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fisheries. 4. Decisions regarding the preservation or development of Open Space Lands have a direct impact on Redwood City residents' health and welfare. Inappropriate development of Open Space Lands can strain community services by significantly increasing traffic and overtaxing available drinking water supplies. Our children's opportunities to connect with and develop an appreciation of nature are lost through the destruction of precious open spaces. 5. Redwood City neighborhoods already suffer repeated flooding during storm events coupled with high tides. San Francisco Bay water levels are expected to rise significantly over the next 50 years. Urban expansion into flood-prone shoreline areas should not be allowed without a vote of the City's residents. 6. The so-called "Urban Reserve," which according to a July 11, 2005 City staff report was applied without environmental review to cel1ain bayfront properties such as Bair Island to imply a possibility of future development, does not authorize development of these lands. By enacting this Charter Amendment, the voters of Redwood City ensure that current and future voters have the right to protect open spaces from the threat of inappropriate development and that any development placed on Redwood City's rare environmentally sensitive open spaces is the best possible project for the environment and the community. C. Threats to Redwood City's Open Space Lands: 1. Threats to Redwood City's Open Space Lands are growing as a result of developers seeking to build on lands that have been designated in the City's general plan as open space for decades. 2. Existing parks suffer from overuse and crowding and will not be able to meet the recreational needs of a growing population. 3. The Parks and Recreation Department has documented that Redwood City ranks well below other cities in San Mateo County in the level of per capita open space and park area. 4. Redwood City faces a significant challenge to reaching its goal of three acres of parks per 1000 residents, due to shrinking availability and rising cost of land. Loss of open space will make this problem worse. D. The Role of the Redwood City Charter: The California Constitution vests Redwood City, as a charter city, with far-reaching authority to make and enforce ordinances and regulations addressing municipal concerns. The City's power to control its own land use decisions and the procedure by which those decisions are made derives from both its inherent police power and its considerable authority as a charter city to govern its own mlU1icipal affairs. E. The Role of Redwood City Residents in Protecting Open Space: Redwood City residents have long played a critical role in protecting open space and bay lands within the Page 2