Letter: Ground Floor Office Space Will Kill Downtown

An amendment coming before the Redwood City Council this coming Monday, May 21, to change the , if passed, will allow the city to rezone ground floor retail space on the key downtown corridor (Broadway) for office use for a period up to 5 years during times when vacancy in the downtown is more than 10%.

A large group of retailers, and Redwood City shoppers/diners/visitors are VERY concerned about the present and future of the downtown if this passes.  And, we will be turning out in numbers on Monday night to express our opposition.  

See the one-page pdf highlighting our concerns and position.  

Our recommendation regarding this amendment is as follows:

We request that the City Council hold off on making a decision on this amendment on Monday until it can be studied more thoroughly.  And, that the input of a broader set of stakeholders including downtown retailers, residents and frequent downtown visitors/shoppers be included in this evaluation.

I am an owner and partner in Brick Monkey as well as a resident of Redwood City. The downtown has come a long way thanks to the vision of the City and Council in creating the Downtown Precise Plan.

Now is not the time to lose faith and abandon it after just 16 months of it being in effect, particularly now that positive momentum and progress are underway.

Sincerely,

Kirsten McKay

Owner/Partner Brick Monkey & Mt. Carmel Resident

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