#ReadTheFinePrint
Upzoning & Ocean Beach -- True Clarity on page 818
Why in the all-fired hell is it always on page 818? Or 723 or 1,041 or appendix G or in an 8-point font footnote on a page with pagination like dcccxvii?
“Cram them full of noncombustible data, chock them so full of ‘facts’ they feel stuffed, but absolutely ‘brilliant’ with information.”
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
I mean, why would I question the erstwhile Supervisor Joel Engardio when he said that proponents of Prop. K, the closure of The Great Highway and Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Upzoning Plan have no intention of turning Ocean Beach in Miami Beach?
Actually, my favorite comparison is to Waikiki Beach (see picture below), but the Ocean Beach vs. Miami Beach rolls off the tongue a bit better.
“Fake News!” said the erstwhile Supervisor Engardio, in his favorite Donald Trump imitation, an imitation that he favored all too often by the way.
Perhaps I should not refer to Engardio as erstwhile yet? The San Francisco Board of Supervisors will meet on October 7th to hold the vote on the certification of the Recall election of Joel Engardio. I received a copy of the letter from the Department of Elections, signed by Director John Arntz, certifying the Recall and removal of Joel Engardio from the Office of Supervisor of the City and County of San Francisco. Yep, erstwhile it is, and I will just let history catch up with me on October 7th.
Back to Waikiki, Miami Beach & Ocean Beach — “Fake News!” said Engardio. But it turns out that was another Engardio deception, and he is not alone in this one either.
Some smart ass told me that before I criticize Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Upzoning Plan I should read it. So, I did. I read and analyzed all of it. The Planning & Zoning Commission packet — all 1,125 pages — and all of the summaries, analyses, supporting documents and interactive maps that I could get my hands on. Plus, I talked with the most learned San Francisco legislative analysts that I know, and they are a very learned crew indeed.
It was one of that crew that said to me, “look at the Western Shoreline Area Plan sections beginning on page 818.” And I did. That was when I remembered that quote from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 — “Cram them full of noncombustible data, chock them so full of ‘facts’ they feel stuffed, but absolutely ‘brilliant’ with information.”
Why is always page 818 or Appendix H or whatever? Because they rightly assume that most people, even the ones that are trying to pay attention to the issues, challenges and problems swirling about Mayor Lurie’s Upzoning Plan, will never get that far into the weeds. Mayor Lurie and his wrecking-ball planning office might just as well say that their bad news now lives in the appendices, because nothing says transparency like hiding the mess where no one reads.
Moreover, they stupidly assumed that “most people” is the same as all people, but it is not. I read it Mayor Lurie. And now my readers are going to read about it too. With any luck they will share this with others as others have shared it with me. The jig, as they say Mayor Lurie, is definitely up.
There are manifold examples of horrible development and redevelopment concepts in Mayor Lurie’s Upzoning Plan, too many to detail in one essay. So, I will focus on the one that is most steeped in deception and betrayal — the Western Shoreline Area Plan amendments.
That image is just the first 9 lines; it goes on after that and there are more specifics elsewhere in Mayor Lurie’s Upzoning Plan. Honestly though, there is little reason to go any further than the page that I included above.
The Western Area Shoreline Plan policy objectives, as amended, would read — “ENSURE DEVELOPMENT IN THE COASTAL ZONE ADVANCES HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GOALS APPROPRIATE FOR THE LOCATION OF EACH PARCEL.”
I have already heard pushback from Mayor Lurie’s office saying, “no, no, that does not mean ‘ensure development,’ that is not why that is in there.” Oh, really? Then why the hell is it in there? It fails every credibility test to say that this amending language will not actually change coastal protections. Opening the door to coastal zone development is unpopular, frighteningly so. I get why your wrecking-ball planning office would try to hide it on page 818.
Remember that Engardio kept telling us this was all, “Fake News!”
It is not “Fake News!” Moreover, now that it is no longer hidden, please do not insult me and, more importantly, do not insult my friends, my neighbors and my community by saying you want to make this change, but the change would have no impact. It is patently absurd to risk the political fallout from such a move if the underlying amendments lacked real-world impact, insultingly absurd.
Mayor Lurie, take out the changes to the Western Area Shoreline plan that begin on page 818 and all of the other amendment provisions that emanate from it.
While I am at it, here are some other line-in-the-sand issues for me and a lot of other people, in The Sunset and beyond:
Open The Great Highway, reinstate the compromise!
Protect the Coastal Zone and Western Shoreline from upzoning and development!
Infrastructure before density — utilities, sewer, transit, water, public safety & local schools.
Small business stability — preserve and encourage a diversity of retail spaces and other small businesses, including older and more affordable storefronts.
Stop with the blanket upzoning that look for all the world like someone took a highlighter to a map in the Western neighborhoods. Upzoning and redevelopment needs to look like it was done with a fine tip brush and not a paint roller.
Mayor Lurie, we can do better than this, we must do better than this… john
This legislation is intentionally full of landmines hidden here and there, but as you point out, usually far deep into the document. Thank you!
What does that even mean?" Insure development that is appropriate for each parcel? Who decides what's appropriate for each parcel. That whole sentence is so vague and obtuse. How are we supposed to know what that even means, and who decides if it's appropriate.