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 WORKSHOP #2: Visioning a Future for Saltworks
On Wednesday, January 23rd, the Saltworks team saw more than 150 local residents brave the blustery elements to attend the second citizen planning workshop at the American Legion Hall in Redwood City. The Saltworks team was proud to begin the evening with the unveiling of a 10-part series of commitments that respond directly to what we’ve heard over the past 18 months of community outreach. These commitments include reserving at least 50 percent - more than 700 acres - of the site for wetlands restoration and open space uses. Here are the Saltworks planning commitments: 1. Preserving at least 50 percent of the site for open space and restored wetlands habitat — while utilizing up to 50 percent of the land for a mixture of developed uses
2. Building a broad array of housing and addressing the issue of housing affordability for working families and fixed-income seniors, with at least 15 percent of the homes offered at below market prices
3. No high-rises
4. Supporting and assisting with the city's downtown revitalization goals
5. Facilitating a transit linkage between downtown, the Saltworks site, and the proposed ferry terminal
6. Reducing flood control problems in the Bayside area
7. Creating a smart growth transit-oriented development that embraces renewable energy, water conservation and innovative green-building practices
8. Creating a minimum of 50 acres of new public parks and recreation areas, including a large sports complex and community and neighborhood parks
9. Bringing Redwood City back to the Bay, by establishing new Bayside opportunities, like a public aquatic center and Bayfront restaurants, and connecting the gap in the San Francisco Bay Trail
10. Presenting a plan that is economically sustainable and self sufficient, with NO new costs to Redwood City taxpayers
The Saltworks planning team then provided in-depth presentations on smart growth practices, wetlands restoration measures and ways in which this site – with its three miles of shoreline – can embrace San Francisco Bay and provide accessible Bayfront opportunities. The operative task of the evening was to obtain participants’ personal visions of what bayside opportunities and wetlands restoration should look like at Saltworks. Each of the approximately 20 tables were given a series of pictures and renderings representing varying types of these planning elements and asked to prioritize the images according to their personal vision for Saltworks. The responses provided clear direction on specific types of wetlands restoration and Bayfront opportunities, including integrating nature with community uses, a soft approach to embracing the Bay and significant public access to bayside opportunities. We're working hard to translate the results of both planning workshops, as well as the results from our 18 months of community outreach, into a plan that we hope to present to the community in the spring. If you’d like to participate in a future workshop, please let us know. We'd be happy to have you join our great team of citizen planners. |
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