Following a postponed vote on a housing project at the Brisbane Baylands, the Brisbane City Council has canceled its meeting Thursday and expects a ballot measure related to the plan to be ready by June or November of 2018.
Deliberations had been set to come to a close this month ahead of a ballot measure in November. However, Brisbane Mayor Lori Liu stated that the council would postpone its vote in order to review statewide housing legislation that may impact the city' use of the Baylands site.
The San Francisco Housing Action Coalition, a strong proponent of the housing proposal, has said it has no knowledge of proposed state legislation that would impact the Baylands project.
The vote was initially delayed for an eight-month review period between October and May of 2016, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, during which time proponents and critics of the project packed a series of public hearings set to discuss the proposal. The vote was further delayed to conduct additional environmental and fiscal impact reports to determine the safety of building on a former landfill.
The extended review process is, in part, due to disagreement over the number of housing units the city will approve on its Baylands site.
Developer Universal Paragon Corp. has proposed converting the 684-acre former rail yard and sanitary landfill into seven million square feet of office space and 4,500 home units, while a community proposed plan suggests adding hotel units in place of housing.
Residents argue that the developer's plan, which would nearly triple the population, will change the fabric of their small-town community for good. However, California state lawmakers and local job makers argue that bringing nearly 16,000 new jobs to the area without housing units would further deepen the region's housing crisis.
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"As with most public policy issues, it is more complicated than a simple yes or no ballot measure," Brisbane City Manager Clayton Holstine told NBC Bay Area. "The council not only needs to review and make a determination on the applicant's proposal but also needs to deliberate on general plan land use and policy designations and issues."
To learn more about the proposed redevelopment, click here.
