What is Measure W, the Two-Thirds Vote Amendment?

What specific properties are affected

Measure W covers the following properties:

• Cargill Lands and certain adjacent parcels
• The Docktown area
• 7 private homes near Red Morton Park
• Bair, Greco and Bird Islands
• 14 of the 32 parks in the City
• Portions of the Oracle campus
• The open space area at The Preserve at Redwood Shores development
• A church, radio station, a wastewater treatment facility (South Bayside System Authority), and other parcels in Redwood Shores Bay Front Zoning District
• Certain private parcels north of Seaport Boulevard and east of Hwy. 101
• The lagoons at Redwood Shores, waters around the Port of Redwood City, and certain other bodies of water and submerged lands

Targets Developed Land, Parks and Open Space, including Cargill Saltflats

The targeted areas of the initiative are not only undeveloped lands and parks, but also many developed properties. See: Two-Thirds Vote Amendment Collateral Damage

Limits Vote on Land Use

This initiative limits voters input on future land use by designating all these properties, including developed lands, parks and open space as "Open Space Land" and then requires a special election and a winning of a two-thirds super majority for simple permits, licenses, change in zoning.

Save the Bay Says: Targets only large developments and Open Space Lands

"Require that any development placed on open space lands be approved by two-thirds vote" Source: http://www.redwoodcityopenspace.org/

Save the Bay Says: It does not target private homeowners, since it can be fixed:

Save the Bay has consistently held that mistakes made by the General Plan are not their fault, it's bad government and it can be fixed. What they are referring to is is the inclusion of Seven Homes: Valota Road and Madison.

"Private homeowners are not affected"

ANSWER: Open Space Vote is triggered only by changes in zoning or the General Plan. Open Space Vote has no impact or application on uses consistent with existing residential zoning. Under Open Space Vote, private homeowners can remodel, rebuild their homes, install docks, and do anything allowed by the current zoning, like any other homeowner"

Source:  http://www.redwoodcityopenspace.org/facts.html FAQ

Read Measure W

From section 6a.C.4 "No general plan amendment, rezoning, specific plan, precise plan, tentative subdivision map, parcel map, conditional use permit, planned community permit, or other discretionary entitlement for use shall be approved or issued unless consistent with the provisions of this Section 6a... "

Then it paints a broad stroke covering a broad range of acts of city government and then says that these acts 'shall advance the purposes' of this iniitiative.

From section 6a.C.3 "Any such ordinance, resolution, rule, or regulation shall be consistent with, and shall advance the purposes of, the provisions of this Section 6a"

Reality: Targerts not only development, but nearly all acts of the City Government - What Measure W says:

• Defines parks, many developed lands and open space as "open space lands."
• Defines all the tools of govenment, including simple permits, licenses, codes, rules and much more. Note the phrase: "entitlements for use" This means all licenses and permits.
• Points back to the entire law "shall be approved or issued unless consistent with the provisions of this Section."

Reality: Freezes the status of all impacted properties, including homes - What Measure W says:

Section 6a.B.(1) “Open Space Lands” means all lands identified as either (a) “Park,” “Unimproved Areas (Land or Water) Devoted to Preservation of Natural Resources, the Managed Production of Resources, Outdoor Recreation, or Public Health and Safety,” “Future Development Expanding Limits of Urbanization,” “Controlled Waterway (Redwood Shores Area),” or “San Francisco Bay Water” on the City’s General Plan Land Use Map as of March 13, 2008; or (b) “Tidal Plain” (“TP”) or “Redwood Shores Bay Front” (“RSB”) on the City’s Zoning Map as of March 13, 2008.

This means that corrections may not be made as Save the Bay have precluded any such corrections by the exact wording in the initiative without a special election. If a property was included, as of March 13, 2008, its designation cannot be changed by the city government.

Why not allow for correction? We speculate this initiative was designed like a precise maze, with traps, monsters and no exits, but with exit signs posted everywhere. One may have the hope of finally escape from this maze, but escape is not possible. This is why the drafters of this initiative have asserted that the initiative is immutable and perfect. The question is for whom.

Effect of competing measures

• Measure V and Measure W are appearing on the same ballot. If both measures receive a majority of votes by the voters, then whichever proposed measure receives the most votes will be adopted in its entirety, and no provisions of the other measure will take effect.

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