CC Min 2009-07-13 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

area daily, overflow parking, glare, and how the site is surrounded by residents with a senior home on one side and an apartment complex on the other. He also mentioned that there are many children in the area and he asked that Council uphold the appeal and deny the use permit. Meg Van Buren, the appellant from the Redwood Oaks Community, thanked Council for the time and said that people chose to live in this neighborhood, with many being working class. She said there are not a lot of choices and there has always been some tension befinreen commercial versus residential and she questioned how this fits into the General Plan and with Senate Bill 731 regarding massages. She asked Council to consider the following: reducing the hours and or days of operation to a couple of hours or to 5 to 6 days a week, and addressing lighting, speed bumps, and adding conditions to the use permit. Nils Helppi, the designer/architect for the Ocean Wave Spa project, introduced Mr. Slightam, Mrs. Yang and her daughter, and a family friend, John Chou, who served as a translator and character witness for the Yang family, who were seated in the audience. Fred Slightam, the property owner, said he wants fairness in balancing his rights with the homeowners' rights. He said the issue seems to be about the type of business and not about the parking, and he is confident this business has been thoroughly checked out. John Chou said he is a friend of the applicant and a driving school instructor. He said that he knows the family well and Mr. Yang is working overseas. He said the family is very honest, and that he knew them when they had opened business in the East Bay, but that the drive was too long so they want to open a business in Redwood City. He said the Yangs think a reduced work week of five to six days is too short for running a business. Nils Helppi read a letter from Mr. Yang to the City Council stating his desire to design a spa in Redwood City, and have Mr. Helppi, Mr. Slightam, and for his family to represent him at this meeting. The letter included why he was unable to be present, his belief that the pros can be demonstrated for the establishment of this business, the time and funds he has already invested in the project, traffic flow and his desire for more public transportation since Woodside is a commercial street. He added that Mrs. Yang holds a certificate in massage therapy, his daughter is attending college, that this business can benefit everyone, and his confident the Council will make the right decision. Mr. Helppi noted that Mr. Yang holds a Masters degree in international business from Kansas State, is a resident of Foster City, and a naturalized citizen. Mr. Helppi said they have been working with the City on the planning process that the people making the appeal do not live close to the property and he stated that this business is similar to other businesses within the area, and this business would be a revenue generator. Rudy Escobedo said he has lived on Center Street for four years and grew up here. He said he agrees with Mr. Zayha's earlier concerns regarding the narrowness of the street, parking, a lot of auto traffic, pedestrian traffic including children going to and from schools, and his belief that this project is going backwards from the current trend of people working to improve their properties. JOINT CITY COUNCILREDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOARD JULY 13, 2009 MEETING MINUTES PAGE 14 MINUTE BOOK NO. 62 Page No. 416