2024.10.28 Speaker Cards - PC - Laserfiche WebLink

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255 Shoreline Drive, Suite 150, Redwood City, CA 94065 | T 650-364-1722 | F 650-364-1729 | www.chambersmc.org ELEVATING BUSINESS. ENGAGING COMMUNITY. EMPOWERING THE FUTURE. October 25, 2024 The Honorable Jeff Gee, Mayor The Honorable Lissette Espinoza-Garnica, Vice Mayor The Honorable Alicia C. Aguirre, Councilmember The Honorable Kaia Eakin, Councilmember The Honorable Diane Howard, Councilmember The Honorable Elmer Martinez Saballos, Councilmember The Honorable Chris Sturken, Councilmember City of Redwood City, California 1017 Middlefield Road Redwood City, CA 94063 RE: Support for Item 8.A. Dear Mayor Gee, Vice Mayor Espinoza-Garnica and Members of Council: On behalf of the Board of Directors and members of Chamber San Mateo County, I would like to express our strong support for the 1900 Broadway Project by Lane Partners, presented as Item 8.A at your meeting on October 28, 2024. Our Chamber started vetting this project in early 2019, receiving our Conceptual Endorsement at that time. It was exciting to see this project develop over the last several years and our Board of Directors was pleased to provide a Full Endorsement. Throughout its years of having a presence in Redwood City, Lane has proven itself to be a true partner, investing time and time again in our nonprofits. It has demonstrated that it will continue this legacy of giving back through its extremely generous community benefits agreement, which includes making a land donation to Eden Housing to build 72 units of affordable housing, dedicating space for a vibrant public plaza, donating to nonprofits, and committing to using 100% union labor. The project will be a fantastic addition to Redwood City in its own right. The project will transform the vacant Wells Fargo site into a bustling community gathering space at the center of two major retail corridors. The public plaza will create a new hub within the downtown for community events. It will even include a seasonal ice rink for the entire family to enjoy. Businesses on Broadway and Main will benefit from the increased foot traffic at a time when our small businesses desperately need the help. This project is one of the Gatekeeper projects— one of the few that remains standing amid the strong headwinds of a challenging economic environment. This is why timely approval of the project is so critical: the more time that passes, the greater the likelihood that projects will no longer be viable.