VOTE to fight for an affordable San Francisco
As a member-driven organization, Courage Campaign must consult with our members before taking an official position on ballot measures. We only take official positions on these initiatives if 60% of our members are either for or against them.
Please help us in our decision making process by reading the pro and con arguments to Propositions B & C below and letting us know where you stand as a Courage member. Thank you very much.
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Propositions B & C: Development of 8 Washington
Approve of a measure that would allow a development project, known as 8 Washington, to build on 3 acres of San Francisco’s northeastern Embarcadero waterfront. The propositions would increase the area's standard height limit by 64%, from 84 ft to 136 ft.
Prop B was filed by the project’s developers to allow them to move forward. Prop C is a referendum on the project filed by opponents after it was approved by the Board of Supervisors. Though Propositions B & C are different, for all intents and purposes they are fundamentally the same, so we are treating them that way in this survey.
Proponents’ arguments: Supporters of Prop B at “Open the Waterfront” claim that 8 Washington will provide new sustainable residential housing and funding for “affordable” housing. The say that the development will create public parks and provide hundreds of construction jobs, as well as increase access to the Embarcadero Waterfront. The developers believe that the project has received extensive public input and that it “empowers voters” with the decision on how to best utilize the waterfront.
Opponents’ arguments: While developers are promising parks and affordable housing, they are actually relying on a well-funded and deceptive ad campaign to trick voters into approving of high-priced luxury condos that will dominate the waterfront, block views, and further limit housing for working families. Specifically, opponents claim that ⅔ of the open space will be private and not open to the public and that raising the development height limits will effectively create a “wall” on the waterfront. Moreover, in case of an earthquake, the development risks leaking raw sewage which would leave an environmental and financial mess for taxpayers. The most shady part of the proposition is in the fine print. Developers would essentially be granted a free pass to write their own development plans without any meaningful review or oversight from city enforcement or the public.
Staff Recommendation: NO on Props B & C. We believe that the cost of living in San Francisco is already spiraling out-of-control, making it nearly impossible for homeowners and residents to stay in their communities. We do not support big developers who are breaking rules and deceiving the public to build multimillion dollar high rises while driving out hardworking San Francisco families. Instead, developers should focus on affordable housing and projects that benefit all San Francisco residents, not just a wealthy minority.