Agmt06 Wagstaff & Associates - Environmental Services for Peninsula Park

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Wagstaff and Associates Proposal for Services City of Redwood City Peninsula Park Project EIR Addendum Project September 28,2006 Page 1-1 1. PROJECT UNDERSTANDING AND CEQA APPROACH 1.1 BACKGROUND In June 2003, the City of Redwood City certified the Final Environmental Impact Report for the Marina Shores Village Project ("2003 EIR"). The 2003 EIR consisted of two volumes: (1) a February 2003 Draft EIR, and (2) a June 2003 Final EIR. The 2003 EIR addressed the environmental implications of a proposed project on an approximately 46.45-acre site comprised of two non-contiguous properties located in the Bair Island Road area of the City--the approximately 33.24-acre Peninsula Marina property and the approximately 13.21-acre Pete's Harbor property. The proposed development program addressed in the 2003 EIR ("2003 EIR project") consisted of a mix of approximately 1,930 housing units, 300,000 square feet of office space and 12,000 square feet of retail space, in an array of buildings, including thirteen 18-to 23-story residential towers (maximum height: 260 feet), numerous 2- to 9-story low-rise residential flats, townhouse, and commercial (retail and office) buildings, and approximately 5.46-acres of marina (80 to 120 slips). The portion of the 2003 EIR project located within the 33.24-acre Peninsula Marina property consisted of approximately 1,297 housing units (67 percent of the project total) and 312,000 square feet of commercial floor area (100 percent of the project total) in an array of eight 18- to 21-story residential towers, numerous low-rise residential flats and townhouses, and all of the low-rise commercial (retail and office) buildings, plus approximately 3.80 acres of Marina (50 to 60 slips; approximately 60 percent of the project total). As required by CEQA, the 2003 EIR included a description and comparative evaluation of a range of nine alternatives to the proposed project. One of the alternatives, Alternative 6, was formulated by the applicant in consultation with City decision-makers to reduce EIR-identified visual, traffic and biological impacts and improve project waterfront relationships. Alternative 6 included a reduction in maximum tower height to 21 stories (236 feet), a larger 25,000-square- foot retail component (to "internalize" more vehicular trips), a 200-room hotel, and transit and transportation demand management (TDM) provisions to reduce peak period vehicular trips. Because Alternative 6 was assumed to more closely represent the actual, revised intentions of the applicant, its design characteristics and comparative impacts and mitigating effects were described in greater detail in the Alternatives chapter of the 2003 EIR "in order to provide adequate CEQA documentation (i.e., minimize the need for supplemental CEQA documentation) should the City elect to approve this or a similar alternative." In June 2004, the City approved a General Plan amendment and Precise Plan rezoning (2004 PDP) permitting a variation of the 2003 EIR project similar to Alternative 6, including 1,930 housing units, 50,000 square feet of local-serving retail, 150,000 square feet of office space, and a 200-room hotel, with a maximum tower height of 20 stories (240 feet). Subsequently, a local voter referendum, Measure "Q," was passed that repealed the City's 2004 Precise Plan rezoning approvals. The referendum cited a range of environmental and other concerns about the 2004 project, including issues of building height, density, traffic, Bay fill, and public access to the waterfront. Passage of the referendum resulted in a return of the two project properties to C:IDocuments and SettingslkmateolLocal SettingslTemporary Internet Filesl0602 proposal section 1-rev.doc