There’s been a lot of misinformation and half-truths being circulated out there about the Saltworks site and the proposed plan for the site. I thought I’d take an opportunity to clarify some misstatements. I’ve kept a running tally of what people have said and while I won’t name names, I do have the sources of where each one of these “myths” have come from. Drop me a line if you want the source.

Myth One: The Saltworks site is the largest unprotected stretch of restorable bay shoreline.

FACT: The Redwood City Industrial Saltworks site is privately owned by Cargill. Under the 50/50 Balanced Plan, this stretch of shoreline is proposed for restoration at NO acquisition or restoration cost to existing Redwood City taxpayers.

Myth Two: The Saltworks site was diked off from tidal action to create salt evaporation ponds.

FACT: As early as 1901, a major portion of the site was already devoted to salt production. The existing site was constructed pursuant to a federal permit issued in 1941. The current configuration and operations have remained largely unchanged since 1951. The Redwood City Saltworks site is not an evaporation pond. As a salt harvesting plant site, it is the terminus of a five year process whereby sodium chloride crystallizes for harvesting. Earlier passive evaporation ponds have much lower intensity levels and may have some hospitability to ecological uses, unlike a harvesting facility.

Myth Three: Redwood City zoning has never permitted development on these salt ponds.

FACT: The Seaport Britannia Centre, a 700,000 square-foot office complex immediately adjacent to the site was once part of the Saltworks facility. The current zoning for the site, “Tidal Plain,” anticipates future development proposals.

Myth Four: The Saltworks site is located within a flood plain and state and federal laws prohibit filling wetlands when alternatives are available.

FACT: As an industrial salt harvesting facility, the interior of the operation levees is devoid of any wetlands. THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE to the 50/50 Balanced Plan entertained by Cargill is ongoing salt industrial harvesting operations.

Myth Five: DMB and Cargill have already spent millions on slick PR Campaigns to recast their proposal as green development and making big promises to restore some wetlands on the site in exchange for destroying the rest.

FACT: The only proposed “destruction” is that of a century-old industrial facility in exchange for fully-funded tidal marsh restoration and a greenhouse-gas reducing transit-oriented community bringing direly needed housing to a jobs-rich region.

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