The ranks on both sides of a clash over future use of the Cargill Salt land in Redwood City continue to swell, with five organizations publicly throwing their support Wednesday for building there.

The groups, representing mostly business and development interests, announced they favor the so-called "50-50'' concept unveiled in January by real estate development firm DMB Associates, which is managing the property on behalf of Cargill.

Under the 50-50 concept, half the 2.2-square-mile site would be restored to wetlands and half would be developed into a mix of housing and commercial buildings. Cargill has harvested salt there the past century, but has not submitted any formal plans.

"We're concerned with the imbalance right now between the number of housing units and the jobs in the county,'' said Dan Cruey, president and CEO of the San Mateo County Economic Development Association. "We just see this as an area where there's some of the last large parcels of land in the county that has the potential for any kind of development.''

The other groups that support the 50-50 plan are the Redwood City-San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce, the San Mateo County Association of Realtors, the Bay Planning Coalition and the Peninsula Coalition.

"I think they appreciate the intrinsic value and opportunity that this site provides,'' said John Bruno, DMB's vice president.

A coalition of environmental organizations recently emerged

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to oppose development on the site, which they believe should be fully restored to wetlands.

Led by Save the Bay and Friends of Redwood City, the anti-development camp includes the Sierra Club, Committee for Green Foothills, Clean Water Action, Sequoia Audubon Society and Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge. Earlier this week, the Greenbelt Alliance and former Rep. Pete McCloskey joined them.

Save the Bay Executive Director David Lewis depicted the five groups backing development on the site as "out of touch'' and said "the so-called 50-50, it destroys 700 acres of open space."

Lewis added, "These organizations are endorsing almost a blank check, a vague commitment, an artist's sketch with no development plan, no details on homes, commercial space building size (or) traffic impacts.''

But Larry Buckmaster, president and CEO of the chamber of commerce, said his group likes the potential the site holds for development of amenities such as sports fields.

"We're not endorsing a final plan because we haven't seen a final plan,'' he said. "You can endorse the concept of what you want that site to look like.''

DMB has said it is still gathering feedback from residents and intends to submit a formal plan to the city by the end of this year.

The environmental groups have proposed an amendment to the Redwood City charter that would require a two-thirds vote of residents to approve any development on land considered "open space,'' including Cargill's. They said this week they have enough signatures to put the question on the November ballot.

E-mail Shaun Bishop at sbishop@dailynewsgroup.com.