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"As for the existing parking easement, it covers most of the proposed building site, I feel it is in some way a public amenity. 1 don't feel that the land owner's put an easement on their property for anybody else's benefit other than theirs, because they have a fence around it now, saying they control it. The only thing I can find out is, that under the County Tax Assessor's law is they will take into account the taxes on that property that has an easement on it that restricts it. So there may be an easement on that property strictly for the sole benefit of the land owners to lower their taxes, and then at the end, they want to come in and get the big bucks, and everybody else is holding the bag. "I feel that public officials have a poor image of Redwood City, and think that they have to give everything away to attract a tax base. Redwood City deserves more credit. As home prices rise dramatically, the interest in land and homes in Redwood City will increase. I believe that the developer will be selling these homes in the $375,000 range and they will not be affordable housing, it will just be what the market will bear. The City Planning Commission said there was a gigantic imbalance between housing and jobs, development, industry and land in Redwood City and something needed to be done. We are not responsible for who owns the land. That was the Planning Department and the City's responsibility, and we don't feel we have to absorb that imbalance." Mr. Kampf said the Commission stated there were very few sites like this one in the City that would qualify for this proposed zoning. "If those statements are true, then why create such a destructive atmosphere in this City for so few houses? "The developer said this type of housing was the wave of the future. I say it is not. It was the wave of the 1970s and 1980s, but not the 1990s.... On the peninsula more people are becoming less willing to crowd more people in homes on fewer available sites." Mr. Kampf said Palo Alto, Los Altos, Cupertino and Menlo Park are fighting this type of development. He said the problem is "too many people, too much traffic caused by too much development... I feel the slow growth policy is the wave of the future and the City Council owes the residents of Redwood City a better City not a more congested one. I urge the City Council to resist the urge and pressure by private interests to approve the zoning designation that I think will become a time bomb for every neighborhood in this City." Mayor Hartnett thanked Mr. Kampf and called on the next appellant. City Attorney Schricker asked that Mr. Kampf submit his written statements to the City Clerk for inclusion in the record. Ronald Vane, 3124 Wessex Way, appellant, said "When I first looked at this project I wasn't so much concerned about having higher density housing in our neighborhood because I feel that it is indeed the wave of the future that we have to go a slightly higher density. This is not an R-3 development. It is not R-2. We are talking about a little higher density R-l. However, I have looked at the plan originally approved, 26- REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTE BOOK NO. 55 MAY5,1997 MINUTES Page No. 294 PAGE 19