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23 September 2024 <br />To the members of the Redwood City Council <br />RE: The Proposed Development at 847 Woodside Road <br /> <br />I will not be at the City Council meeting where this project is considered. <br />But, before I completely give up on Redwood City, I do want my say. The impact of this project on <br />neighborhood parking and traffic will be disastrous. Parking is already a huge problem but I don’t park on <br />the street so that doesn’t really affect me. I already ask people to move their cars from my driveway on <br />a regular basis. <br />My objection to this project is two-fold. First it is unhealthy for those who will live in and around it and <br />second it is unsafe for anyone who walks, drives or bikes on Woodside Road, including the intended <br />residents. <br />The goal of providing affordable housing is to end up with a better, more affordable place for low-income <br />residents. This project does not do that. It will adversely affect those living in it for the following <br />reasons. <br />1. There is insufficient open space for the tenants to be outside. With over 200 individuals on the <br />site the plans show room for tots on tricycles and a few others sitting around. Most of the <br />minimal open space that is provided is filled with planters or trees that are being fenced in to <br />protect them. <br />2. The closest park for children to play in is .8 miles away and it is small. Study after study has <br />shown that children need to be outside for their mental health. Covid should have taught us <br />that lesson. <br />3. The only gathering space is inside the project in their own community room and computer room. <br />This ends up ghettoizing those in the project, isolating them from the surrounding community. <br />4. There is no accommodation for visitor parking. There is no public parking except neighborhood <br />streets for miles. This isolates residents from families and outside friends particularly when <br />inadequate transportation opportunities are available for families to visit elsewhere. <br />a. A bus once an hour during most of the day is not high-quality transit. <br />b. Biking is hardly a good alternative for families with two or more children, and with <br />mainly two and three bedroom units that would be the standard family size. <br />Additionally, if everyone did bike there would not be enough bike parking. <br />c. There is insufficient parking for even one car for every unit. <br />5. Lack of parking will create stress as those without an onsite space drive in circles looking for any <br />empty spot, or park illegally in someone’s lot or blocking a driveway and hope they don’t get <br />towed. This also causes stress for the neighbors. <br />a. To as sume that tenants won’t need a car is wrong. Many low-income tenants work <br />evenings and nights. There is no transportation at all for a swing shift worker to get <br />home or a graveyard shift worker to get to work and no guarantee they will have a <br />parking space as they will be assigned by lottery.