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7.A. - Page 8 of 16 The land swap would reduce the amount of land available for park use though many of the same features could be accommodated in a smaller footprint (see Figure 1, Diagram). The schematic illustrates the park space will be moved slightly to the south to accommodate the northern Maple Street road. Adjacent to the road, the schematic shows a strong tree line with a water feature or wetlands to provide a buffer. A tot lot with picnic tables and shade structures would be placed between the tree buffer and the soccer field. The number of sports/soccer fields would be reduced from two to one; however, the field comfortably fits within the space. The historic water tower can continue to be an Inner Harbor landmark. The southern -most open space area (just east of the potential Navigation Center site) could be developed as another passive recreation, tot lot area providing southern access to the promenade and waterfront. On a separate path from the County's potential navigation center and transitional housing project, City staff envisions a robust public process for park design to take place at a later date, at the point that the City Council prioritizes the project. The City would propose to hire a planning consultant to focus on drafting a plan for the public space area in the future and have conversations with the community, including stakeholder groups, businesses and residents in the area. Homelessness in Redwood City Homelessness in San Mateo County and specifically in Redwood City, has become a major challenge that must be addressed. Ensuring housing for all in our community is a top strategic priority for the City; it is also a long-term challenge. In the near term, the City is working to provide services and emergency housing to people who need them and to limit use of outdoor spaces for living- most of this work is completed by nonprofit partners and dedicated City and County human services staff at the City's Fair Oaks Community Center. Over the past two years, the City Council has taken bold steps to allocate significant funding and staff resources to establish proactive programs and initiatives to assist homeless residents find pathways to permanent housing. In working with the City's nonprofit partners, the City has recently established two prominent homelessness initiatives: a Safe Parking Program, which helps RV residents move from the streets into stable housing, and the creation of the City's downtown streets team which provides homeless residents job skills to gain employment experience (by working on beautification projects throughout the City) that not only restores hope, but opens the door to housing opportunities for program participants. To fight homelessness the City combines compassionate and innovative leadership with collaboration between the private sector, government agencies, social service agencies, and most importantly, our community. Homelessness is a complex issue that is too big for any single agency to address, so we value our strong partner network and are always looking for new partnerships to make sure all of our stakeholders are represented. The County is committing to "functional zero," a vision for ending homelessness with which Redwood City is conceptually aligned. The City is in discussions with the County on shared services on homelessness initiatives. City staff is proposing a more focused plan based on current circumstances and anticipated future needs. Page 8 of 13 City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.ore 148