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and will create a pedestrian and vehicle connection to the Mezesville historic neighborhood and services and transit available in Downtown Redwood City. Establishing the jail at this location would eliminate the possibility of this site being used for new housing and will hinder the City's ability achieve to this particular objective set forth in the Housing Element. 5. A jail does not create a positive gateway image for Redwood City. Veterans Boulevard is a gateway into Redwood City and Downtown. A multi-story jail building does not represent the City's idea of a positive gateway image and is inconsistent with the City's goal of creating a welcoming, attractive entry to Downtown via Veterans Boulevard. 6. The Dodge Site is located within a redevelopment project area. Like the Motor Pool Site, the Dodge Site is located within the Downtown Redevelopment Project Area. As described above relative to the Motor Pool Site, redevelopment in Redwood City is an important tool the City is using to revitalize Downtown and remove blighting influences. Locating the replacement jail within the redevelopment project area means that the site will not generate the tax-increment funds that finance revitalization actions in Downtown and particularly, help build a funding source for affordable housing construction. The City notes that the Sheriff's site selection study cited location within a redevelopment project area as an important reason for dismissing replacement jail locations in other communities; however, the Sheriff's Office did not acknowledged this factor relative to the Dodge Dealership Site nor the Motor Pool site, as mentioned above. 7. The Mezesville/Centennial neighborhood lies within two low-income household census tracts. Siting the replacement jail within a census tract where one jail facility already exists raises environment justice concerns. The Dodge Site lies within census tract number 6101, which the City's Consolidated Plan indicates has a population comprised of approximately 53 percent low-income households. Also, adjacent census tract 6102 has a population reported to consist of 75 percent low-income households. Building the replacement jail at the Dodge Site means that two jails would be located in adjacent census tracts with majority lower- income populations. As discussed above relative to the Motor Pool Site, in siting the replacement jail at this Downtown-adjacent location, the County risks challenges from groups who may raise environmental justice concerns with regard to the location. This would certainly delay the process of getting the replacement jail built within the Sheriff Office's desired time frame. More importantly, however, the replacement jail at this location would not contribute to City and private development efforts to improve aesthetic and economic conditions within the Downtown census tract areas. 36 Site I nformation for Alternative Locations for the Proposed Replacement Jail September 2, 2009