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CLK-Pamela Aguilar <br />From: Lori Palmatier <lori.palmatier@gmail.com> <br />Sent: Saturday, January 25, 2020 7:28 PM <br />To: GRP -City Council; CD -Lindy Chan <br />Subject: Sequoia Station plans <br />Follow Up Flag: FollowUp <br />Flag Status: Flagged <br />To All Concerned: <br />As a Redwood City native and current resident, I am writing to encourage you to decline the proposed 17 story <br />development of Sequoia Station. <br />Our town is suffering with the large scale development going on. The new high -rent buildings going up do not <br />serve the resident population. Building more of it, along with a huge amount of new office space will further <br />deteriorate the situation. Already we do not have affordable homes for our transit drivers, waiters, teachers, <br />social workers, police, nurses, etc. These people are a vital part of our community and the continual <br />gentrification of our town will force them out. <br />Redwood City was known as Deadwood City when I was growing up. There was a magical time when the <br />downtown experienced revitalization, and now it has gone beyond that to be a concrete jungle. Retail can't <br />survive here. People love to go to places with downtowns that have cute stores to go shopping and just relax, get <br />some coffee, wine or food. Places like downtown Palo Alto, San Carlos and Burlingame. These places are <br />charming. And they are becoming a novelty. Redwood City is leaving it's charm behind. <br />Any development that is approved from this point forward should include significant concessions to support our <br />public schools, infrastructure, and affordable homes. 2% is not enough. What if, in addition to a higher <br />percentage of new units being reserved for low-income folks, each new building were required to include just <br />I% of the total square footage that is built out in tiny efficiencies (maybe 100-400 sq ft each) that are basically <br />given back to the city or county as transitional housing? Or TRULY affordable units. In just one of the 400,000 <br />sq ft buildings that have been erected recently, that would equate to 4,000 sq ft, which could be turned into <br />dozens of tiny units that would provide a respectable home for those that don't make a tech whiz salary. <br />Please pass on the proposed development. There are many areas of Redwood City that need a face lift, but <br />Sequoia Station isn't that old and certainly we don't need: <br />- a 17 -story building, <br />- three 10 -story buildings, <br />- two eight -story buildings and <br />- a seven -story building on the tiny site. <br />Traffic and parking already has our family avoiding the shopping center. Imagine if all that is added to the <br />space! Its surreal that such a proposal would even be considered. <br />Sincerely, <br />Lori Palmatier <br />