1 Committee Against Measure Q/ People for Housing Not High-rises9/8/2004

What is Measure Q?

Measure Q is a vote on whether to change current zoning to create a Planned Community District that:

Increases building heights from the current maximum of 75 feet to 240 feet - triple the height Increases density from the current maximum of 43 units per acre to 61 units per acre - 47% increase in density Allows over 10 acres of navigable water and wetland bay to be filled. Enables construction of up to 17 towers between 20-23 stories tall.

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Big and Isolated

Extreme height on a small land footprintTriples General Plan height limitsTaller than the tallest Oracle buildingMore skyscrapers of this height than Sacramento or San Jose

Limited accessCurrently only one small access roadNo relief

Proposed Blomquist extension expected to be overburdened when it opens

Inaccessible to transit

Dense1,930 luxury condosMore than 4,000 people

More than 14,000 new car trips PER DAY on already burdened roadsWithin 100 yards of Bair Island Wildlife Refuge

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Inappropriate Development

Contrary to City’s strategic plan for housing

General Plan: Encourage housing downtown

Emphasize proximity to transitEmphasize proximity to services

Downtown PlanInvest in an active and vital city centerCourthouse SquareLibraryTheater district

Redwood City’s General Plan

Residential development should be located only where services and facilities can be provided. (Land Use Policy L-1, page 6-5)

Higher residential densities should be promoted at locations near or within commercial and financial centers, and transportation terminals. (Land Use Policy L-3, page 6-5)

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Views From Bair Island

Future view? Irrevocably changed skyline

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Effects of Measure Q

Environmental Impact Report (EIR) list 88 negative impacts.

Traffic

Water

Environment

Privatize Marinas

27 are Significant and Unmitigatable

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Traffic Impacts

Limited accessWhipple is only freeway on/off rampCongestion on 101, Whipple, Woodside, Veterans, Broadway Difficult transit accessRequired shuttle and buses will be inadequate; half cost paid by SamTrans, not expected to work.

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Water Impact

Redwood City is currently using approx. 1000 a.f. of water more than its SFPUC allocation (12,000 a.f.).

RC cannot guarantee the water supply for this project

Marina Shores Village would use an additional 482 a.f. of water (4% of allocation)

458 a.f for residential use (95% of usage, 3.8% of allocation)

24 a.f. for landscape irrigation (5% of usage, 0.2% of allocation)

Marina Shores $10M is standard ‘tap fee’ for connecting to City services for a development of this size. This is a required payment, not an “investment.”

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Water Supply

Nothing will increase the City’s drinking water.

All water is from Hetch Hetchy through the SF PUC

RC has attempted to purchase additional supply, to no avail.

We are under pressure to get back within the allocation.

Drought or shortage would require immediate 12% cutback without Marina Shores, 15% with Marina Shores. The pro-rata share of cutback would be in addition to this.

EIR Section 10

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Emergency Water Supply

The height of the towers, density of the development and distance from other emergency supplies result in the requirement for on-site emergency water supplies to meet minimum fire safety standards.Emergency supplies would be dedicated for use of Marina Shores and the 2 small existing developments. There would be no excess capacity for other Redwood City residents. (EIR Section 10)

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Recycled Water

Recycled water facility Being built to address existing overuseGoal to recycle 1,600 AF/Yr, slightly more than our current over-use of Hetch Hetchy water.Cost will be greater than $50MPrimary users are industrial sites east of Hwy 101All new construction east of 101 required to include recycled componentIs not planned to serve RC west of 101

Only 5% of Marina Shores water usage is applicable for recycled water

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Parks and Open Space?

City Requirements for parklandGeneral Plan: 1.75 acres per thousand residents

General Plan: expected to be increased to 2.25 a/1000

Precise Plan: 6.8 acres of parks and open space (1.7 a/1000)

Parks and Open Space Inclusions at MSV (p27-29 of Precise Plan)

3.5 acres that is UNDERWATER - the marinas

1.3 acres under the existing power transmission towers

1.5 acres for required hardscape walkways at edges of development

0.5 acres at Point Park

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Parks and Open Space?

EIR: this open space “would not provide any of the typical neighborhood or community park amenities provided at other parks in the city.”

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Redwood City/Marina Shores

Redwood City median income:City-wide annual: $66,748

City-wide Monthly: $5,562

Redwood Shores annual: $100,683

Redwood Shores monthly: $8,390

Requirements at Marina Shores:Low income

Annual income: $56,550

Monthly payment: $1,550

Moderate IncomeAnnual income: $109,800

Monthly payment: $2,768

Redwood City Planning Dept., Sept 2003

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Housing Affordability

Starting Salary RangesFirefighter: $65,016

Librarian: $40,104

Police: $71,184

Nurse (County General): $69,216

Teacher: $37,762

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Intentional Deception

None of developers images show the skyscrapers: the primary characteristic of the developmentThere is no description of the size of the projectLiterature, web site talk about the

“creation of parks and open space” “increased water supply” “traffic improvements will reduce traffic” “affordable housing”

None of it is true.

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Conclusion: Measure Q is a Bad Deal.

It is not a village. The height, density and cumulative impact are inappropriate and intolerable.

It creates traffic congestion, environmental degradation and visual degradation for all area residents.

It will significantly strain the City’s already over-taxed water supply.

It does not provide amenities to Redwood City residents.

It does not offer appropriately priced low and affordable housing.

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NO on Measure Q

Developer is asking Redwood City residents to accept a completely out-of-scale development with horrific environmental, traffic and other impacts

Majority of residents recoil from height and density

Vote NO on Measure Q