Developer cites emotions in annexation

sink her as a reef. that is the "proper" way for a us ship, to die.

Wow, the Convention Center is almost done being build, one day my grandmother and I would go over there, she really knows what's going to happen there. And I wish the Wal-Mart thing would hurry up. I really want to see how the place look in there from Value Food being dusty for the pass 5 years. And I change my mind about the Marshall's being TJMaxx, I want A.J. Wright to be there. And I see they put the Liquor store next to Marshalls. When I went to Marshalls about 2 weeks ago it looked like they were going to closed down, I hope so, I don't like that place. Yes, please knock down those old buildings so it'll be room for people to park and come to Wal-Mart. I hope it'll be a SuperCenter, and I hope its done by 2011.

Hey Sam, got any sympathy for the gentleman who had the living hell beat out of him on the trail last week?

the photo in the article seems to be of the house of shields on new montgomery - not mentioned. also i went to look at 562 howard, mentioned- and there was no such building, unless i made one of my errors

Why are we building a 1000 ft, transit tower surrounded by 550 ft, high-rise buildings in an unquestionably seismically active area (if the experts are correct?) which is poised for a major earthquake?

When are they planning to open the first half of the community to the public?

We live right near this area and we were just wondering are the community stores going to be open to the public?

""Gabriel Metcalf, executive director of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, a public-policy think tank, said he is confident the construction will not obliterate all of The City’s historic buildings. The survey, he said, shows that city officials are intent on fusing old San Francisco with the modern look."" LOL interesting word choice Gabe, "fusing old San Francisco with the modern look" at your testimony before the Planning Commission on the Market Octavia Plan you supported 400 foot residential towers less than 15 yards from 25 foot 1930's stick build housing behind South Van Ness along Layfayette. Your support for that certainly didn't consider "fusing" anything but rather ripping the fabric in this part of the city. Think about it next time you see your SPUR paycheck show up in your checking account.

Valleyboy, you are delusional. Nobody in their right mind would consider San Jose the premier city in the Bay Area. That is ridiculous! Bigger doesn't mean better. I mean, seriously, most people in the U.S. and the World don't even know where San Jose is. Most people know and admire San Francisco. I used to live in San Jose. I didn't hate it but come on! It is no San Francisco. San Francisco has everything, culture, cool nightlife, amazing restaurants, beautiful parks, the Bay, the Ocean, and its walkable with good mass transit. San Jose, by many counts, is an overgrown suburb. The Silicon Valley is very important, I agree. But San Francisco captures everyones' hearts, not San Jose. Seriously. Your envy is pretty apparent. Be happy for what you have but don't get irrational about it. San Francisco is the best city on the Earth. San Jose is a pretty good city located in the High Tech Capitol of the World. I give it that.

What the Bay Area needs to do is cap the population and stop ALL NEW DEVELOPMENT. We need to preserve what we have. Illegal Immigration is also not good because it puts pressure on the population to grow, use more resources and contribute to sprawl. CAP THE POPULATION! STOP DEVELOPMENT! PERIOD.

The entire reason for expansion onto open land is to increase tax revenue to the city or county where the land is located. The resulting gradual degradation of quality of life for existing inhabitants whether it be endangered butterflies or endangered human beings is not an issued for goverments. Money is number one always. People's lives and the quality is never an issue. Money is always short in San Mateo County and almost all of its cities due to fiscal mismanagement by their respective governments. One can fight for the land but eventually with eventual over-population there is no way to stop it ... think of it as the beginning of the end. Have a nice day.

I would understand if the article was talking about development displacing a piece of nature. But this is about building something on a site of a shuttered factory in the middle of an urban area near 2 rail lines. Who in their right mind can be against that?

why are we apparently attempting to cover every bit of open land in the bay area with development? as if traffic isn't already bad enough and mass-transit isn't fully challenged trying to handle the current level of commuters.

I live in Brisbane too close and say NO! Every low-rent neighborhood invites more problems. The old Geneva Towers were torn down twice, lest we forget.

I reside in Foster City and totally agree with this article. There is entirely too much development being proposed!

san carlos laurel street is filthy with litter and shops closing and moving to better locations. No population growth , just more filth and litter.

ValleyBoy, you have no idea what you're talking about. San Jose has more people than SF (though your numbers are definitely a bit off), yes, but SF has nearly twice as many jobs and is four times as densely populated. San Jose remains the only city in the United States of more than 500,000 people to lose population during the day when people go to work - San Francisco's population gains several hundred thousand people during working hours. Places that lose population when people leave their homes to go to work are what's known as suburbs. San Francisco county also covers only 47 square miles, while Santa Clara county covers more than 1200. Can you grasp how total population is fairly meaningless when you consider the huge gap in the amount of space available in each area? San Francisco remains the major city in the region and that won't be changing. Get used to it

This article is absurdly provincial. Any story about ABAG has to relate how it affects the biggest most important city in the nine county San Jose Bay Area, which is: San Jose, NOT San Francisco. San Jose will top 1 Million people in August (more or less). San Francisco is arguing with the Census bureau if it does or does not have more that 749,000 people, the same population it had in 1950. From a journalistic point of view, the article SHOULD have compared ABAG's requirements to actual growth, vs Cal Dept of Finance projects. SF is projected to grow by less than 1%, while San Jose will do 5-7%. It is a demographic certainty that San Jose will be twice as large as San Francisco by 2020. Why does this article focus on a second tier city like San Francisco ? San Mateo only has 707,000 people living there, Santa Clara almost 2 million. Why not mention the important places like San Jose and Santa Clara instead of burying your head in the sand

There are hundreds of formaldehyde spewing FEMA trailers still unused and leftover from Katrina ... Newsome make the call ,make it happen ...ship them to SF ...mission accomplished.

benches and gardens will only invite bums and vagrants.

""Under the draft plan, crosswalks would become more prolific; parking lanes would be replaced with benches and gardens; traffic would be slowed and squeezed into narrower streets; concrete footpaths would be replaced with rainwaterabsorbing dirt, plants and trees; and “generous” sidewalks would be built with plenty of curb ramps."" Such a radical progressive idea, and in District 6? Hey isnt that Stupervisor Daly's District? Won't such improvements cause gentrification? Me thinks that the good Stupervisor should be 100% against these gentrification projects...imagine trees, gardens and benches in District 6!!

""SoMa resident Jim Mekko said that eight to 10 years ago the downtown neighborhood was “ground zero” of the dot-com boom and bust and the funds would bring needed relief to the community."" Not exactly sure what dot-com bust has to do with the topic at hand? The people that live in my area are working class people and lots of Philipino families with kids. I talk with them lots and what they want more than anything and what nobody including our supervisor has delivered is crime free streets. We dont care anymore about much of anything else. ""Daly praised the committee’s work, saying it would put the money “into the hands of the community folks that can do good to mitigate some of the negative impacts from very large development that is happening in the South of Market.”" Well we are community folk. We do not need the money we want safety. There are kids right down the block that cannot go outside because of the drug users. All the other trash we can live with we want safety.

In reference to Elkridge and it's designation for affordable housing and high density, I would be most interested in an update from DPZ and the State Highway Administration on how the traffic will be handled at an acceptable level of "C" or better, particularly as one heads north into Baltimore County. A plan to handle traffic going to UMBC, Catonsville Community College, the Arbutus train station and BWI airport and commercialdistrict needs to be designed & implemented before the density is completed. Mass transit by light rail or bus line needs to be in place to support the existing and limited Route 1 right-of-way through Elkridge and into Arbutus. For once, can we not put the infrastructure in place BEFORE the density?

Well yes of course it makes perfect sense to build 400 foot residential towers along South Van Ness from Mission to Market cause nobody in the Hayes Valley area of the Market and Octavia Neighborhood Plan area would have tolerated those monsters. Oh yes, the towers will provide limited to no off street parking, they will cast shadows into residential enclaves where over 400 people now live less than 20 yards to the east in the Western SOMA, create street level winds to rival Fox Plaza. So much for the San Francisco urban fabric which will be torn in this part of The City. No where else has such a disruption been allowed by placing 400 feet towers 20 yards from two story residential. Oh wait, I seem to recall this type of land use proximity in Bangkok. The watch word in San Francisco circles is...dump it in SOMA they wont care. Goes for pot clubs, regional serving night clubs and so called "light industrial use" what a laugh. Now you Supervisors show some backbone and speakup!

I remember a friend of mine who used live on the same block as Mr. Ammiano referred to Mr. Ammiano as a "Man of the People." I guess the "people" in this case doesn't include the "people" in Sophie Maxwell's district who could benefit from an employer and business like home depot instead of the scores of liquor stores in that district.

Only a San Francisco progressive politician like Tom Ammiano would gloat over denied jobs and urban blight. Glad he is terming out.

i also am very dissapointed that even if you are a shopper at the mall and try to sit down for a few minutes in peace that the mall security has to come up and try and kick you out hell its empty enough just let the kids skate and do what they want they arent hurting anyone and if they are its only themselves

"Local Government" was never intended to interfere in the private marketplace like they continue to try and do. They don't need a "fee" ... because the term "fee" is always used to disguise a TAX.

Bureaucrats don't do anything unless it benefits THEM. We don't need a "fee" and we don't need them interfering in the private sector. The job "projection" is only a guess and they're going to use that as an excuse to steal money from the public. IF the jobs develop, fine. If not, fine. The private community always figures out a way without lame bureaucrats interfering.

I work for San Mateo County in a department of over 350 staff. Less than 20% live in San Mateo County. 95% of those who live outside of the county say it is because they can't afford to live in the same they work in. Most of the support staff make so little that they qualify for some sort of housing or food subsidy program. The need is NOW not in 2025.

Let me figure this out. Business will increase jobs by 40%. In order to provide *Socialist, Government* housing for these employees, we impose a tax on businesses. Businesses take their expansion plans elsewhere because of the taxes. No new employees. In fact, businesses leave rather than expand. Employment drops. PROBLEM SOLVED!

A higher energy price is a sacrifice we have to make for cleaner fuels

Sinister elements and a no man's land? This part of the Divisadero Corridor hardly resembles life outside the Internation Green Zone in Baghdad?

It never fails; when the city comes up with a plan to make changes to a neglected area of the city, and one that is indisputably a busy conduit, naysayers grab their milk crates and plop down in front of their computers and trash every feature of the plan. How many of you attended the planning board meeting and presented alternate plans? How many of you actually participated in the planning process? The best way to reclaim a neighborhood from sinister elements is to make it a magnet for pedestrians and commerce - not by letting it become a no-man's-land.

Just what San Francisco needs, one more trendy, upscale neighborhood in which to live and shop.

Boutique business means overpriced shopping for rich Caucasian snobs. Wonder how many minority low income residents...what's left of them... can afford the "new" Divisadero now?

I see they are making it easier for drive by shooters to escape even faster than they do....what a few new trees for homeless people to live under...this city's prorities are in the toilet along with its adultress mayor

Great move!

Hi,so there is going to be a Giant SuperMarket in the Liberty Plaza? Wow, that's nice. BlockBuster has been there for a long time. I think most of the shopping center where Dollar General was located should be knocked down, it would lose alot of business but make a better area. Marshall should be TJMaxx because they have better stuff. It would be crowded because of Wal-Mart, I know the Owings Mills Wal-Mart on Reistertown Road near Valley Centre is crowded all the time. I don't really like the Owings Mills one. If I was the examiner I would close Blockbuster's down and make it as a place called AppleBee's. I can't wait until Ruby Tuesday come to Brenbrook Plaza. Or, it can be a place called FYE (For Your Entertainment) which is a CD store. It's awesome. I heard that they would be building a convention center for seniors or whatever it was on Resource Drive by the Resource Center. I see that they are doing construction.

Hello, I'm from Baltimore County in Randallstown and I just want to know when is the Wal-Mart coming to Randallstown? I wonder if it is going to be a supercenter. Yes I've seen the Home Depot and it looks very nice. I was wondering when the Wal-Mart is coming. I'm thinking its coming in March or something I don't know. Well, someday it'll come.

There are too many, not enough handicapped parking spaces in our city

The quality of education is, is not lower than 15 years ago

Pretty much nothing notable happening. My mind is like a complete blank. I've just been hanging out waiting for something to happen. Not much on my mind to speak of. I just don't have anything to say. That's how it is.

I haven't gotten much done recently. I don't care. My life's been basically boring these days. Whatever. More or less nothing exciting going on lately, but pfft.

My life's been basically boring recently. I've basically been doing nothing to speak of. That's how it is. I just don't have much to say recently. Oh well.

My mind is like a fog, not that it matters. I just don't have much to say these days. That's how it is. I haven't been up to anything recently.

There are too many, not enough handicapped parking spaces in our city

I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen. I just don't have much to say right now, but so it goes. I've basically been doing nothing to speak of, but shrug. Today was a loss. I don't care. That's how it is.

Today was a loss. I just don't have anything to say. Not that it matters.

I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen. I've just been letting everything wash over me. I can't be bothered with anything recently.