CHANGE MY LOCATION
Cow Palace plans set up a showdown
SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY
Related Topics: DALY CITY
DALY CITY (Map, News) - A plan to develop the Cow Palace’s 13-acre parking lot moved forward Monday in what officials said is a move to prevent a “land grab” by Daly City.
The Cow Palace Board of Directors unanimously voted to issue a request for proposals from developers to transform the lot into a retail hub. The vote comes as a response to state Sen. Leland Yee’s recent bill that would allow Daly City to buy the entire Cow Palace property and possibly raze the old venue, Cow Palace officials said.
The board hopes that developing the site would provide the extra revenue needed to keep the Cow Palace, a home to the Grand National Rodeo show that starts next week, afloat and in the state’s hands. The arena is currently managed by the state Department of Food and Agriculture’s Division of Fairs and Expositions. The event center’s revenues have been declining since 2001 and last year it lost $662,389, according to data from the DFA.
“The board wants to go forward in developing this property,” board chairman Henry Keuchler said.
The board expects to review proposals this summer and hopes to enter into a 60-year lease with a developer. Once the lot is overhauled, revenue from the site would be used to seismically retrofit the arena. Cow Palace CEO Walter Haub has said the cost could be anywhere from $7 million to $45 million.
The board began looking for a developer after negotiations with Daly City failed to produce a plan that would build a grocery store on the parking lot. Both parties have been blaming each other for the failure.
“It’s unfortunate that after all these months of negotiations that would have resulted in a collaborative project, it could not be achieved,” said Patricia Martel, city manager for Daly City.
Daly City turned to Yee for help in December to put the entire 67-acre property up for development to revitalize the Bayshore neighborhood with more housing, a commercial center and a school. The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors will vote today on whether to support Yee’s bill.
Although the bill’s approval is expected later this spring, Yee said he would support the board if it came up with a successful alternative to his bill.
Comments from Examiner Readers
8:14 PM MST on Wed., Mar. 26, 2008 re: "Organizers don’t want to lose Cow Palace"
Report as inappropriate
1:02 PM MST on Wed., Mar. 26, 2008
re: "Supes support bill to raze Cow Palace"
Report as inappropriate
11:04 AM MST on Tue., Mar. 25, 2008
re: "Cow Palace plans set up a showdown"
Report as inappropriate
8:46 AM MST on Tue., Mar. 25, 2008
re: "Cow Palace plans set up a showdown"
Report as inappropriate
5:50 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 25, 2008
re: "City might lasso Cow Palace"
Report as inappropriate
3:04 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 25, 2008
re: "Daly City closer to roping in Cow Palace property from state"
Report as inappropriate
12:26 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 25, 2008
re: "City might lasso Cow Palace"
Report as inappropriate
2:17 PM MST on Sun., Feb. 24, 2008
re: "City might lasso Cow Palace"
Report as inappropriate
5:26 AM MST on Sun., Feb. 24, 2008
re: "Daly City closer to roping in Cow Palace property from state"
Report as inappropriate
3:17 PM MST on Sat., Feb. 23, 2008
re: "Daly City closer to roping in Cow Palace property from state"
Report as inappropriate
11:46 AM MST on Sat., Feb. 23, 2008
re: "Daly City closer to roping in Cow Palace property from state"
Report as inappropriate
6:27 AM MST on Sat., Feb. 23, 2008
re: "Daly City closer to roping in Cow Palace property from state"
Report as inappropriate
9:31 AM MST on Fri., Feb. 22, 2008
re: "City might lasso Cow Palace"
Report as inappropriate
4:54 PM MST on Wed., Feb. 20, 2008
re: "City might lasso Cow Palace"
Report as inappropriate
11:30 PM MST on Tue., Feb. 19, 2008
re: "City might lasso Cow Palace"
Report as inappropriate
3:55 PM MST on Tue., Feb. 19, 2008
re: "City might lasso Cow Palace"
Report as inappropriate
3:10 PM MST on Tue., Feb. 19, 2008
re: "City might lasso Cow Palace"
Report as inappropriate
12:36 PM MST on Tue., Feb. 19, 2008
re: "City might lasso Cow Palace"
Report as inappropriate
8:50 AM MST on Tue., Feb. 19, 2008
re: "City might lasso Cow Palace"
Report as inappropriate
8:10 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 18, 2008
re: "City might lasso Cow Palace"
Report as inappropriate
1:38 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 18, 2008
re: "City might lasso Cow Palace"
Report as inappropriate
11:28 AM MST on Mon., Feb. 18, 2008
re: "City might lasso Cow Palace"
Report as inappropriate
Examiner Reader said:
So, a nice grocery store is going to change this neighborhood?? WHY did the other large stores leave the area? Tearing down this irreplacable building will make this a better place?/ I THINK NOT!!
8 agree | 5 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Daly City Gus said:
The misinformation is astounding. The Cow Palace doesn't cost the state money; they just 'borrow' from the state with the good intention to pay it back. Do we look that stupid? My father had a saying about 'good intntions'. Anne LeClair ought to be worried about the seismic instability of the building more than the loss of hotel room demand. Or would a big quake translate into business for the coroner? Maybe Belmont would not mind putting a new arena in the middle of one of its residential neighborhoods. Or would that smell like the stuff residents of that fair city used to shovel? I think they are STILL shoveling it.
4 agree | 4 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Conscientious Observer said:
With cities and counties across the bay area in the red due to fiscal mismanagement by incompetant bureaucrats why is it a surprise that the Cow Palace is going to get razed ? The need for tax generating properties like condos, retail stores et al outways the needs of constituent's quality of life, the environment, global warming, etc. Money, money, money. Spend, Spend, spend. It will never change. On the other hand, Burlingame is still debating (for the last 9 years) how and when to build a new Safeway and Walgreen's. Perhaps Daly City can learn from Burlingame and take the next decade to decide how and when to build a Cow Palace replacement. Oh, and add even more years to decide what color to paint the walls of the new facilities, beige or alabaster ? Improve the area by building a needed supermarket for the good people and a sporting goods store to supply ammunition to the other type of people. Such a deal.
6 agree | 3 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
www.savethecowpalace.com has more of the story.
2 agree | 2 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
To improve any neighborhood you need to get rid of the ghetto. Why are we going to spend time and money trying to improve the Sunnydale housing projects? Just raze them and sell the land to developers who can put middle class homes there. Same with the Potrero Hill projects.
30 agree | 9 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
i see other names but i don't see mayor klatt's name mentioned in this article.
30 agree | 33 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Oscar said:
Mayor Newsom made the news recently by telling city staff to get to work on Sunnydale, which is in a condition that ought to make San Franciscans mad. So the nay sayers can sit back and wait, I say it is time for San Francisco to put the resources where the Mayor's press conference is and start really working on Sunnydale. If that means Daly City leads the way, so be it! More power to the little city with little boxes on the hillside. They have a bigger vision than their neighborhood to the north!
26 agree | 12 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Do you honestly think the ghetto isn't going to cross the street? There's a Safeway 2.5 miles away or Pacific Market. Leave the COW Palace be, like tearing it down and replacing it with low income housing is going to help the neighborhood.
31 agree | 13 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Daly City Gus said:
Actually, Daly City's Mayor Klatt has been working with the neighborhood and kept us informed. A majority of neighborhood supports efforts by the Mayor, the City Council and Senator Yee. Imagine putting the Cow Palace in your back yard with its noise, traffic and crime. The glory days of the Ringling Bros. and first rate concerts ended long ago and we in the Bayshore are living through the gory days of kids dying from drug overdoses and illegal gun sales now. How dare the Cow Palace fill an unsafe arena with thousands of patrons that have no idea what an earthquake could do to the building and its occupants. I, for one, would not keep MY cow there. With the fiscal crisis in Sacramento, the Cow Palace should be sold. Let's preserve funding for the education of California's school children; let's preserve programs that serve our senior citizens; let's revitalize my long ignored neighborhood, and even San Francisco's abandoned Sunnydale area, let's do what is right. The future cou
38 agree | 29 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
The Cow Palace does reside within the boundaries of Daly City, however, just across Geneva Street from the Cow Palace, begins the City/Cnty. of S.F. I don't believe we've heard or seen a word either way from Daly City's Mayor Guingona regarding this deal. The people I've seen speaking or commenting in print are Senator Lee, Mayor Newsom, Assemblymember Mark Leno etc. I'm still sticking with this deal is more about S.F., less about San Mateo County and even less about Daly City.
26 agree | 32 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Why can't SF build a state of the art arena like any other major cities in the US? We are a embarassment in the first place. No basketball team or hockey team. Except for our neighbors, Oakland and San Jose. Build one, and we can attract more professional teams and events instead. We have enough supermarkets already.
28 agree | 15 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Yeah, this area is much improved from 10-15 years ago, but still has a ways to go. If anything gets developed here, it would continue to improve the outloook of this area and its residents. Community amenities like housing, grocery store, retail/office, parks, schools - things that strengthen a sense of community. BTW, this is in the jurisdiction of Daly City, not SF. If this happens, then this will come off of the state and DC budgets, since there's less to patrol if you fill the area with law-abiding citizens and a supported community. There an office campus just over the hill in SSF, so close to jobs and the T line, CalTrain on Bayshore, just a hop-skip away. Seems like a good location to build a community in.
37 agree | 30 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Alarm Dude said:
Just what the world needs: More Government dollars in that area. If you want to see your tax dollars at work, drive up a couple of blocks north of the Cow Palace, IF YOU DARE! It's a government funded ghetto! There's a reason there are no supermarkets there -- the last one went bust a number of years ago.
30 agree | 14 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
I was there, too, for the implosion of the Geneva Towers and most recently at the Cow Palace a month ago. That area has improved considerably in the last 20 years and any major grocer could build a store if they wanted to at this point. Considering the state budget is at a 16 billion dollar deficit and San Francisco's deficit is at 229 million, where is the city going to get an extra 10O million for this purchase? My senses tell me this is Senator Yee working in concert with Mayor Newsom, who's at work again looking out for his developers support base. I wouldn't be surprised to next hear about a new light-rail transit line heading towards that neighborhood.
31 agree | 11 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
WDenton said:
I always find the comments of the news article much more interesting than the article itself. Not sure how bad that area is now. I haven't been down that way since a gun show 4 years ago. I was present when they imploded the housing projects. People are right. If they were going to build a grocery store they already would have. Besides, where is the city going to get 100 million dollars? Can't that money be spent better somewhere else? I think the mayor has some more friends that need $100,000+ jobs.
31 agree | 14 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
M.S. Jackson said:
What a warm and fuzzy delusion. Makes me feel all gooey inside! The locals in that area are going to have to go through a complete social philosophy revolution (in other words, replace criminal self pity with lawful dignity) before any hope will ever reach the shores of Bayview/Hunters Point el al. This will never happen because there is too much money to be made on African American anger. Yes, Black on Black violence and Hip Hop Thuggery and racial self pity are a major industry in the year 2008, and no Safeway, WalMart or Home Depot is going to impede that juggernaut in the least. And the high probablity that this post will be censored within 30 minutes makes it clear that the Juggernaut is going to prevail and African America will wallow in its status quo forever.
32 agree | 13 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Seven said:
Want horses in San Francisco? Then help rebuild the horse stables in Golden Gate Park --> www.sfsf.org
14 agree | 11 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
San Francisco Animal professional said:
We need more places for horses to be appriciated not less. Watching a rodeo feeds your soul and is what San Francisco is traditionaly about. It's like the blue angels another threat to the political left thats all
16 agree | 14 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Shame on anyone who would even consider razing this historical landmark! The Cow Palace has stood since 1941. It has been used for some of the most well known concerts on the peninsula. But its main focus was for the Grand National Rodeo which still runs today. I agree that it appears to be somewhat run down but that is the fault of the State of California. There was a piece of property on Grand Ave. that was once a grocery store. No one did anything about that property and it sat empty for years! In response to the comment about kids programs they recently built a new Boys & Girls Club right next door to the Cow Palace. I love the Cow Palace & would hate to see it gone. It is one of the last places a family can do things together.
14 agree | 15 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Chuck said:
If this was a viable neighborhood for a major supermarket there would already be one. It's an unattractive area which, due to potential inventory loss through theft, will return minimal profits to shareholders. One only has to look at Safeway's experience near City College to understand that.
33 agree | 14 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
I've been saying for years that the cow palace was merely an excuse to keep State employees on the job. Its ugly, its outdated, its dirty, and the public doesn't need it as much as the State claims. In fact, the State should bulldoze every State Fair property as they are all outdated and just excuses to keep the public payroll padded with unnecessary public service jobs....
27 agree | 14 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
How about converting part of the Cow Palace into a youth supportive center? Let's stop the violence & homicides by providing them with recreational & educational programs. Don't forget the need for strong after-school and week-end programs to help our youth and also their parents. Please consider this idea seriously, legislators.
30 agree | 15 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree