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Agenda item 12A - 910 Marshall Project<br /> <br />Good evening Mayor Martinez-Saballos, Vice Mayor Eakin, and members of City Council,<br /> <br />There is much to like about the 910 Marshall project - the type of housing (senior with <br />residential and continuing care), as well as the design and location.<br /> <br />On the other hand, the concept rendering itself depicts the absurdity of the tower building <br />height which, to say the least, does not blend in with the built environment.<br /> <br />In addition to the visual rendering, a couple of other images come to mind:<br /> <br />1 - The proposed tower building is 250’ tall. The current tallest building in Redwood City is <br />128’ .. so the difference of 122’ would essentially be like stacking the the current tallest <br />building on top of itself.<br /> <br />2 - Oracle building #300 in Redwood Shores, the tallest of the group, is 200’, so the proposed <br />tower building is 25% taller than that.<br /> <br />The proposed tower building needs to be brought down to a reasonable height.<br /> <br />The staff report indicates that:<br /> <br />1 - the additional height requested is not proportional to the number of bonus units, and <br /> <br />2 - the maximum height currently allowed within the downtown area is 136’. Past waivers have <br />allowed 2-3 stories above the maximum. Applying this formula would bring the total tower <br />height to 166’ maximum.<br /> <br />However, if a 166’ building is allowed, would that mean that the new formula would be 166’ + a <br />2-3 story waiver, and so on and so on?<br /> <br />At what point do we say enough?<br /> <br />To bring the building height down and maintain the total number of units, is it possible to <br />redesign the project by eliminating the landscaped terrace and outdoor areas and building a <br />second smaller building which could be designated for those with higher care needs with <br />access to the amenities in the larger building?<br /> <br />Or identify another parcel for a sister RCFE so that the building height can be greatly reduced?<br /> <br />My preference would be to maintain the existing project design with the height of the tower <br />greatly reduced, as it would be an attractive and valuable addition for the community and the <br />city.<br /> <br />Rona Gundrum<br /> <br />37-year Redwood Shores resident