League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	San Francisco County, CA November 5, 2013 Election
	Proposition B 8 Washington Street - Initiative City of San Francisco Majority Approval Required Fail: 35617 / 37.78% Yes votes ...... 58656 / 62.22% No votes See Also: Index of all Propositions

Arguments For Proposition B

Arguments Against Proposition B

Prop B Means Parks, Housing, Jobs and Greater Public Access to San Francisco's Waterfront Currently, the 8 Washington site along the Embarcadero is home to an exclusive "members only" private club, a 28,000-square-foot asphalt parking lot and a massive 1,735-foot chain-link fence + more than five football fields long -- that blocks public views and access to the waterfront. Prop B will tear down the fence, unpave the parking lot, and replace it with a new waterfront park and neighborhood housing. The plan is part of the larger revitalization of the waterfront and is the product of seven years of planning and over 100 community meetings. It has been studied and approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the San Francisco Planning Commission, the Port Commission and the State Lands Commission. Here's what Prop B means: A New Waterfront Park: Prop B creates a new waterfront park, with dedicated open space and a 4,500-square-foot children's playground on the Embarcadero. More Public Access to the Waterfront: Prop B will open views and pedestrian access with widened and enlivened sidewalks and better bicycle safety. More Sustainable Neighborhood Housing & Sidewalk Cafes: The project is environmentally LEED Certified, includes a green rooftop and generates $11 million for affordable housing. Jobs for San Franciscans: It will create 250 new construction jobs, 140 permanent jobs and $100 million for San Francisco's economy. Open up the waterfront by voting YES on B. Mayor Ed Lee Former Mayor Gavin Newsom Supervisor Mark Farrell* Supervisor Scott Wiener* Supervisor Katy Tang* Will Travis, former Executive Director of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission Mark Buell, Parks Commission President* Rodney Fong, Planning Commission President* and Fong Real Estate Isabel Wade, founder of Neighborhood Parks Council San Francisco Housing Action Coalition San Francisco Firefighters (Asterisks: For identification purposes only; author is signing as an individual and not on behalf of an organization.) Rebuttal to Arguments For DON'T BUILD A NEW WALL ON THE WATERFRONT. NO ON B & C. The proponents' argument NEVER EVEN MENTIONS their initiative's central issue: raising waterfront height limits to 136 feet, twice the height of the old Embarcadero Freeway. What they do talk about is equally deceptive and misleading. Blocking off, not "revitalizing," the waterfront. Raising waterfront height limits doesn't revitalize the waterfront + it sets a horrible precedent that will encourage massive towers from Fisherman's Wharf to the Ferry Building. Bogus housing claims. They call it "neighborhood housing." But behind closed doors the developer says these luxury condos will cost an average of $5 million each + with zero affordable housing built on site. Private, not public open space. Proponents criticize current recreation as "members only." Yet all of their proposed recreation would be private and most of their proposed new open space would be "members only," including a gated plaza and private terraces accessible to luxury condo owners only! You call that a park? The added "park" space touted by the developer is actually smaller than a tennis court. Is that worth ruining our waterfront for? Don't be fooled. Vote NO on B & C. Sierra Club San Francisco Tomorrow Affordable Housing Alliance AIDS Housing Alliance/SF San Francisco Tenants Union Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association Friends of the Waterfront Playground North Mission Neighbors Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association Richmond Community Association Rincon Point Neighbors Association Russian Hill Improvement Association Twin Peaks Open Space Conservancy

PROPS B & C "OPEN" THE WATERFRONT TO MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT AND TALL TOWERS. DON'T BE FOOLED. Deep in the developer's 13,000 word initiative is the disaster they don't want you to see: raising waterfront height limits to 136 feet, twice the height of the old Embarcadero Freeway. If you oppose tall towers from Fisherman's Wharf to the Ferry Building, vote NO on Props B & C. Raises waterfront height limits Props B & C raise waterfront height limits from 84 feet to 136 feet + 12 stories high + a 62% increase. The developer's luxury condo tower soars to the height of two double-decker Embarcadero freeways stacked on top of each other. Builds luxury condos, not affordable homes The 134 luxury condos built by B & C will cost an average $5 million each. With NO on-site affordable housing, this raises rents and housing costs for everyone else. Creates private , not public recreation and open space Two-thirds of the new recreation and open space the developer promises will actually be PRIVATE, not for the general public. Risks raw sewage spill Engineer experts testify that the developer is building too close to a sewer line that carries 20 million gallons of raw sewage every day. It's at risk of rupture during an earthquake -- an environmental and fiscal disaster with taxpayers on the hook. Sierra Club, Democratic Party and Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods say "NO." Tearing down the Embarcadero Freeway gave us a wonderful waterfront. Let's not build a new wall that blocks it again. Vote NO on B & C. Sierra Club San Francisco Democratic Party Board of Supervisors President David Chiu Former Mayor Art Agnos Former City Attorney Louise Renne San Francisco Tomorrow Affordable Housing Alliance Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods, representing 48 neighborhood organizations from across San Francisco Rebuttal to Arguments Against YES on B for Housing, Open Space and a New Waterfront Park Prop B addresses two of San Francisco's most acute problems: shortages of housing and green space. Today 8 Washington Street is an eyesore on the waterfront. A 27,000-square-foot asphalt parking lot and a massive chain-link fence surrounds a private club, marring views and blocking pedestrian access to the Embarcadero. Prop B replaces these eyesores with neighborhood housing and 30,000-square-feet of waterfront open space. The project includes a recreation center, cafes with outdoor seating and greater public access to the waterfront with new walkways and bikeways. Heights Are Consistent with Community Plan Opponents' claims regarding project heights are simply misleading. The design follows seven years of community outreach, and variances in heights affect just sixteen percent of the site. More for Affordable Housing Housing advocates support Prop B because B expands the City's housing stock and generates $11 million for affordable housing. Highest Environmental Standards Prop B will be built according to LEED-certified environmental standards, including protections for sewer lines, dedicated open space and a green rooftop. Vote YES on B to open up the waterfront. Mayor Ed Lee* Former Mayor Gavin Newsom Supervisor Mark Farrell* Supervisor Scott Wiener* Supervisor Katy Tang* Will Travis, former Executive Director of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission* Mark Buell, Recreation & Parks Commission President* Rodney Fong, Planning Commission President* Isabel Wade, founder of Neighborhood Parks Council San Francisco Housing Action Coalition (Asterisks: For identification purposes only; author is signing as an individual and not on behalf of an organization.