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TOWNE <br />Cst. 1916 <br />9/29/2020 <br />Honorable Mayor Diane Howard <br />Members of the City Council <br />City of Redwood City <br />1017 Middlefield Road <br />Redwood City, CA 94063 <br />Honorable Mayor and City Council Members: <br />As Greystar's South Main Mixed -Use project application nears completion of the City's various <br />processes, I thought it might be helpful to add some contextual background as to why we have <br />chosen to develop the existing site of Towne Ford and Hopkins Acura. <br />Towne Ford started in Redwood City in 1926 in the small brick building on Main Street across <br />from Milagros Restaurant. In 1926 Main Street was the place to be! In the 1940s Towne <br />outgrew its location on Main Street and moved to a new and larger facility on what I believe is <br />now the Cal Trans parking lot. Then in 1956 we moved to our present location at 1601 EI <br />Camino Real where Towne Ford has prospered for many years. We later added Edsel, <br />Mitsubishi, Isuzu and Acura franchises at 1555 EI Camino. <br />Some of you may remember the ".com boom" in the late 1990s and early 2000s. At that time <br />1555 EI Camino was leased by us from the Beeger family and was at risk. Through a series of <br />events Redwood City assisted in my family's acquisition of that property in the early 2000s that <br />enabled us to maintain Hopkins Acura's operation. For that we will be forever thankful. <br />As our buildings reach the end of their useful life, EI Camino is no longer a viable location for <br />Auto Dealerships. Because of this we started the plan to move several years ago with other <br />potential development partners long before Greystar entered the picture. Greystar has proven to <br />be an excellent choice and a trusted partner in facilitating our objectives to grow our business, <br />serve our community and continue our mutually beneficial relationship with Redwood City. <br />Greystar's vision, community involvement, track record and professional team make them the <br />perfect fit for 1601 EI Camino Real. I look forward to being a part of this wonderful new chapter <br />for the 1601 EI Camino Real property. And the community grand opening party in the Restored <br />Perry building will be on me! <br />I hope that Redwood City will once again assist us in our plans to grow Towne Ford and build <br />our new location in Redwood City. <br />All the best, <br />Ben Kopf, President <br />1601 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063 T: 650.366.5744 F: 650.319.6002 <br />