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<br />88 <br />Page 8 <br /> <br />threat of inappropriate development and that any development placed on Redwood <br />City's rare environmentally sensitive open spaces is the best possible project for the <br />environment and the community. <br /> <br />C. Threats to Redwood City's Open Space Lands: <br />1. Threats to Redwood City's Open Space Lands are growing as a result of developers <br />seeking to build on lands that have been designated in the City's general plan as open <br />space for decades. <br />2. Existing parks suffer from overuse and crowding and will not be able to meet the <br />recreational needs of a growing population. <br />3. The Parks and Recreation Department has documented that Redwood City ranks well <br />below other cities in San Mateo County in the level of per capita open space and park <br />area. <br />4. Redwood City faces a significant challenge to reaching its goal of three acres of parks <br />per 1000 residents, due to shrinking availability and rising cost of land. Loss of open <br />space will make this problem worse, <br /> <br />D. The Role of the Redwood City Charter: The California Constitution vests <br />Redwood City, as a charter city, with far-reaching authority to make and enforce <br />ordinances and regulations addressing municipal concerns. The City's power to control <br />its own land use decisions and the procedure by which those decisions are made derives <br />from both its inherent police power and its considerable authority as a charter city to <br />govern its own municipal affairs. <br /> <br />E. The Role of Redwood City Residents in Protecting Open Space: Redwood City <br />residents have long played a critical role in protecting open space and baylands within the <br />City and in detennining whether open spaces should be developed. In particular, <br /> <br />1. Redwood City residents have acted consistently in the past decades to protect Open <br />Space Lands from development. <br />2. In 1982, a major development threatened Bair Island, until Redwood City residents <br />voted to protect Bair Island as open space and preserve it forever, Bair Island is now <br />being restored to tidal action as part of a federal wildlife preserve, including <br />significant public access and recreation opportunities such as the Bay Trail. <br />3. In 2004, Redwood City voters rejected another major development that threatened <br />Redwood City's bayfront. <br /> <br />Under the California Constitution, the voters of Redwood City are endowed with the <br />power to amend the Redwood City Charter. The residents of Redwood City are also <br />particularly well qualified to evaluate whether to approve development of Open Space <br />Lands, given the critical importance of such lands to the City's quality of life, economy <br />and character. This Charter Amendment would enhance the ability of Redwood City's <br /> <br />Page 2 <br />