Tag Archives: Redwood LIFE

Redwood Life Precise Plan Meeting

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The City of Redwood City has shared with RSCA the following invitation for an upcoming meeting on the Redwood Life Precise Plan. Many Shores residents have asked RSCA about this project, and we encourage residents to attend this meeting in May to listen to proposals and provide feedback on the new plans in consideration for this area.

Redwood Life Community Workshop
May 15, 5:30 – 7:15 pm
Redwood Shores Branch Library (Community Room) – 399 Marine Pkwy

Announcing the launch of the Redwood Life Precise Plan!

We invite you to join a City-led comprehensive planning and environmental review effort related to a proposed redevelopment of the Redwood Life campus. As a key part of this process, the City will engage extensively with the community around an assessment of the impacts and benefits of the proposed project as well as potential tradeoffs. Our ultimate aim is to ensure that residents, businesses, and decision-makers can meaningfully weigh in on how the area should evolve to best meet the needs of Redwood Shores and the greater Redwood City community.

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City Council to Discuss Redwood Life – July 24th @ 6PM

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At the July 24th City Council of Redwood City meeting, the Council will include a Public Hearing for matters pertaining to the Redwood LIFE office project at 800-3400 Bridge Parkway. The council will be initiating a review to consider the repeal of the Westport Specific Plan in favor of a different Precise Plan Study, which would allow redevelopment of the area. 

Those who have taken interest in this matter or would like more information are encourage to attend or remotely stream this hearing.

REDWOOD CITY COUNCIL MEETING
July 24, 6:00 p.m. 
https://redwoodcity.zoom.us/j/99481825639
Meeting ID: 994 8182 5639
Dial-in audio: (669) 900-6833

More information about the Redwood LIFE proposal can be found on the Redwood City website:

https://www.redwoodcity.org/city-hall/current-projects/development-projects?id=113

Many in Redwood Shores have expressed concern with RSCA about this project, given that land developer Longfellow does not, at this time, have an approved plan for these changes to be considered.

Some may ask, what is a “Specific Plan,” and why is this topic important to Redwood Shores residents?

A Specific Plan acts as a detailed zoning and design code that regulates land use and development within that area. This Westport Specific Plan defines codes for the area known as Redwood LIFE, which is on Marine Parkway and connects to the Belmont Slough here in Redwood Shores. Originally drafted in 1995, the Westport Specific Plan included safety protocols restricting building and construction methods on this property, since the area includes 45acres of capped old landfill. Toxic materials are known to be sealed inside the barrier over this landfill. This material has been safely sealed with a clay cap, and the Westport Specific Plan regulates building designs and construction to make sure any developments on this property meet building standards to keep this cap intact. Changes to the Specific Plan would change how this carefully-regulated property is used.

There is concern about whether the City should approve moving forward with change consideration of the Westport Specific Plan without a concrete proposal plan to consider. The Council needs to understand the severity of problems which would occur if the Specific Plan were changed.

If you share these concerns over changing the Westport Specific Plan, please plan to attend the meeting on July 24th and voice your concerns.

Redwood City Planning Commission Hearing

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The following information was shared by the City of Redwood City regarding a Planning Commission Hearing to be held on June 20, 2023 at 6PM. Chief among topics relevant to Redwood Shores residents will be discussion of the Redwood LIFE office project at 800-3400 Bridge Parkway. The council will discuss proposals to replace the existing Westport Specific Plan in favor of a new Precise Plan Study. which would allow redevelopment of the area.

More information about this proposal can be found on the Redwood City website:

https://www.redwoodcity.org/city-hall/current-projects/development-projects?id=113

Those who have taken interest in this City Planning project or would like more information are encourage to attend or remotely stream this hearing. Continue reading →

City Council Meeting: Save the Date and Raise Your Voice for Redwood Shores!

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR NEXT MONDAY’S IMPORTANT CITY COUNCIL SESSION

Redwood Shores needs you to urge the Redwood City Council to keep the Shores a beautiful place to live and enjoy — stay with the Westport Specific Plan!

Monday, April 24, 6:00pm
City Hall, Redwood City
Attend the City Council meeting in person at City Hall, 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City,
or Online through RedwoodCity.org

On Monday, April 24, 2023 at 6PM, City Council has scheduled a Study Session where they will consider whether to approve the numerous entitlements that speculative developer Longfellow Real Estate Partners (LFREP) seeks for its massive Redwood LIFE bayfront biolabs redevelopment plan in Redwood Shores.

The existing 980,000 square‐foot Redwood LIFE office park borders the Belmont Slough at its northern boundary, and is adjacent at its southern boundary to high density, multi‐family residences and nearby schools. It also sits on a seismically vulnerable, geotechnically problematic, flood‐prone, 45‐acre, unlined former toxic landfill.

Speculative developer LFREP plans to demolish the existing 2‐to‐3 story buildings and redevelop the campus to a massive 3.3 million square‐ foot Life Science center. The plans include 15 buildings, including 130‐foot towering high‐rises of high‐level biocontainment labs up to BSL3, a 104‐room hotel, amenity center, plus 2 parking garages—all proposed throughout 20‐25 years of noisy, dust and debris‐filled, disruptive demolition and construction that will permanently impact residents, wildlife and sensitive wetland ecosystems.

A brief recap of the proposed redevelopment plan:

  • Existing 980,000 square foot office park will increase substantially, adding over 2.5 million square feet.
  • Existing 2‐3 story, 53 ft maximum height buildings, which the Westport Specific Plan intentionally limited to “minimize the visual impact,” replaced with massive, looming labs up to 130 feet tall.
  • Existing building setbacks reduced dramatically so the new towering buildings would not only be huge, they would be much closer.
  • 20‐25 years of demolition, noise, dust, debris, hauling, deep foundational pile‐driving and construction, projected along the Belmont Slough and sensitive wetlands, permanently impacting the Shores residents and vital natural habitats.
  • High‐level Biocontainment 3 Laboratories (potentially lethal airborne pathogens include Risk Group 3 Pathogens such as Anthrax, SARS, Influenza, Tuberculosis and Hantavirus).
  • Vivariums where animals are bred, genetically engineered and contained for biomedical research.
  • Bayfront trail segmented to protect what LFREP considers its “community” of prospective lab tenants, resulting in a fragmented trail system that will force resident nature lovers, bikers and joggers to cross traffic up to 4 times.

Redwood City Planning department has rejected the proposed Longfellow plan as incomplete ‐ TWICE! Yet, the incomplete application is allowed to proceed to a City Council Study Session.

TELL CITY COUNCIL: Stay with the Westport Specific Plan!

The 1994 Westport Specific Plan established guidelines, including building setbacks and height limits “no higher than 3 stories (53ft.), as long as they are set back 260 feet from the southwesterly property line in order to minimize the visual impact of these taller buildings. Two story buildings shall be set back at least 175ft. from the southeasterly property line.”

Therefore, the Westport Specific Plan, clearly and repeatedly emphasized its legislative intent “to minimize the visual impact of the R and D development on the existing residential developments.” The surrounding multi‐family residential neighborhoods have become denser and more established, with the additions of the Redwood Shores Branch Library, Redwood Shores Elementary School, and housing developments along Marine Parkway and Shearwater. The Westport Specific Plan should still be the guiding principle for any site development plan. In other words, the guidelines previously established are even more relevant today. Why then, should the city permit the Redwood LIFE site to expand to over three times as large, thereby shrinking the residential and bay ecosystem setbacks?

Join the overwhelming number of community members who firmly believe that the Westport Specific Plan should stand!

The Redwood City Planning Department will present speculative developer LFREP’s Redwood LIFE project and entitlements requests to the Redwood City Council, including to Swinerton Vice President and the Shores’ District 1 Representative, Mayor Jeff Gee.

The City Council Study Session meeting will be help in person and on Zoom. Volunteers will be on hand passing out signs in support of the Westport Plan. The RSCA will email more details, including the Zoom meeting link, as they become available. 

Redwood Shores needs you now more than ever to show up and strongly urge the City Council to keep The Shores a beautiful place to live and enjoy – PRIORITIZE PUBLIC ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY OVER HIGH RISK, SPECULATIVE PROFITEERING! PROTECT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND STAY WITH THE WESTPORT SPECIFIC PLAN!