HOUSING COMMITTEE MAKES KEY ENDORSEMENTS

The Bay Area Council Housing and Sustainable Development Committee on Tuesday (June 10) made key endorsements on two major projects in San Francisco and Alameda that propose to create thousands of new housing units at a time when the region is suffering from a crisis-level shortage.

Joe Ernst, Principal at srmErnst Development Partners, presented on his group’s exciting new waterfront development planned for Alameda Point. The project will bring 800 residential units and 600,000 square feet of commercial space to a portion of Alameda’s former Navy base. The project is being considered by the Alameda City Council on Tuesday, June 16. The committee voted to support the project in its entirety.

The committee also heard from Fran Weld, Vice President, Strategy and Development for the San Francisco Giants, on the team’s “Mission Rock” project, which proposes creating 1,500 units of housing (33% affordable) and 1.5 million square feet of commercial space on a parking lot across McCovey Cove from AT&T Park. The committee endorsed the Giants’ plan for buildings of up to 240 feet. Even though the Giants have spent the past eight years working with the local community to develop and refine the plan, it will now go to the voters of San Francisco in November, as required by the recent passage of Proposition B, adding huge delays, costs and uncertainties for this much needed housing. The Council opposed Prop. B.

The committee also received an eye-opening presentation by Denise Pinkston of TMG Partners on the true costs of building in the Bay Area, and heard an update on the Bay Area Council’s Regional Economic Strategy project. To engage in our housing policy work, contact Senior Vice President Matt Regan.