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What:
Multinational
Cargill Incorporated, the second largest privately held
company in the U.S., and Arizona-based developer DMB
Associates have expressed their desire to build a mixed-use
development on the 1,433 acre Redwood City site.
They are sending thousands of mailers, holding community
workshops, and are meeting with staff of Redwood City,
and with state and federal regulatory agencies to promote
the concept of developing the site.
What's
At Stake:
- The 1433 acres of crystallizers and salt ponds in
Redwood City were included in the 1990 Congressionally
approved Refuge expansion boundary. These lands
are of significant value in preserving and restoring
habitat diversity within the south and central bay
ecosystem.
- Under the heading of "Unique Restoration Opportunities"
for the Redwood City segment of the bay, the Goals
Project stated, "The Redwood City crystallizers
and associated salt ponds offer the opportunity to
maintain and enhance shorebird and waterfowl habitat
in close proximity to large tidal flats that are so
important for foraging shorebirds. Creating
salt pan habitat would provide nesting habitat for
the snowy plover."
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- The Feasibility Analysis of the South Bay Salt
Pond Restoration, produced by Dr. Stuart Siegel
and Dr. Philip Bachand states, "Crystallizer
ponds are ready-made pannes suitable for shorebird
nesting and roosting habitat that need comparatively
little modification. The crystallizer ponds
address ecological needs for a variety of species,
especially the threatened western snowy plover..."
and,
- "...the crystallizers are targeted by regional
ecological recovery efforts as prime
salt panne habiat easily managed and restored
for Snowy Plover nesting, least tern foraging, and
seasonal shorebird use." [emphasis added]
In addition
to the environmental significance of the 1433 acres,
there are public safety hazards to be considered such
as flooding and seismic hazards. BCDC's sea level
rise maps show the entirety of the site inundated under
a conservative one meter rise.
Cargill Incorporated
and DMB Associates are agressively pursuing a campaign
to rezone this area to permit large-scale development.
In
late May 2009, Cargill filed an application with Redwood
City. You can view available documents on the
Redwood City website at:
http://www.redwoodcity.org/cds/planning/saltworks/
What
You Can Do:
The City of
Redwood City is in the process of updating the general
plan. Attend General Plan meetings and participate
in the process.
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