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7.A. - Page 31 of 36 HOUSING LEADERSHIP COUNCIL January 20, 2021 Mayor Howard, Vice Mayor Hale, and City Council Members c/o Diana O'Dell, Senior Planner of Redwood City City of Redwood City, Community Development Department RE: Transit District and Sequoia Station Discussion —January 25, 2021 Mayor Howard, Vice Mayor Hale, and City Council Members, The Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County's mission is to work with communities and their leaders to produce and preserve quality affordable homes. As such, the Housing Leadership Council wants to provide our support for the Transit District planning process and Sequoia Station project, which we understand City Council will be discussing at their upcoming January 25, 2021 meeting. Based on public statements from Caltrain, the Transit District is the only location they have identified as a viable option in Redwood City to implement their 2040 business plan. This expansion will serve not only Redwood City, but the entire service area of Caltrain. The Sequoia Station project is a critical piece of Redwood City's Transit District Area Plan as it unlocks these transportation improvements. Importantly, the project provides the city with much needed housing and reimagines Sequoia Station as a regional, transit -focused downtown destination. Priority and support must be given projects like Sequoia Station that offer the greatest impact on the creation of affordable housing and transportation infrastructure in Redwood City. The increase from 225 homes to up to 625 homes is substantial, and directly addresses the previous concerns to create more on-site housing. The partnership Lowe and Eden have created enables the project to provide a significant on-site affordable housing at very deep affordability levels. We also support the developer's goal to produce affordable family housing. However, HLC supports the effort to make this a mixed -income community, that will have not only 225 affordable homes, but also market rate and missing -middle homes. HLC believes that now is the time to seize upon the opportunity to provide downtown Redwood City with affordable housing, critical transit infrastructure, reinvented retail, and many other community benefits such as childcare and youth programming. We encourage you to continue to move the Transit District forward and support the density, transit improvements, housing, and community benefits. We also recognize that without the office, none of these improvements could move forward. The Transit District and Sequoia Station are fantastic examples of how to balance project economics and community interests. Sincerely, Alex Melendrez, Digital Organizer Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County 2905 S. EI Camino Real, San Mateo, CA 94403 - (650) 242-1764 - hlcsmc.org 207