By RJ Bardsley
I usually try to stay clear of city politics in this blog, but I think people will want to know about San Francisco’s 8 Washington Street Project. It’s a project, spearheaded by a major developer, to put up a new set of 136 foot high luxury condos along San Francisco’s waterfront. The land targeted for development was originally deeded for outdoor recreational use and is currently the site of a swim and tennis club that serves people of all walks of life.
My understanding is that the developer has done a great deal of networking and public policy maneuvering to secure approvals for the project. And, from what I gather, the city has capitulated despite the fact that several neighborhood associations are against this. This is something that San Franciscans should be appalled over – when big money paves right over the open spaces and policies neighborhoods and residents want to safeguard. Once this is done, it could be repeated all along the waterfront – giving us a wall of concrete along the Embarcadero. All this 25 years after we got rid of the freeway that once ran along there. Even if you’re not a resident of San Francisco you should be paying attention to this – big corporations should not be allowed to get away with this sort of thing – in SF or anywhere else.
There are several organizations fighting this, and if you’re interested in helping out or learning more than you can visit this site for further details: http://www.nowallonthewaterfront.com/media.
