March 11, 2009 – 11:45 am
Every now and then it makes sense to be a megaphone for City Hall! This is from the City of Redwood City, about the new General Plan.
For Immediate Release
March 11, 2009
Contact: Tom Passanisi, Senior Planner, (650) 780–7234
Community Invited to Join Planning Commission in Discussion of EIR Alternatives for New General Plan
Redwood City, CA – Interested members of the community are invited to join the Redwood City Planning Commission for an important discussion of alternatives for the General Plan’s Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, 2009, at City Hall, 1017 Middlefield Road, starting at 7 pm.
“Project Alternatives” are required by California environmental law in order to provide decision makers with alternative project choices and their impacts, while still attaining most of the basic objectives of the project. An alternative is also intended to mitigate one or more significant impacts of the Project. Although a project alternative would not necessarily become the preferred alternative, it is still part of the EIR discussion and evaluation, and requires analysis.
The “Project” in this case consists of the draft New General Plan (Plan) elements affirmed by the Planning Commission and City Council in January. City staff is incorporating three alternatives in addition to the Project. The draft Plan incorporates a balance of land uses including mixed use and live/work use with residential/employment development potential focused around downtown and along major transportation corridors. The draft Plan also includes new transportation options such as a potential street car system and bicycle boulevards. The three Project Alternatives to the Plan are:
- The “No Project” alternative: provides decision makers with a comparison to approving the proposed Project (the draft New General Plan) versus not approving the draft Plan (retaining the 1990 General Plan).
- The “Reduced Buildout” alternative: includes most elements of the affirmed Plan, but with reduced densities and intensities for some residential and commercial uses.
- The “Sustainable Streetcar Neighborhoods” alternative: includes most elements of the affirmed Plan, but with increased residential density and employment uses downtown and along specific transportation corridors, to further support a potential streetcar system. The envisioned streetcar system would consist of two or three lines that would intersect and carry passengers between Downtown, the proposed ferry terminal, the proposed Stanford facilities near lower Broadway, and several residential neighborhoods near downtown.
This will be an important discussion as the Planning Commission reviews and affirms the alternatives that will be in the EIR. The community is invited and encouraged to attend, learn about the range of alternatives, participate in the discussion, and contribute to the development of the New General Plan.
The General Plan is the document that establishes policies, goals, and programs for the long-term physical development of our community, and for what we want our City to be for future generations. The community is a crucial part of shaping that future, and this Scoping Meeting is another opportunity to help create the plan that will guide our community’s progress for years to come. More information on the New General Plan is available online at www.redwoodcity.org/generalplan.
Posted in Events | No Comments »
