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Stay With the Westport Plan: Take Action

Redwood City’s City Council held a Study Session on April 24, 2023, to review the Redwood LIFE development proposal. A study session is a meeting where the council members review and discuss specific topics or proposals before taking any formal action. Below is a recording of the Study Session.

Save the Shores is committed to preserving the Westport Plan and fighting for Redwood Shores’ environment, wildlife, and community well-being. We urge you to continue voicing your support for the preservation of the Westport Specific Plan by displaying the Stay With the Westport Plan sign and writing a letter to the City Council.

You can send a letter to the City Council using our email template by clicking here or copying and pasting the following text into an email:

To: council@redwoodcity.org

Subject: Stay with the Westport Plan

Dear Mayor Gee and Members of the City Council,

I stand with Save the Shores and urge you to preserve the Westport Specific Plan in its current form. The Westport Plan was designed to minimize the impact of development on the neighboring residential areas and wildlife by capping building height and maintaining open-space views. If approved, I believe the proposed Redwood LIFE development would significantly and negatively affect Redwood Shores’ natural ecosystem and quality of life for residents and admirers of the Shores community and its wildlife. I also feel Longfellow has demonstrated they can renovate within the site’s existing structure under the Westport Plan to meet their tenants’ needs.

I urge you to say NO to the following:

  • Massive 100+ foot tall buildings built close to residential properties
  • Loud rooftop generators and HVAC systems that would add to the height of buildings
  • Decades of noise, light, and sound pollution from construction-related activity
  • Lack of comprehensive regulations and enforcement for private BSL3 labs

I am concerned about negative infrastructure impacts, such as safety during natural disasters and emergencies, the burden on overstressed emergency personnel and services, increased power and water use, and the burden on sewer capacity. Harmful environmental impacts, including increased waste generation, gas battery back-ups contributing to greenhouse gasses, increased carbon footprint, and adverse effects on our wildlife from prolonged construction noise and light pollution at night, are also worrisome. Given the property’s proximity to residences, schools, and sensitive ecosystems, I oppose unregulated BSL3 labs in this complex that may study infectious agents or toxins that could leak, dump, or otherwise transmit harmful or lethal chemicals or diseases.

Additionally, the proposed development would worsen the existing job-housing imbalance around the region without more affordable housing. Furthermore,  I urge that the tenants of the Redwood LIFE campus be encouraged, or ideally required, to prioritize hiring from qualified current residents to help reduce the housing demand, ensure the community is genuinely supported, and reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. Hiring locally also has the added environmental benefit of reducing the need for commuting and reducing traffic in the area. 

Again, the current renovation projects at Redwood LIFE demonstrate that Longfellow’s goal of creating a life science campus is possible within the existing structure, diminishing their justification for the redevelopment project. A massive development of this scale in the proposed location is incompatible with the health and safety of the people and nature. I believe demolishing the present office complex with abundant space that blends seamlessly into the residential community and wildlife is beyond wasteful.

I urge you to preserve the Westport Specific Plan in its current form. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]