On Tuesday November 13, over 200 people gathered at Sandpiper Community Center to meet before the Redwood City Planning Commission to give testimony about the recently completed Environmental Impact Report (E.I.R.) for the Redwood Shores Bayfront, which includes the Fully Alive Campus. Many people gave testimony in support of the E.I.R., and Fully Alive in particular. The numbers of people there in support compared to those there against the Church’s plans was overwhelming.

The items that were mentioned by those opposed to the project all WERE addressed in the Specific Plan and the E.I.R. (all parking and traffic related). The opposition continues to misrepresent the parking agreement that exists between Fully Alive and the Pointe Complex. It is good to know that the Planning Commission has the actual facts in front of them and will be considering them, not misguided testimony when they make their final decision.

There may be another public hearing in January before the Planning Commission. If such a meeting happens, we will inform the church of the meeting time and location. The schedule for the remaining process has the Planning Commission making a decision on the ratification of the E.I.R. and recommendation on the Specific Plan in February. The City Council is supposed to make a final decision sometime in the late spring, early summer on the Specific Plan.

In mid October, the City of Redwood City release the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Redwood Shores Bayfront Specific Plan. It is a thorough document weighing environmental impacts in the areas of Land Use, Transportation/Traffic, Biological Resources, Noise, Aesthetics, Watery Hydrology, Air Quality, Geology, Public Services, Hazardous Materials and Recreation.

As you may or may not be aware, members of two local groups, called the Redwood Shores Owners Association and the Redwood Shores Homeowners Association, have had numerous concerns regarding the Specific Plan, and Fully Alive’s portion in particular. There has been a great deal of anticipation over the EIR, and what it’s finding would be with regard to the church’s long-term plans, goals, and dreams.

We are very encouraged by the EIR’s finding! No impact was identified with Land Use, Biological, Aesthetics, Hydrology, Air Quality, Geology, Hazardous Materials or Recreation. In the area of Traffic, which includes parking ­ the area of concern most recently and frequently identified by the opposition groups as the major objection ­ the EIR found NO IMPACTS! The Report says that the provisions laid out in the Specific Plan are so thorough, that any possible impact from parking off site has already been more than adequately addressed! The only impacts identified are centered around Noise ­ constructions noise to be “specific”. If a future building were to ever be constructed, it in all likelihood would require pile driving. The EIR calls for pile driving to take place during the daytime. Fully Alive will be happy to comply with that one!

There will be a meeting in the parking lot at The Pointe (directly across the street from our Campus) at 6:45pm for prayer on Tuesday the 13th. This is open for any who would like to attend. At 7pm we will go over to Sandpiper for the Planning Commission Meeting. (Unfortunately there will be no Kids’ World childcare provided for the evening.)

If you feel led, and you can attend the evening, the Church leadership would be grateful. There will be one more meeting before the Planning Commission in late January. Following that, the Specific Plan and the EIR will go before the City Council in the early Spring for a final decision. We’re excited that these events are finally underway. It’s been a long time in coming, but it is very evident that God is at work in some extraordinary way.

Fully Alive and S.B.S.A., along with participation from KNBR, the Redwood Shores Owners Association and the Redwood Shores Homeowner’s Association have put together a Specific Plan, which will guide development along Radio Road.

Here are a few facts about what Fully Alive has proposed for the Specific Plan. Fully Alive would like to see an approximately 14,000 square foot Worship Center constructed sometime in the future on the Fully Alive Campus as Phase 2 of our Campus Development. (For reference, the Pointe Office Buildings across the street are 40,000" square feet each, for a total of 80,000 square feet.) The Worship Center would house the Sunday morning Discovery Services in a new 5000 square foot Auditorium. The Worship Center will also house a Community Center/Cafe, several conference rooms and a permanent Student Center.

Much discussion has gone into the parking required for the Fully Alive Campus. The Fully Alive Campus has several acres of land, much of it home to environmentally sensitive treasures. In attempt to be sensitive to those conditions, Fully Alive has sought an off site parking arrangement with the Pointe Office Complex directly across the street from our Campus. The Pointe has 292 parking places on its lot. (Fully Alive will have 22 spaces available on its property in Phase 2.) The Pointe and Fully Alive are entering into a mutual easement - which will be recorded with the County - that will deed to Fully Alive use of 180 of the Pointe’s spaces. While the other 112 spaces will be available for overflow, the 202 spaces legally assigned to Fully Alive meet Redwood City’s most conservative parking requirements. The City of Redwood City has projected that the total number of parking stalls required for a site the size Fully Alive’s campus is projected to be between 154 and 201. There would still be over 100 spots available for absolute worse case overflow problems. (It is also important to note, that Redwood City’s parking ordinance has allowed off site parking for property owners at adjacent lots for years. Despite what may have been reported, there is no precedent of any kind being created by Fully Alive’s arrangement with the Pointe.)

Redwood City’s zoning ordinance states that what is required for off site parking is a written recorded agreement between parties. This is what Fully Alive originally had in place with the ownership of the Pointe. However after hearing fears expressed by members of the RSOA & RSHA representatives, Fully Alive sought a “tighter agreement” with the Pointe, even though the City didn’t require it. As far as the terms of the arrangement with the Pointe, the mutual easement will run with the property, although there are provisions for a release agreement. For the first three years, either the ownership of the Pointe or Fully Alive can break the agreement with an 18 month notice. After 3 years, only 12 months are needed. Following that, 6 months are required.

The ownership of the Pointe, Pollack Financial Group has been tremendous with Fully Alive. They have assisted us in countless ways. While they have been very open in communicating their desires to see Fully Alive utilize their parking while they utilize ours for overflow, the church has also heard the fears expressed by members of the RSOA & RSHA that at some point, the parking arrangement with the Pointe might be terminated. While we feel this is highly unlikely, we want to be responsive to the legitimate fears expressed by the community associations.

Fully Alive and S.B.S.A. have come to terms of an agreement that will serve as a "fall back" in the case parking at the Pointe ever was lost. If parking was lost, Fully Alive would relocate it’s off site parking to the S.B.S.A. property, where more than enough paved open area exists in the rear of the plant for all our parking needs.

Both the Pointe and S.B.S.A are ideal off site parking alternatives, because they are not in operation (except for essential services at S.B.S.A.) during Fully Alive’s hours of operation. As a condition of the Specific Plan, both agreements will be articulated in advance and be mandated before any use permits can be granted for a possible Worship Center. Also both facilities are located on Radio Road, which is separated from residential areas by a lagoon on both sides, making any accidental overflow into those residential areas quite difficult - even for S.U.V.’s. As a final thought, it is expected by most members of the R.S.B. Specific Plan Oversight Committee, that the Environmental Impact Reports findings on the Mitigation necessary for off site parking will severely bind the city of Redwood City from ever allowing Fully Alive to seek any special variances to park in residential areas. This is actually quite welcome by Fully Alive. We see the E.I.R. as one more assurance that the fears of a parking controversy can now be put to rest.

One last note on the Specific Plan and the Church, Fully Alive has not, nor are there any plans to seek a variance from the City’s long established zoning ordinances. We feel that the “rules” established by the City are fair, and that we should abide by them. While we are seeking to utilize provisions long established by the zoning ordinances, please be assured that despite opinions to the contrary, Fully Alive Community Church has not sought, nor have we gained any entitlements not granted any other landowner in Redwood City. The Specific Plan represents a course of action very much established long ago by the City’s General Plan.