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

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CLK-Pamela Aguilar °rom: Rachel Holt < Sent: Monday, February 11, 2019 9:25 AM To: GRP -City Council Subject: Harbor View Mayor Bain and Councilmembers, Unfortunately I am unable to attend tonight's meeting due to other obligations. I am writing to voice my strong opposition to an amendment to the General Plan to allow for the Harbor View proposed development, or any other development like it. The community has spoken loudly about requiring more of developers- both in terms of direct benefits to the community AND indirect by way of better quality construction, massing, and character. Now is your opportunity to show the community that you are listening. The Harbor View project does not belong on the bay in Redwood City. Now that the developer, the Jay Paul Company, has completed their Environmental Impact Report (EIR) it could not be more clear that there are a substantial number of significant impacts which cannot be mitigated. Fundamentally, this is the wrong project in the wrong place. Despite proposed mitigations, Harbor View will 1. exacerbate the City's current jobs -housing imbalance by significantly driving up housing demand (-5,500 jobs and no housing), 2. erode the capacity for Redwood City to broaden its economic base via light -industrial uses, 3. hinder the ability to preserve and expand the Port of Redwood City and its supporting industries, 4. bring thousands of more cars daily to an area that does not have the infrastructure to support so much traffic, and 5. center a significant portion of Redwood City's office growth away from Downtown and mass transit. The Harbor View project is asking for zoning and land use changes that are not warranted, and which you should deny, given their vastly unsuitable nature for this location. It is currently zoned as light -industrial, which is very appropriate for this area and already allows for a significant amount of diversified development. Lastly, given such extreme adverse and unmitigated impacts, there will be no real benefits brought to the community by this project. I hope that in the discussion on Monday night, you will clarify that Jay Paul's donations to community-based organizations and non -profits do not make up for the project's overall depletion of the City's coffers to pay for the tens of millions of infrastructure that is needed to absorb the added population density that will be a byproduct of this project. Let us not confuse impact fees with true community benefits. Thank you for your consideration. Rachel Holt