Petition: Say “NO” to the proposed Redwood LIFE Redevelopment Project
Longfellow and PGIM real estate developers propose to redevelop the former Westport technology campus along Marine Parkway near Bridge and Shell Parkways. The proposed redevelopment would replace the 20 two-story buildings with 15 five- to six-story buildings, most standing over 100 feet tall and some up to 148 feet, adding 2.4 million square feet of life science office space, employing up to 7,000 people. The developers have proposed to build 7,037 parking spaces. Based on building occupancy, potentially thousands more spaces are required by the city. This project would be built in seven phases over 15 to 20 years.
Save the Shores opposes the redevelopment of the Redwood LIFE campus as proposed by Longfellow for the following reasons:
1. RELEASE OF TOXIC CHEMICALS & FLAMMABLE METHANE GAS. Before the construction of the current technology park, the site was used as a municipal waste landfill. A cap was applied with the recommendation that it never be penetrated: for this reason, buildings were limited to two stories. The construction of larger buildings would require deep pile driving, destroying this cap and releasing toxic chemicals into the bay waters and air.
2. DECADES OF NOISE POLLUTION FROM CONSTRUCTION AND TRAFFIC.
3. INCREASED CARBON FOOTPRINT FROM HEAVIER COMMUTE TRAFFIC. The traffic in Redwood Shores, on Ralston Avenue in Belmont, and along Highway 101 is often congested and grid locked. This congestion will only worsen with the many development projects already built and planned for in San Carlos and Foster City. A project the size of this one, in Redwood Shores with its two entrance/exit points, would add more traffic than the area can support.
4. SAFETY DURING NATURAL DISASTERS AND EMERGENCIES. Adding thousands of employees and guests to the already heavily populated mix of residents and workers would further burden overstressed personnel and services. In an emergency, an earthquake, or other natural disasters, vital services would have difficulty reaching communities quickly enough to offer assistance and prevent further harm.
5. MASSIVE BUILDINGS. The proposed buildings are two to three times higher than the existing structures and add over 2 million square feet of office space. Buildings would also be built much closer to residential properties, the Belmont Slough, and the Redwood Shores Ecological Reserve, casting shadows during the day and creating light pollution at night with repercussions on the surrounding community and wildlife.
There has been considerable development in the Shores since the initial construction at the Redwood LIFE site and significant development in the surrounding communities. Dozens of bioscience developments have been built or are in the process of being built, along the 101 corridors, primarily in San Carlos and Foster City. These projects would bring tens of thousands of workers to the immediate area with detrimental effects on the quality of life for the Shores and neighboring communities, from the increase in traffic, pollution, and the job to housing imbalance. New information and data regarding climate change, sea-level rise, flooding, and public exposure to landfill sites underscore future impacts on the Shores community’s environment, health, and quality of life. Mitigation measures for flooding from sea level rise and storms are imperative and should take priority. Any future redevelopment at the site must wait until sea level rise, flooding, and toxic tides mitigations are completed.
Please join Save the Shores in petitioning Redwood City’s Planning Commission and City Council to reject the proposed Redwood LIFE Redevelopment Project.
Note: You must sign the petition using your legal first and last name. Invalid or duplicate submissions will be discarded.