Tuesday, July 22, 2008

800 Brotherhood Way (Park or Development?)






Drove by the 800 Brotherhood way site proposed for a 200 unit development on the south side of parkmerced. Thought I would again look from the access level and see what images these photos conjure up in you the viewers mind. The Benny Bufano statue was set there and the area dubbed the "peace-park" and has been used as such by the religious institutions on brotherhood for some time. The historic photos of the site show it as a dune-scape, and aireal historic photos show the steady demise of the property due to neglect. The city open-space provisions state clearly that open land and space should be acquired/preserved/maintained and protected. Yet the site here seems to be another target and victim of subversive development tactics. Steve Vettel a known land-use attorney noted in his statements to the Planning Commission that this site was never a "public-park". The photos seem to state differently. There is the statue, its use by neighboring groups along brotherhood, the park benches, the park-trash-bins, the rough access path that leads down brotherhood, and the demarcated edge on the perimeter that seperates the prior hill and parkmerced property edge, with the low lying green-space of the prior peace park outline. There is even tags from the city on maintenance, and checks on water lines in the park. Obviously there is a record of it being a "park" and the developer's tactics through prior Supervisor Tony Hall to switch the legal "wording" on brotherhood way to allow for this to become a "development" site is highly questionable actions. Than to top it all off the development was approved without an EIR per CEQA. No check on what birds may nest in this area, no check on where the parkmerced border is in relation to this site, and the prior use of the land that due to neglect ran it into the ground. What of the carcinogens located here due to it being a prior railroad line, and the run-off which goes direct to lakemerced? The city arts commission mandated protection for the statue so that it would be relocated and or protected. Well what happens to the trees, the landscape here? Why should we pay for park bonds when the open space we hold dear is sold off to the highest bidder through unscrupulous moves by development interests. The city should protect such land, and the open space for community use. The EIR should be mandated, the permits revoked. I have drafted legislation that looks at revoking the permits for this property as the joint effects of multiple developments was not checked per CEQA, and this PARK is part of those lasting effects that we as a neighborhood do not want.

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