RHNA Meeting on Tuesday - Developer Stimulus and Green Development Agreements
Jamie Whitaker - RHNA President
There are a couple of separate pieces of legislation that could have a
big impact on either the timing of developments or the interim uses of
empty lots in the Rincon Hill Neighborhood. Thankfully, Michael Yarne
who works for Mayor Newsom in the Mayor's Office of Economic and
Workforce Development and who has been working with various
stakeholders on both pieces of legislation will present the basic
structures of both pieces of draft legislation and and answer
questions about their effects on the neighborhood this Tuesday at 6pm
at the Sailors' Union of the Pacific's Library room (450 Harrison
Street) where the Rincon Hill Neighborhood Association will hold its
March 2010 meeting. Please let your neighbors know and bring them
along ....
The developer stimulus legislation would help lower the upfront costs
(and interest payments to lenders on those upfront costs) to begin
building already approved developments. While affordable housing and
impact (or public infrastructure) fees are typically paid upon
commencement of construction today, the developer stimulus legislation
would delay the payment or, in the case of the affordable housing fee,
changes the way in which the fee is collected. This is terrific news
for Rincon Hill neighbors from the standpoint of potentially speeding
up the redevelopment of our Rincon Hill neighborhood and creating more
housing in San Francisco. Specifically, One Rincon Hill's second tower
and a "sister" development for The Infinity located at 201 Folsom
Street are among the projects that may be able to begin construction 2
years earlier than what is otherwise likely. The downside is that the
only infrastructure improvements we've seen in the Rincon Hill Plan
Area (Folsom to Bryant, Essex to Spear) have been paid for by the
impact fees and not our millions of property tax dollars that seem to
leave the neighborhood ... and in fact, we have fewer neighborhood
services today following MUNI's December 5th elimination of the #12
bus service running east of 2nd Street on Harrison or Folsom through
the residential core of the Rincon Hill neighborhood. This is the
more controversial legislation of the two, in my opinion.
The green development agreement legislation would provide a guarantee
for a period of 5-8 years for a developer's existing project in
exchange for something that provides a public benefit as defined in
the legislation. The pilot project for this legislation is 399 Fremont
Street (at Harrison Street). Steve Kuklin who represents the Fifield
Companies will also be at Tuesday's Rincon Hill Neighborhood
Association meeting to discuss their current plans for the 399 Fremont
Street lot, should the Board of Supervisors and the Planning
Commission approve of the legislation and this pilot project. While
there is no doubt that Fifield Companies has a responsibility as a
property owner to maintain the property right now, there is an
opportunity to maybe get rid of the hurricane fencing and make
something more visually pleasant and a socially conscious plus for the
Rincon Hill neighborhood and an interesting use of the property that
greets thousands of drivers who take the first exit ramp off of the
Bay Bridge (Harrison Street/Embarcadero) into downtown San Francisco.
I believe a representative from the ReBar Group who has been working
with Fifield on the temporary use ideas for the lot will also be at
Tuesday's meeting. Listening to today's Planning Commission meeting,
there are a lot of questions about this legislation that will need to
be answered. However, I believe that this legislation represents a
win-win for current residents and the developer and the City and
County of San Francisco from the standpoint of turning the current
hole in the ground at 399 Fremont into something useful and
potentially wonderful.
You can read a little bit about these two pieces of legislation
online ....
On the developer stimulus:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/25/BA981C6K8F.DTL
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Stimulus-would-boost-building-85298597.html
On the green development agreements:
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Vacant-lots-could-be-put-to-use-85298522.html
http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/02/22/sfs-proposal-to-reduce-blight-will-create-a-tenuous-balance/
I hope you'll join us on Tuesday, March 2nd at 6pm at the Sailors'
Union of the Pacific in the Library.
Our next meeting on April 6th (likely at the Sailors' Union of the
Pacific again) will feature presentations from San Francisco Domestic
Violence Agency - La Casa de las Madres and also from the San
Francisco MTA in regards to the new SF Park parking meter pilot that
is being installed in our neighborhood along with several others in
downtown San Francisco.
Enjoy the Chinese New Year parade starting on Market Street at 2nd
Street this Saturday evening (starting around 4:15pm)! Also, Bay to
Breakers, which begins in the Rincon Hill neighborhood with a tortilla
toss (messy!), will be here soon .... information about and
registration for the 99th annual event that is a wonderful San
Francisco tradition can be found at http://www.ingbaytobreakers.com/
Follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/RinconHill
Join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/RinconHill
Have a fabulous week!
jamie whitaker
president
rincon hill neighborhood association
www.RinconHill.org