INDUSTRIAL BUSINESSES.pdf This e-mail is from an external source. Please do not open attachments or click links from an unknown or suspicious origin. osxim Dear Mayor Bain and Council Members, I am a resident of Redwood City and I actively participated in the General Plan Update process and the Downtown Precise Plan process. I appreciated that both of these efforts were done with the broad public input that provided clear direction regarding the types of growth and locations for growth our community desires. The General Plan Update process made clear that our community desires a robust and mixed economy, and a mixed economy includes light -industrial uses. The kinds of jobs provided by the Port of Redwood city and its supporting industries are a key part of the effort to broaden Redwood City's economic base and provide economic resiliency. Providing jobs for all skill and education levels is an essential component in addressing our housing affordability crisis. Light industrial businesses provide well paying jobs that do not require a four- vear degree. It is exactly these kinds of jobs that are necessary to create a shared prosperity economy. It is a fact light industrial business are under enormous pressure in the Bay Area, in part due to displacement and conversion of light industrial districts into new office and housing projects such as this one proposed by the Jay Paul Company. Other bay area cities, such as San Francisco, have identified the protection of industrial - zoned districts is such an important issue, they have recently introduced legislation specifically designed to enhance zoning protections for industrial business. See link and the attachment to this email for information regarding the San Francisco findings regarding this problem. http://oewd org/sites/default/files/News/Press%20Release/2.10.17%2OCITY"/`20INTRODUCES"/o20LEGISLA TION%20TO%20AD V ANCE%20PROTECTIONS %20FOR%20INDUSTRIAL%20B USINES SES.pdf The Redwood City General Plan established policies and programs expressly intended to preserve and expand the Port of Redwood City and its supporting business and at the same time to focus the development of new office spaces in the downtown so they will be close to housing and public transit. The Jay Paul Company purchased the site as currently zoned with the intent to develop the site in direct contradiction to the City's General Plan. This is not an "as of right" issue, this is a zoning -busting project proposed for a site that is identified in the General Plan as an ideal location for industrial uses. Changing the General Plan and zoning within our current light industrial corridor will almost certainly generate further land speculation in similar light industrial areas, eroding the availability of light industrial land in Redwood City is a negative impact to the long term economic resilience that is provided by a mixed economy. There is no compelling reason why the City should be investing time and resources pursing a non -conforming leveloper proposal when there already is a significant amount of similar development proposals in the pipeline that conform to current zoning and do not require general plan amendments. I urge the City Council to exercise