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Redwood City to Perform Full Environmental Review of Saltworks

  • May 27, 2010
The Redwood City Council voted unanimously to proceed with the formal environmental review of the Saltworks 50/50 Balance Plan, a move supported by local voters.

Under the plan, developer DMB Associates will restore and bring back to life — at private expense — 1,436 acres on the edge of San Francisco Bay where levels of salinity and concentrations of other substances resulting from industrial salt production are so extreme the property is uninhabitable.

The restoration plan proposes to use 50 percent of the site for active recreation, open space and tidal marsh recreation and the remaining 50 percent for a walkable, transit-oriented community that would reduce the massive jobs/housing imbalance in the area and help reduce long-distance commutes and greenhouse gas emissions across the region.

The vote reflected public opinion in Redwood City, where a survey conducted in April found that 68 percent of voters support city officials conducting a full environmental and public review of the Saltworks 50/50 Balanced Plan.

“We are heartened by this indication that the Bay Area embraces the form of sustainable reuse and restoration we have in mind for the Redwood City Saltworks,” said John Bruno, DMB Redwood City Saltworks general manager.

“As the Bay Area learns more through the environmental review process,” Bruno added, “we are confident voters and elected leaders will see that we have an opportunity in Redwood City to do something truly special and set a new standard for smart growth and stewardship of the natural and human environments.”

The community will be constructed to meet U.S. Green Building Council LEED ND standards and generate enough solar energy onsite to fulfill most power needs. It will have a new independent source of drinking water that will not compete with regional supplies.

The project will take place on private property owned by Cargill that hasn’t been part of San Francisco Bay since it was diked, graded and filled for industrial salt-production between 70 and 100 years ago. DMB intends to pull the Bay onto the site through re-creation of 440 acres of wetlands, tidal marsh and natural habitat, which would amount to one of the largest privately funded restoration projects of its type in San Francisco Bay history.

“The more light the environmental review process sheds on the Saltworks 50/50 Balanced plan, the more the Bay Area will appreciate its environmental values,” Bruno predicted.

Comments

Fri, May 28, 2010 Jonelle Preisser Redwood City CA

How can 30,000 more people, commercial buildings, grass, schools, pavement and needed vehicles be good for our air, our water, our wetlands and bay, and all the wildlife that depend on wetlands be good for anyone? This area should be completely restored to wetlands, the way it was at one time. The San Francisco Bay is a precious treasure; too much of it has already been filled, we should not do that anymore, its time to stop.

Thu, May 27, 2010 Colt

The EIR is important! It seems stupid for the opposition to not want the EIR...

Thu, May 27, 2010

This is a total fabrication on part of Cargill and DMB. This is part of the Bay and the citizens are very concerned and upset. The voters do not back the plan unless you call the DMB survey taken fair with very misleading questions. Don't the City Councils of surrounding towns, citizens, and elected officials that oppose this count?

Thu, May 27, 2010 Redwood City Environmentalist Redwood City

SALTWORKS IS REALLY GREEN SPRAWL


DMB Associates, Inc. states that their proposed development on the salt ponds in Redwood City will reduce green house gas emission from cars. But, density standards require a ¼ mile radius from transit. Also, DMB failed to talk about the amount of carbon emissions from the 12,000 homes they plan to build.

Let’s consider DMB’s project in terms of the economics of restoration versus the economics of development.

A restored marsh can collect up to eight tons of carbon dioxide per acre a year according a report by Wills, Needelman and Weil. 1000 acres of restored wetlands can remove up to 8,000 tons of carbon per year. This would be a carbon SAVINGS to our city to offset desirable development downtown and for expansion of Port operations.

DMB proposes a development of 12,000 new homes on the bayfront. The EPA estimates that the average US household of four people creates 83,000 pounds of carbon a year. 12,000 new homes would result in 498,000 tons of added carbon emissions per year. This would be a carbon COST for the community.

Restoring our wetlands makes more economic sense. The Redwood City council should send this proposal back to DMB.

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