Voters Will Decide on Controversial Development Plans in Brisbane

J.K. Dineen reports from Brisbane, California, located on the Peninsula south of San Francisco, where Measure JJ on the ballot this November will decide the fate of the 684-acre former rail yard and landfill known as the Baylands.

Dineen explains the significance of the vote on Measure JJ:

But while only Brisbane’s 2,686 registered voters will weigh in on Measure JJ, it’s not just Brisbane residents who are interested. Across the region the future of one of the Bay Area’s biggest buildable sites is seen as a litmus test of whether Bay Area towns have the political will to tackle the ongoing housing crisis, even if that means disruption in a town many residents like the way it is.

The way it is: the Baylands is zoned for commercial use and in need of environmental remediation. The property owners have proposed about 4,000 residential units on the site, which happens to be located near both a Caltrain station and the T-Third Muni line. Measure JJ counters with a scaled-back proposal, and local leaders consider the vote a chance to retain local control in the face of mounting pressure from the state to build infill and transit oriented development to higher thresholds of density.

Dineen's feature-length article covers Measure JJ, the activists on either side of the issue Brisbane, the regional housing crisis, and the different outcomes still in play for the Baylands site.

Previous Planetizen coverage of the Baylands proposal and resulting controversy:

• San Francisco Suburb to Vote on Massive Project to Double Population
• A Call for Housing in Bay Area Suburb
• Opposition to Bay Area Housing Exposed