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April 12, 2025 <br />Subject: Public Comment – April 14 City Council Meeting: 651 El Camino Real Project <br />Dear City Council Members, <br />Our family lives immediately adjacent to the proposed American Legion development at 651 El <br />Camino Real. We strongly support the city's efforts to expand access to subsidized housing and <br />recognize the importance of this project. <br />However, we have concerns regarding the impact of the proposed 70-foot-tall building on natural <br />lighting for the townhomes directly north of the site, including our own. Most of these <br />townhomes receive natural light exclusively from windows on the north and south sides of each <br />unit. While the revised building design has reduced its overall massing, the proposed height of <br />70 feet—effectively equivalent to a 6- to 7-story structure, given typical floor-to-floor heights of <br />approximately 10 to 12 feet—will still result in significant shadowing on adjacent residences. A <br />recommendation was previously made at a city council meeting to conduct a shadow study <br />addressing this concern, and we believe such a study is essential for assessing the full impact of <br />this development. <br />We respectfully request that the city and the developer provide a shadow study to evaluate how <br />the proposed structure will affect sunlight availability for neighboring townhomes. Additionally, <br />we ask the project team to explore design adjustments aimed at minimizing shadow impacts, <br />such as reducing the building's height along its northern edge or increasing the setback distance <br />from the northern property line. <br />Thank you for your consideration. <br />Sincerely, <br />Phil and Tiffany Spuhler <br />Redwood City Residents <br />