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From:jennifer dew <br />To:Council-Elmer MartinezSaballos; GRP-City Council; GRP-Planning Commissioners <br />Subject:Concerns Regarding Redwood Life Development - Building Heights, Traffic, Construction Timeline, Environmental <br />Impacts, and Landfill Risks <br />Date:Wednesday, March 5, 2025 11:30:02 AM <br />You don't often get email from dew.jennifer@gmail.com. Learn why this is important <br />Dear Mayor Martínez Saballos, City Council Members, and Planning Commissioners, <br />As a concerned resident of Redwood Shores, I am writing to express my deep reservations <br />about the proposed Redwood Life development project. This massive project would <br />fundamentally alter the character of our community and it poses significant threats to the <br />environment, public safety, and quality of life for local residents. <br />One of the most alarming aspects of the Redwood Life plan is the unprecedented scale of the <br />proposed buildings. The development would include structures up to 140 feet taller than the <br />surrounding landscape, creating dramatic viewshed disruptions and incompatibility with the <br />existing low to medium density residential areas. These towering structures would disrupt <br />wind patterns, and potentially interfere with the flight paths of the nearby San Carlos Airport. <br />The sheer height of these buildings is simply out of place in our suburban setting and raises <br />serious concerns about their compatibility with the established character of Redwood Shores. <br />In addition to the visual impacts, the Redwood Life project would generate an overwhelming <br />increase in traffic, with plans calling for up to 92,300 new vehicle trips per week from the <br />11,000 anticipated employees. This massive influx of traffic would create significant <br />congestion, safety hazards, and environmental impacts throughout our community. The <br />project's two new major parking garages, with entrances directly facing residential areas, <br />would further exacerbate these issues, exposing residents to constant noise, emissions, and <br />light pollution from the 24/7 biolab-related traffic patterns. <br />Compounding these concerns is the project's staggering 25-year construction timeline. <br />Residents would be subjected to decades of continuous disruption, including the sustained <br />noise and air quality impacts of extensive pile driving activities generating up to 115 decibels. <br />This prolonged construction period would not only significantly impact property values and <br />quality of life but also threaten the environmental stability of the area, with plans calling for <br />extensive land elevation changes of up to 17 feet. <br />The Redwood Life development also poses grave threats to the surrounding ecological areas, <br />including the Redwood Shores Ecological Reserve and wildlife refuge. The project would <br />disrupt crucial habitat for over 170 recorded species, including 9 threatened or endangered <br />species, and directly interrupt the Pacific Flyway migration route for birds. The degradation of <br />this local ecosystem would permanently alter the natural character of our community and <br />undermine ongoing wildlife preservation efforts. <br />Finally, the development site's history as a landfill presents serious environmental and safety <br />challenges that cannot be ignored. Construction activities, especially pile driving and the <br />removal of 97% of the protective asphalt cap, risk compromising crucial containment <br />measures. Recent history has shown the site to be prone to methane gas buildup, reaching low <br />explosive levels in 2018. The combination of these landfill risks with rising sea levels and <br />groundwater issues poses long-term threats to community safety and property values.