Redwood City Council should be recalled

Jul 8, 2022
Jul 8, 2022 Updated Apr 13, 2025
4

Editor,

The governor has announced recently that due to inadequate rainfall and snow accumulation in the Sierra watershed that the state foresees sharp reductions in urban water allotments.

(4) comments

brewster1 Jul 8, 2022 4:50pm

current growth plans are unsustainable and irresponsible

el camino housing developments look like ant farms

Ray Fowler Jul 8, 2022 7:29am

Good morning, Robert

A recall might be a tad too drastic but the Redwood City Council would be wise to rethink development plans for the reason you mentioned... water.

A recent online news article featured a solution to our state's water problem. I took the bait and clicked on the story. The author said simply... stop building. The article focused on Disney's Rancho Mirage Cotino project that will build a 200,000 square foot commercial development and 1,900 residential units on a 600+ acre site around a 24 acre lagoon... in the desert. Rancho Mirage and Redwood City are a lot different but they share one thing... they both get their water from somewhere else.

The Redwood City Council should plan for an increase in affordable housing, and your letter speaks to some important issues re: future development projects... how much is enough and where will we get the extra water needed for those projects? While "stop building" is probably not the answer, "smart building" would better serve Redwood City's interests.

In a couple of years, the Redwood City Council will be considering the Longfellow Real Estate Partners proposal to build a 3.3 million square foot life science complex on an 84 acre site in Redwood Shores. I attended an open house last week hosted by the developer. During a Q and A session, I asked about anticipated future water needs for the developer's Redwood LIFE project. As life science labs don't use recycled water, how much water will such an extensive project need? The answer suggested that the project's life science labs will not use a lot of water. Hmmm... maybe. However, the response from the Longfellow team did not account for the water needs of 5,000 more employees they predict would be added to the Redwood LIFE campus.

I'm no expert but it doesn't look like "smart building" to me.

Tafhdyd Jul 8, 2022 9:19am

Good morning Ray,

Seeing the development up and down all parts of the bay area and the plans for future developments makes one wonder if the people in charge are drinking “bad water”. Not only will there be a lack of good water but a lack of utility infrastructure. Where will the power come from and where will the waste go. Most facilities are close to capacity now.

The recent news reports of boats and bodies and miscellaneous turning up as the water level falls at Lake Mead gives an extra meaning to the term “dead pool”. Not quite the same as “The night the lights went out in Georgia” but maybe people will take notice when the lights go out in Vegas or Phoenix or LA.

Ray Fowler Jul 8, 2022 2:41pm

Hey, Tafhdyd

You raise some good points connected to the water shortage issue. The Redwood LIFE project plans to install some solar arrays but the complex will be plugged into PG&E for its electric power needs. Of course, the project's tenants will pay for the increasingly more expensive and scarce electrical power. "Where will the waster go?" According to the developer, the tenant labs will contract interdependently with waste and toxic materials removal vendors.

Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal.

Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.

We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.

A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!