Reso PC22-06 0079 PC Reso Recommending Certification of the SEIR

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Findings and Statements Required by the California Environmental Quality Act Redwood City Transit District DTPP Amendments 51 ESA / 202100421.00 Subsequent Environmental Impact Report October 2022 the project. This alternative would address the City’s objectives to a greater degree than would the Reduced Development Alternative or Altered Land Use Mix Alternative. Although this alternative would result in 25 percent less office floor area than would the proposed Transit District DTPP Amendments, the Reduced Office Alternative would nevertheless—like the proposed project— create a new mixed-use sub-area within the DTPP with office, residential, and retail uses, including a Transit District-specific office development cap; allow for redevelopment of the existing Sequoia Station and Transit Center sites; anticipate an expanded and relocated Caltrain station; make circulation improvements; lower parking requirements; require frontage improvements; provide additional design flexibility; and maintain existing DTPP building heights. On balance, therefore, the Reduced Office Alternative would meet the spirit of each of the project objectives. In addition, the reduced Office Alternative may be considered more likely to be constructed than the Reduced Development Alternative or the Altered Land Use Mix Alternative for reasons of economic viability. This is because this alternative would have a greater amount of office floor area and office use generally has a higher marked value, on a per-square-foot-basis, than does multi-family residential, retail, or industrial space.1 As a result, the Reduced Office Alternative would still achieve the City’s office land use-related objectives for the Project, albeit to a lesser extent than the proposed Transit District DTPP Amendments. The Reduced Office Alternative would not be expected to substantially reduce or avoid any of the significant effects that are expected from the mitigated Project, and would achieve the City’s office development-related objectives for the Project to the lesser degree as the proposed Transit District DTPP Amendments, however, this alternative would achieve the same City housing-related objectives as the proposed Transit District DTPP Amendments. When taking into account all factors, on balance, the Reduced Office Alternative is considered the preferred alternative. VII. Statement of Overriding Considerations Approval of the Project by the City Council will result in certain significant and unavoidable impacts of the Project, as discussed above, notwithstanding all the feasible mitigation measures the City has adopted. The City Council has examined alternatives to the Project that could avoid (i.e., in the case of the No Project Alternative) or reduce the Project’s significant and unavoidable effects and determined that adoption and implementation of the Reduced Office Alternative is the most desirable, feasible, and appropriate action. Therefore, in accordance with Public Resources Code Section 21081(b) and CEQA Guidelines Section 15093, the City Council makes the following Statement of Overriding Considerations, which reflects its balancing of the Reduced Office Alternative’s benefits against its significant and unavoidable effects and states the specific reasons for its decision to approve the Reduced Office Alternative. Substantial evidence supports the various benefits and can be found in the preceding CEQA findings, which are incorporated by reference into this Statement, the FSEIR, and the other documents which make up the record of proceedings. Each of the overriding considerations set forth below constitutes a separate and independent ground for finding that the benefits of the Reduced Office Alternative 1 Economic & Planning Systems, Inc. Redwood City Fiscal Analysis of Land Uses, August 2021. Available at: https://webapps.redwoodcity.org/files/cd/main/EPS201062_RedwoodCityLandUseFiscal_8.17.21-(final)-1.pdf . Accessed October 2, 2022.