Restoring the habitat — maybe
Developer believes project will help endangered species, others have doubts

By Christine Morente, STAFF WRITER
Inside Bay Area
Wednesday, November 1, 2006

REDWOOD SHORES:  OLD slough channels diked off at the turn-of-the-century look like spiderwebs in the unrestored wetlands of what's been called Area H since the 1960s.

Throughout the 109 acres of private land, European grasses and Coyote Brush have thrived and spread and so far, have prevented the California Clapper Rail and the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse — two endangered species — from living there.

Developer Max Keech wants to change all that. He plans to transform the area at the intersection of Shearwater and Marine parkways into "The Preserve at Redwood Shores." In it, he would build an elementary school, 110 townhouses and restore 70 to 80 acres of uplands to high tidal wetlands.

In September, he got the ball rolling when the Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School District decided to commission soil and toxic studies on Area H and earmark it for an elementary school. He said Tuesday results of the studies would be completed in the next 30 days.

"What we're going to demonstrate is we're doing something good for the environment, but that there are economic incentives here," Keech said. "And with the whole global warming thing, you're going to see more people trying to do this, whether in the nature of cleaning up smoke stacks or other things."

But some residents fear the project will destroy the natural habitat, not restore it.

"I think there are a lot of people who are interested in seeing it stay as a repaired wetlands," said San Mateo attorney Terry Anderlini, a resident ofRedwood Shores. "There are endangered species living on the levies."

The site has been chosen by the New Shores School Advisory Committee to house an elementary school for 450 students by 2009.

Sandpiper Elementary is the only school in the area and has a capacity for 500 students. Kindergartners from Redwood Shores have been attendingBelmont schools because of an overcrowded Sandpiper. The school would be built through Measure C, a $25 million bond that authorizes the district to buy land and build a second school.

Keech said he would sell a 7-acre parcel to the district for $12 million instead of $21 million, the going market price.

Residents have already begun circulating a petition to stop the project, concerned that the development will impact traffic and views, and permits could fall through, forcing the school board to find another site.

Keech argues his project is much smaller than what could be built on the land.

Under the current Redwood City General Plan, Area H is suitable for 500 homes, a large marina and 147,000 square feet of commercial space. What's there today is 17 acres of wetlands and the remaining is uplands, according to the U.S. Core of Engineers.

In the 1800s, much of Redwood Shores and a lot of the South Bay were surrounded by sloughs that carried tidal water. At the turn of the century, tidal action was diked off at Redwood Shores, and in other areas in the South Bay, for agriculture or salt production.

Keech said Redwood Shores gradually filled in the sloughs. There also is a 200-by-1,000- foot long channel on the property that adjoins the Seacrest subdivision. The channel was dug out in the late 1930s so that it could be a ship harbor. When the Depression ended, work stopped, Keech said.

In the 1990s, Keech bought the 109 acres from developers KG Land. If Keech's project is successful, he will redredge some old channels to recreate the sloughs, revegetate the area and bring back tidal actions by breaching the levies.

It would take three to five years to create a "productive tidal marsh." And when it is completely restored, Keech said he plans to turn over the area to the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, along with a $2 million endowment to maintain the wetlands.

However, Anderlini said Keech is taking away an area that could be completely dedicated to wetlands and wildlife.

Anderlini is looking at a referendum vote to stop the project. He also is evaluating Measure C to see whether it can be legally challenged. He and those who oppose Keech's proposal have said if they had known Area H was going to be the site for a new school, they wouldn't have voted for the bond.

"There's actually been no action taken by the school district that could be challenged yet," Anderlini said. "They have not bought the 7 acres of land or signed any contracts to buy land to my knowledge. We don't think we need more development out there. There's plenty of traffic as it is."