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SEQUOIA <br />AUDUBON SOCIETY <br />February 8, 2019 <br />Mayor Bain and Members of the Redwood City City Council <br />City of Redwood City <br />1017 Middlefield Road <br />Redwood City, CA 94063 <br />Via email: council@redwoodcity.org <br />RE: Harbor View Proposal - Study Session February 11, 2019 <br />Dear Mayor Bain and Redwood City Council Members: <br />Sequoia Audubon Society <br />PO Box 620292 <br />Woodside, CA 94062-0292 <br />http://www.sequoia-audubon.org <br />Sequoia Audubon Society is the San Mateo County chapter of the National Audubon Society. I comment <br />on behalf of our 1500 members. Our mission is to "protect native birds and other wildlife and their <br />ecosystems in San Mateo County...". <br />We have had an opportunity for a preliminary review of the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) on <br />the Harbor View Project. We are concerned about the many negative impacts cited for this project, not <br />the least of which is the impact of increased traffic at an already heavily impacted intersection. <br />Our major concern, however, is the potential environmental impact. Adding a huge office development <br />north of 101 re -opens the issue of filling in the adjacent Cargill Salt ponds for high density housing <br />development instead of Bay restoration and needed resilience against sea level rise as restored wetlands. <br />The Cargill Salt ponds are an important roosting and foraging habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl. eBird <br />data has been collected on the Cargill Salt ponds since 2012. During that time 61 species of birds have <br />been reported including western snowy plover. This population is federally listed as threatened under the <br />Endangered Species Act and a Bird Species of Special Concern in California. While we realize that this <br />property is not under consideration at this time, to repeat, we believe that the Harbor View project would <br />put pressure on the issue of developing the Salt Works project, which Sequoia Audubon and Redwood <br />City residents have resisted. <br />Sequoia Audubon joins with many other environmental organizations in encouraging the council to <br />reconsider its prior decision and express opposition to a General Plan Amendment and to not move <br />forward with this project. <br />Thank you for giving our comments your careful consideration. <br />Sincerely, <br />Lee" FU+At <br />Leslie Flint <br />Chair, Conservation Committee <br />Se uoia Audubon Society <br />