San Francisco Planning Commission continues to talk the talk but fails to walk the walk.

The San Francisco Planning Commission is sterile and watching them talk in circles is an exercise in futility. The San Francisco Planning Department is slowly grinding to a halt - it has NO MONEY and its existence is so fragile that it really does not know how to address pertinent Neighborhood Planning or for that matter, anything at all.

Some years ago the South of Market Area decided to do its own Neighborhood Planning - disowning the drab planning and all the vain talk that the San Francisco Planning Commission and SF Planning Department tried to shove down the throats of the South of Market community.

Earlier the SF Planning Department spent years trying to hoodwink the Bayview Hunters Point community. Numerous meeting were held - and then all the plans and community input shoved down the drain.

Just, like that a huge areas was declared a Survey Area, then a Project Area and San Francisco Redevelopment Areas invited and the rest is history. Over 2568 acres that is now the Bayview Hunters Point and Candlestick Point. The plan is going no where.

There are issues like liquefaction, flooding - no concrete Environmental Impact Study not even a sound Economic Analysis - taking into consideration the present Economic Times that is going to get worse. The 49ers will not build a stadium any where near Candlestick Park and this is a slap on the face of SF City Planning , the Mayor's office of Economic Development and Workforce and the Mayor of San Francisco - who has NO leadership qualities.

Dense projects have been built on Third Street - ugly looking match-boxes that will soon resemble the Projects like the infamous Geneva Towers. All this encouraged by the SF Planning Department and SF Planning Commission.

The 3rd Street Light Rail begins at 4th and King and ends in the middle of no where. It cost $700 million and does not really address a smooth and timely transportation for the Public at Large.

The Lennar Rogue Developer is gradually folding up and has failed and defaulted - it has NOT attained any of the bench marks and time-lines in the signed legal Disposition and Development Agreement. The idiots sitting on the SF Commission could not care less and so does the SF Planning Department and its new Queer Director.

It is amazing that the San Francisco Planning Commission and the SF Planning Department have NOT said a word about Lennar wanting to build over 10,500 homes at Hunters Point that is the place where Depleted Uranium was tested. Has over 200 million tons of toxic dirt - most of it radiological in nature - and yet Lennar wants to build 10,500 homes in the middle of Chernobyl. Go Figure.

In the last 10 years but the 5 years more so the SF Planning Commission has permitted so many high rise buildings in and around San Francisco Down Town - that it makes no sense. There has been NO real planing with the City's General Plan in mind and the Housing Element that went to Court - because of its many flaws. The current SF Planning Commission is a joke. Watch them talk the talk - talk in circles - and spew diatribe every time any of the SF Commissioners open their mouth.

Mission Street Planning is a JOKE. Including the mistake that made headlines - one insider was given permission to increase the height of his building - because he was friends with the Mayor of San Francisco - Gavin Newsom. The SF Planning Commission and the SF Planning Department were asleep at the helm of affairs. Watch them they always talk the talk but fail to comprehend the issues - and come to any quick adjudication.

The newer SF Commissioners are the worst. They lack the back ground history of San Francisco. Have no clue when it comes to a detailed and comprehensive Economic Analysis of the various Districts in San Francisco and their needs.

Have failed to address Transportation Issues and cannot because the SF Planning Department does not have its OWN Transportation Document. It relies on the foolishness of the San Francisco County and Transportation Authority that is really beholden to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority - and charges the San Francisco County Transportation Authority to deal with Land Uses. The SFCTA does not and less so the SF Planning Department and SF Planning Commission.

San Francisco Transportation GRID was designed for the 1950s and 1960s and remains so today. The SF Planning Commission have NOT paid any attention in detail to Transportation Issues - but they will not hesitate to call our City of San Francisco - Transit First.

Recently the SF Planning Commission tried to reason with the many community leaders from Japan Town. The community at Japan Town was founded about 140 years ago.The real community in San Francisco was founded about 10,000 years by the Ohlone. The Ohlone never invited the strangers to steal their land. But, today the SF Planning Department and the SF Planning Commission will dictate to the world - as thieves are prone to do having paid NO attention to genuine Quality of Life Issues.

Every year under a FAILED SF Planning Commission and SF Planning Department - San Franciscans are worse off. And yet we tolerate these jerks that are NOT educated on issues an some of them are on the take.

The SF Planning Department and the SF Planning Commission favor a developer called 3D to develop part so Japan Town or in its vicinity - it might stand for the Devil, Devious, and Disaster.

First and foremost it is useless to form any Task Force or Neighborhood Group on Community Planning if the Task Force and the Community Groups are not given the tools. One of the main tools is an Economic Analysis the law says so. Another is the Environmental Impact Report or Study. None of these have been provided to the community at large at Japan Town.

In the history no consideration what so ever has been given to the pain and suffering inflicted on the community when during the War Effort innocent Japanese ( many of whom I know) where forcefully removed from their homes and jailed. Incarcerated in camps NOT fit to keep animals. The Japanese belong to a Race far superior to the many strangers - who were NOT civilized when things in Japan and the Japanese culture and people were far more superior.

The so called strangers into which category the SF Planning Department and the SF Planning Commission falls - will sell their mothers for a dime. I have appeared before the SF Commissioners so many times.

They listen to you but they cannot comprehend. Many of them are NOT educated on issues - and this element - prods them to spew hot air - just to feel important. One could tape the meeting and listen to it - most of the conversation is BS.

In order to address the current Japan Town Neighborhood Planning a through Environmental Impact Report is a must. More so because the neighborhood started over one hundred and forty years ago - when there was NO SF Planning Department and less the drab SF Planning Commission.

Secondly, there must be an Economic Analysis based on Culture, Community Input, and the Incarceration in the forties. If the present SF Planning Commission does not understand these two elements - then they can go fishing or fold up and go screw some other groups that are not educated on issues.

Certain landmark buildings - such as the Towers must be respected. Any developer that wants to build high rise building to make money - must be suspect. This is the time for restitution and it is proper to demand land to be set aside and planned by the community - with little input from SF Planning and SF Planning Commission - that are dubious in nature.

Please do not entice Task Forces, Neighborhood Group to dabble with plans and projects without the proper tools. They did that to us in the Bayview Hunters Point - made us sit through meetings for hours. Made us give our input and plans and then just like that declared over 2568 acres as a Survey Area and then a Project Area. The SF Redevelopment Agency a quasi- State agency that has a very poor record in the Western Addition and Japan Town is NOT to be trusted. Less the SF Planning Commission and the SF Planning Department.

The present Housing Element has flaws and two Housing Elements have not gone to court. The reason is that our SF Planning Department is busy screwing around - and has hundreds of cases in the pipe-line that need to be adjudicated but take years. There is no real communication with the many Departments. The Department of Building Inspection faults the SF Planning and vice versa.

Many of the Inspectors from the Department of Building of Inspection have been laid off. Many of the SF Planners have been laid off and the present Economic conditions will get worse before they get better.

The well at SF Planning has DRIED and reality has hit the idiots like lighting.

For a long time the SF Planning took their time - raked in the millions in fees and did nothing.

Well, soon projects will freeze and the time will come - when some projects will demand their fees back and hopefully they must demand interest on their money. Then reality will hit - the SF Planning Department that has failed San Francisco and San Franciscans. Hopefully, the San Francisco constipated Planning Commissioners will come to their senses. Enough said.

Francisco Da Costa
Director
Environmental Justice Advocacy


***************************
***************************

http://www.sfgov.org