BCNA news: Group sends comments on Waterfront Land Use Plan Review

BCNA NEWS

November 25, 2014

Port of San Francisco
Re: Waterfront Land Use Plan Review

Greetings:

On behalf of the Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association, this letter forwards our comments on the Port’s draft Waterfront Land Use Plan Review. We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the draft report, which represents a positive first step toward encouraging a better dialogue on the future of the City’s waterfront.

Sincerely,

Bob Harrer President

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Comments on Waterfront Land Use Plan Review Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association November 25, 2014

•   Several recommendations call for review and consultation with the North East Waterfront Advisory Group (NEWAG). We support having a strong advisory group process with regular meetings. A key problem we have observed is the lack of consistent follow-up on neighborhood concerns. While the community receives valuable information regarding the Port’s activities and projects, there doesn’t seem to be any process for seriously considering neighborhood concerns. There is typically no feedback as to what happens after concerns have been expressed in the advisory group meetings. One perceives that the Port has frequently made its final decisions on many major projects before really presenting them in public. We would suggest more joint working groups (with joint Port and community members) be established to work through issues on larger projects before final decisions are made.
•   The Northeast Waterfront would benefit from having a credible land-use plan that is recognized by the agencies and the community. We strongly support the document prepared by the Asian Neighborhood Design (AND) group and the community. Consequently, we would support an effort to bridge the gap with the city on that issue. We would support more sub-area planning using the AND study as the starting point.
•   The report mentions the proposed project on SWL 322-1. We continue to urge the Port to seriously consider the neighborhood’s concerns and find a way to develop a project for moderate-income (and senior) households at SWL 322-1. The middle class is shrinking precipitously in the City. The greatest shortfall in new housing in the City is for moderate-income households. And low-income households are already served by the other two nearby developments on Broadway. It is also important that any development on this site activate the street-level environment. Thus, the development should be a mixed-use project with the ground floor used for retail and possibly some community purposes.
•   The report discusses development on SWL 351. We support preservation of open recreational space and the recommendations developed by the Asian Neighborhood Design (AND) group and community participants involving “recreation…bicycle…transit and youth-oriented activities that would complement the existing Bay Club at The Gateway….”
•   Page 241: We have a number of questions regarding speeding up development proposals using a programmatic EIR. This topic needs much more discussion so that all the implications are understood.
•   We strongly support the recommendation on page 242 expressing support for funding the E-Line and other connections along the waterfront. In addition, we urge restoring the former routing of the 10/12 Muni lines along the waterfront via Sansome Street.
•   We are puzzled and concerned by the language on page 243 concerning dialogue with the Planning Dept. while specifically excluding the public from processes related to the heights along the waterfront. We don’t understand the intentions here and, consequently, would not support this recommendation until we receive some clarification.
•   Page 246, Chapter 3 NE Sub-Area section, Recommendation 2: For subarea planning to be effective, the Port and neighborhood groups in the NE Waterfront should consider setting aside the history of conflict over Port development and avoid prejudging each other’s intentions.