Letter to the Planning Commission, Central Park South

May 12, 2015

Dear Planning Commission,

Please reject the current proposal for Central Park South, PA14-044. The primary reasons I object to this project are:

1)     Detrimental Impact on Public Safety

2)      Real and Potential Damage to Existing Trees

3)      Negative Impact on Quality of Life in San Mateo

There are several components of these complaints.

PUBLIC SAFETY

·         Traffic - on 9^th Ave. is already very dense during commute hours. Cars heading east on 9^th toward 101 back up from the stop sign at Delaware, across the tracks and into the intersection at 9^th and B. Adding hundreds of new drivers here is a public safety hazard because it increases the potential for cars being hit by Caltrain while crossing in the chaotic condition which exist. The developer’s traffic analysis ignores this potential. After Caltrain electrification, the number of trains passing during peak hours is expected to increase. This will mean more stops for railroad crossing (each train presently stops here twice going south and once going north) and subsequently even more backup from the intersection at 9^th and Delware into the train tracks. Without a grade separation, this intersection is already over capacity.

·         Despite the claims of the developer’s traffic reports, it simply does not make sense that by increasing the number of parking spaces in the area existing cyclists and pedestrians will not be impacted. More cars inevitably translates into more traffic, which negatively impacts pedestrians and cyclists unless provisions such as bike lanes and protected intersections are implemented. Unless the developer can assure us its end users will utilize alternative transit, we cannot call this development Transit Oriented Development (TOD) regardless of where it is located.

TREES

·         The south side of Central Park is lined with very large trees which form an essential border between the park and the site in question. I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED THE EXCAVATION FOR THE UNDERGROUND PARKING AND FOUNDATION WILL DESTROY THE ROOT SYSTEMS OF THESE TREES. These trees are City property and must be protected. We should not merely cross our fingers and hope they are preserved fully intact during such an invasive process.

·         There are 16 existing heritage trees on the site in question which give wonderful bucolic feel to the neighborhood. Heritage trees are more than plants – they are complex ecosystems which develop over the course of decades. Replacing them is not as easy a matter as planting a new tree, especially if it is a fraction of the size. In addition, there are two small groves of redwood trees at the entrance to the parking lot of the existing bank. I believe they should all be preserved. Redwood trees do not have the deepest root system, but rely on one another for support via other redwood trees, forming an essential network. Removing any one of these trees could negatively impact all other redwoods in the area.

QUALITY OF LIFE

·         Please do not add more density around Central Park! It is a rare and irreplaceable garden respite from urban life in San Mateo. Large, high buildings looming above it diminish the beauty of this unique natural setting.

Kind regards,

Kara Cox, San Mateo Resident