Neighborhood Parks Council is pleased to announce that Proposition G was passed by voters at the polls on June 3rd. Proposition G guides a mixed-use development project in the Hunters Point Shipyard and Candlestick Point State Recreation Area that includes housing, parks, economic development and entertainment.
NPC favors this proposal because of the extensive park and open space additions planned. We are also impressed that the developer, Lennar, has indicated a willingness to continue working with stakeholders to ensure that these parks and open spaces are the most complementary to both neighborhood as well as citywide recreation needs as possible.
Lennar proposes more than 300 acres of new and renovated open space in the form of State parks with passive recreation, neighborhood parks with more active recreation, waterfront parks, and dual use parking lots/playfields. We all know that it is costing the city millions to redo our parks and this proposal has the developer paying for all the renovation AS WELL AS the creation of new parks. That is worth hundreds of millions! As the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) has noted, "Prop. G would provide substantial additions of useable public parks and open space for residents of Bayview, the city and the region, without using any General Fund dollars."
We have seen the decade-long opposition to waterfront developments such as Piers 27-31 that have resulted in NO open space or recreation, and we believe that a bird in hand is superior to none in the bush. The proposed project still has to go through much public process and confirmation, but losing 300 acres of new parkland would be a major loss to San Francisco.
New development proposals in San Francisco are not required to provide this much parkland, given current Redevelopment Agency policies. Lennar understands that open space is critical to a successful neighborhood.
NEWS ARTICLES
June 4th: Prop. G wins big; Prop. F loses big
May 30th: Referendum on the future
May 22nd: Choosing a future for San Francisco's Bayview--for more information on Lennar's proposal.
May 12th: (Proposition) F is for fantasy, (Proposition) G is for gift--a Ken Garcia editorial
May 11th: Prop G offers viable vision for Hunters Point--"[Prop G] is far and away the most complete vision that has been offered for redevelopment of the old shipyard and the area that now houses Monster Park and its vast expanse of parking lots."
To read SPUR's statement of support for Proposition G, click here.
