BRISBANE (Map, News) - The empty, sprawling 660 acres of mostly landfill near Brisbane will soon have its first occupant.

Early next week, the city of Brisbane will install a 197-foot wind tower to measure the amount of wind energy that can be generated at the baylands, which is sandwiched between Brisbane, Daly City’s Cow Palace and U.S. Highway 101. Universal Paragon Corp., a Taiwanese real estate firm that has owned much of the baylands for more than 15 years, plans to develop the site for clean-tech businesses.

The tower is the first step in understanding whether development at the baylands can run entirely without electricity. The real-estate company’s vision for the site includes 5 million square feet of commercial retail, office, hotel and light industrial development.

“Ever since the original scoping, there was a desire expressed by citizens that this project should be energy-neutral or better, and wind and solar energies are the ways of achieving that,” Brisbane Planning Director John Swiecki said.

The wind tower, proposed by the city and paid for by the developer, will gather data for a year, recording wind strength during different seasons and at different heights.

“The idea is to capture a good year worth of data to get a better sense of its long-term potential,” Swiecki said.

Steve Hanson, general manager of Universal Paragon, said the 197-foot structure will be the only tower dedicated to studying wind generation on the Peninsula.

“It will be an icon because you’ll be able to see it from the freeway,” said Steve Hanson, general manager of Universal Paragon. “We want it to be a reminder of the future — not just that wind power will be the heart of the future, but that this land that has been sitting empty for years is now moving forward.”

The tower is exempt from FAA regulations because it’s less than 200-feet tall, city officials said.

The public will be able to comment on alternatives to the developer’s proposal for the baylands site later this month.

svasilyuk@examiner.com

Comments from Examiner Readers

11:04 PM MST on Mon., Apr. 14, 2008 re: "Brisbane to gauge baylands wind flow"

Examiner Reader said:
Wind turbines certainly generate clean energy (preferrable), but I wish leaders would allocate some of their design engineers to study how to protect the wildlife (birds) fatalities. It seems easy enough to place a cage around the turbines, just like the smaller, domestic models that protect children from getting their fingers clipped by the fan blades. I'm sure there's a way to make this look attractive in a super-size turbine.

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11:46 AM MST on Thu., Apr. 10, 2008 re: "Defense, technology firms� needs make Baltimore the place to be for IT positions"

Examiner Reader said:
The Dice Report. �Baltimore-Washington has the third-highest average salary for IT professionals at $81,750 a year, ahead of the national average of $74,570.� WOW and yet the jobs which I applied for are paying way below the average. Usually a company asked what salary range I'm looking for, and usually that's a sign of we can't afford you. I answered negotiable, they pursuit for a number. When I give them a number I don't hear from them. Most of the positions I come across are bombarded with responsibilities and has a failure of matching the pay.

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11:07 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 24, 2008 re: "U.Md. study shows MBAs lead to higher salaries in IT sector"

Terence said:
What the article failed to address is that if you have an a non-business major and have an engineering or computer science degree, it is advisable to pursue an MBA degree and as such you would tend to pursue something like an IT degree and in that case, the jump in salary is significant. If you have a business undergrad in IT and pursue an MBA, that jump is significantly less. I still do not understand why students would do both an undergrad and grad in business. Really the textbooks are almost the same, the delivery is the difference. In some cases, classes are cross-taught at both the undergrad and grad. Pursuing a masters of science in marketing, operations and IT is the appropriate route not an MBA for undegrad in business. Just IMHO

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7:34 AM MST on Thu., Mar. 13, 2008 re: "Businesses, educators agree they must unite to address tech job shortage"

Iconic Xer. said:
I find this story missing a critical and informative element. Sure, tech companies and institutions such as NASA may be losing *employees* to retirement. But that doesn't mean there aren't *lots* of tech professionals around. Quite the opposite. There's an abundance of them. Companies have got to change their cultures, compensation and engagement of workers to be in alignment with the preference of many tech professionals to work outside of organizations, to work for multiple companies, to be flexible, nimble and not dependent on one industry or company for survival. It's a generational thing, really, with your GenXers (27-47 in 2008) heavily leaning in this direction. Re: the lack of kids entering STEM. It has nothing to do with them not wanting to be cool. They are achievement, affluence and team-oriented. Sing their song and they'll come in droves. Sing *your* song & they won't hear you ... or even bother trying. And, mistakenly, you'll conclude they're not interested. What

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10:17 AM MST on Fri., May. 11, 2007 re: "Schools to lease land for phone towers"

Examiner Reader said:
Possible health risk of cancer too! See international studies.

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9:26 AM MST on Fri., May. 11, 2007 re: "Schools to lease land for phone towers"

Examiner Reader said:
You can't stop it now and usually there is a reason its done that way

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