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From:Kay Watt <br />To:GRP-City Council <br />Subject:Public Comment Regarding Hearing Item 8A July 27 2026 <br />Date:Monday, July 27, 2026 9:57:05 AM <br />You don't often get email from kaywattphd@gmail.com. Learn why this is important <br />Dear City Council, <br />I have a scheduling conflict tonight and I cannot attend the meeting. But I want to weigh in on <br />Item 8.A. This is the substitution of the affordable housing site and the proposed vacation and <br />sale of the Spring Street Segment. Please read this into the record. <br />I live right next to this parklet. I walk past it many times a day. I use its shade. I appreciate its <br />trees. It is part of my daily life. <br />I support affordable housing. I want the city to find a good path forward, and improve the <br />nearby site. But I do not think that path requires giving up this parklet. The parcel has mature <br />redwood trees with decades of growth that is impossible to get back once removed. Redwoods <br />are the namesake of this city. The parklet gives shade. It cools the area. It gives shelter to <br />wildlife. It sits at Marshall and Walnut and people are proud of it. Once it is paved over or <br />sold, it will not come back. <br />I ask the Council to consider two things. First, separate the affordable housing site substitution <br />from the Spring Street vacation. Second, ask staff if the housing project can move forward <br />without this land. If some use of the parklet cannot be avoided, keep it as a park for people. <br />Add benches. Add space to walk. Keep the shade. Parklets like this are proven to enhance <br />quality of life, which is important for all. <br />This city is named for its trees. I hope the Council finds a way to build affordable housing <br />without losing one of the few downtown green spaces that reflects that name. I hope it protects <br />a place that helps the people who live beside it. <br />Thank you for your time. <br />Sincerely, <br />Kay Watt <br />825 Marshall St. #410 <br />-- <br />Kay Watt, PhD.