Voters might not want big changes along San Francisco's waterfront—but one powerful agent there, the Port of San Francisco, is examining new ways to do the business of building in the face of pressures from sea level rise and opposition politics.
"Port [of San Francisco] staff has produced the 2014 Waterfront Land Use Plan Review (Waterfront Plan Review”[sic]), a draft report for public review and comment," according to the Port of San Francisco website. "This report chronicles the changes and events along the Port of San Francisco waterfront from 1997 to 2014, guided by the Waterfront Land Use Plan."
San Francisco Chronicle Architecture Critic John King got an early look at the plan and wrote an article detailing the report. Among his observations, that "voter skepticism about extra building heights shapes the tone and recommendations of the report," thanks to Proposition B. Port staff began working on the report, however, prior to the voter approval Prop B, "which requires that any plans to increase the heights allowed on port-owned land must go to the ballot."
The report offers several alternatives for "how best to seek voter blessings" and addresses the need to address sea level rise predicted as an outcome of climate change. King quotes the report directly: "Sea level rise will be a game-changer for the port and adjoining neighborhoods over the next 100 years….many port finger piers are likely to be flood prone by 2070-80."
King provides more details on the findings of the plan, especially regarding the development that's already taken place in the port since 1977, and looks ahead to the first public hearings scheduled for the plan.
FULL STORY: Port: Time for a new view of the S.F. waterfront's future
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The lawsuit would not restrict heights—just the opposite. Back in June, San Francisco voters overwhelmingly backed Proposition B to restrict building heights along the waterfront. The State Lands Commission sued.
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