In the first phase of a landmark redevelopment deal many years in the making, the U.S. Navy transferred nearly 300 acres of its old Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island naval base to the City of San Francisco to redevelop the campus into 8,000 homes in exchange for $55 million to the Navy. The city has approved plans to build 2,000 affordable units, along with 300 acres of parks and open space on the campus, and will create a new ferry service to become a cornerstone of the island's transportation program. "It's taken almost two decades to get to this point, and we're eager to transform this former naval base into a vibrant community with more housing, jobs and economic opportunities for our residents," Mayor Ed Lee announced.
High Speed Rail Identifies Properties for Eminent Domain
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has listed over 200 properties in the Central Valley for possible eminent domain proceedings to accommodate construction of the first two segments of its network. The State Public Works Board, made up of the heads of the state's Transportation, General Services, and Finance departments, recently voted to adopt 23 resolutions declaring a public need and authorizing the acquisition of properties in Fresno, Madera, Kings, and Tulare Counties. Since December 2013, the Public Works Board has adopted 230 such resolutions covering more than 625 acres of land in the four counties in anticipation of the $68 billion project planned to be fully operational by 2028. Now a Superior Court judge will decide if the agency is entitled to the property, and, if the judge rules in the train's favor, a trail will determine the fair market value due to the owner.
Sacramento Voters Reject Streetcar Plan
Advocates for a new streetcar line in downtown Sacramento suffered defeat when a small group of voters in the surrounding neighborhood rejected plans to create a $30 million streetcar tax district to help finance the project. Property owners had formerly expressed enthusiasm for the project, with sixty-eight percent approving the idea to finance the $150 million plan. But with both renters and owners opining in the most recent vote, that number skewed to 52 percent voting no. Advocates have stated that they will not give up the quest to build the 3.3-mile system, though they have no Plan B to grab the necessary funding for the project. The city of West Sacramento has already agreed to put in $25 million, and the federal government has agreed to finance half the project, though that money could disappear if local officials can't nail down the other $75 million.
Bay Area Bike Share to Expand
The Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission approved a plan to expand the Bay Area's bike share program tenfold, spanning eight cities and making it the second-largest program in the nation. The plan would expand San Francisco's fleet from 328 to 4,500 bikes and San Jose's from 129 to 1,000. It also would bring the bikes to the East Bay cities of Oakland, Emeryville, and Berkeley for the first time. MTC has committed $4.5 million in capital costs to expand the program to emerging communities, and the expansion comes free to taxpayers as the costs are paid off by memberships.
Sacramento Region Initiates Marketing Partnership
A group of 15 communities in the Sacramento region agreed to an economic marketing partnership in an attempt to draw business to the region. Under the auspices of the nonprofit Greater Sacramento Area Economic Council, the group developed a process for promoting residential and commercial real estate and other assets that would appeal to companies considering a relocation or expansion. Additionally, if a company seeking relocation decided that a certain community wasn't the right one for relocation, officials from that area would help the company find a proper fit elsewhere in the region. In return, that community would be given an opportunity to help design the Greater Sacramento's regional marketing plan. "I think it will certainly open up more much more incentive -- if we cannot accommodate a company's needs -- to ensure they will find an option within the region," City of Woodland community development director Ken Hiatt told the Sacramento Business Journal.
S.F. Supervisor Seeks to Undo Giants' Stadium-Area Plan
San Francisco's Supervisor Jane Kim is gearing up for a battle with the San Francisco Giants on the November ballot, proposing a building height limit and affordable housing amendment that flies in the face of the Giants' long-planned development just south of AT&T Park. The Giants are paying for the project, but under Proposition B, which requires voter approval of any development on port property exceeding current height limits, they decided to put the 28-acre mixed use development on the November ballot. The Giants' proposal includes buildings that reach 240 feet, and they have committed to making 33 percent of the 1,500 units "affordable," which they define as families earning up to 140 percent of the area median income, or $122,000 per year. Kim's proposal would cap the height limit at 120 feet and require half of the residential units to be dedicated to affordable housing. "It's kind of like a wild pitch from a pretty good player," former Mayor Art Agnos said of Kim in the San Francisco Chronicle. "It flies in the face of progress we have made on affordable housing in the southeast waterfront."
Rick Cole Named Santa Monica City Manager
Rick Cole, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's deputy mayor and top aide on budget issues, is stepping down from his post to become city manager of Santa Monica. Becoming the third deputy mayor to leave the offce in recent months, Cole said that he had expected to stay with Garcetti until the end of his administration but found that the city manager position was too good to pass up, partly because of the coming arrival of the Expo light-rail line with its terminus near the Third Street Promenade. He told the Los Angeles Times that Santa Monica is "a progressive city. It's a well-run city. It has the resources to do some incredible things. And with the coming of the Expo line, it's got some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities." Cole was city manger of Ventura while CP&DR Publisher Bill Fulton was mayor.
Desalination Plant Seeks to Fast-Track Coastal Commission Review
California American Water is asking permission to take its Monterey Peninsula desalination project past local cities directly to the state Coastal Commission for a necessary permit, but one local city is putting the brakes on the proposal. Cal Am claims that bypassing the cities could save up to four months in time that it calls "critical" because of "severe restraints" that the state-ordered cutback in pumping from the Carmel River will have on the Peninsula's water supply and its economy. But the city of Marina's mayor, Bruce Delgado, said that he doubted that the city would surrender its oversight of the project, seeing parallels to an early test well project for Cal Am, which the city declined to approve until a full environmental impact report was produced.
Poll: Support Wanes for �Split-Roll' Prop. 13 Reform
A new poll shows that taxpayer support for removing commercial properties from tax limits imposed by Proposition 13 has dwindled. Proposition 13, the 1978 landmark property tax initiative, limited annual property taxes to 1% of the appraised property value and prohibited counties from increasing a property assessment more than 2% a year. Under the measure, property can be reassessed only after a change in ownership. The proposal to change Proposition 13 would require the regular reassessment of commercial properties while keeping tax protections for residences in place. In January 2012, 60 percent of California voters favored the changes. Now only 50 percent do, and the results show a partisan divide, with Democrats favoring changes and Republicans in opposition. Unions and grass-roots organizations are considering offering statewide ballot measures amending Proposition 13 along with Proposition 30 to extend a tax increase passed in 2012.
Group Sues Over Diversion of Bay-Delta Waters
An environmental group has sued the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the State Water Resources Control Board, accusing them of violating environmental laws by divvying up too much water for agriculture throughout the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. The lawsuit, brought by the California Sportfishing Protection Association and others, alleges that excess diversions of waterways have brought the Delta smelt to near extinction. It also alleges that 95 percent of recent generations of Chinook salmon are dying in the waterways, as agencies of skewing water distribution heavily toward farmers over delta residents, fisherman, and wildlife. Officials have said they expect to order further water cuts by farmers and others in coming days.
