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From: John Fong To: GRP -City Council Subject: Please Read Prior to Monday's Hearing Date: Sunday, October 11, 2020 11:03:30 AM Attachments: 2529 Broadway Letter to Planningpdf Dear Council, I write this email to you with urgency and concern. I was surprised and disappointed to see that Planning Staff are recommending that my project at 901-999 El Camino and 2529 Broadway should be not be initiated into the gatekeeper process and instead, be included into the Transit District process and its indefinite time horizon. The logic behind the recommendation is frustrating. Throughout this process I've kept a low profile with Council and have chosen to focus most of my time and effort in engaging the community so my team and I can provide the most beneficial project possible. My preference is (and always) to have my actions speak louder than my words. The evidence of this effort has been clearly expressed in our partnerships with affordable housing advocates and the Youth and Teen Advisory Boards. But I need to strongly express my concerns to you here in plain language because this project creates many important benefits to the community: 1. 901-999 El Camino are NOT located in the Transit District Boundary. This portion of the project provides for the Teen Center and Chrysanthemum Plaza. Both of these features create linkages to past and present aspects of this community that no proposed project provides. 2. While it is technically true that 2529 Broadway, against the stated desires of the current owner, is located within the Transit District Area, we have proposed 60 affordable units for families with a predominance of 2 and 3 bedrooms that maximize the zoning envelope of this property under the current DTPP. With a current height limit of 92' it is incredibly unlikely that any end result of the Transit District process will result in more affordable housing units on the 2529 property. 3. Redwood City needs affordable housing now. This is clear by every metric and is a central goal of Council. Our project provides 100% affordable family housing through 2, 3 and 4 bedroom units at an average of 49% AMI. Forcing this project into the uncertain timeline of the Transit District process will delay the delivery of 60 affordable family units at a time in history where such housing has never been more important. Since there are 4 distinct property owners (2 individuals, a large corporation, and a trust) that make up my project and each has a different life situations and time horizon, it is highly unlikely that I can hold this coalition together and extend contracts long enough for a Transit District area process to complete its course. This delay will unfortunately end our pursuit of this project and along with it a one of a kind center for Redwood City teens, a vital and uplifting history of Redwood City and 60 units of affordable family housing. If you believe this project will be beneficial for the community as strongly as I do and as