The quarry developer must be concerned about the outcome of the Measure W campaign, based on the latest advertisement in the Pacifica Tribune. Under the heading “Green Building Standards,” the ad claims to show amenities that will appear in the Quarry if Measure W is passed, including:
- a windmill to produce water for restored wetlands
- a dog park
- a community garden
- transit/car share/Uber/Lyft areas
- a SamTrans bus stop
- bicycle parking
- an interpretive trail with kiosk/pavilion
None of these amenities are included in Measure W. Not only is there is no commitment to build any of these features, none of them are shown in the development application submitted to the city back in June. They are just additional empty promises.
And they aren’t good promises either.
The dog park is right next to what’s proposed to be restored wetlands in the form of a mitigation bank, and the developer’s U.S. Army Corps of Engineers application for the mitigation bank does not mention a dog park. Also, in an article in the same issue of the Tribune the project manager, John Zentner, said that the mitigation bank “will be surrounded by a four-foot tall, green clad chain link fence,” which is out of place for the area1 and not exactly consistent with the idea of putting an interpretive trail around the area.
It’s completely speculative to say that SamTrans would move it’s bus stop, given that the development application isn’t even complete yet.2 And Uber, or Lyft do not use dedicated pickup spots, except for special events where there are thousands of potential riders.
The bottom line is that the current developer is using the same tricks as the previous developer; promise something for everyone in the hope of getting voter approval for housing in the Quarry. Don’t be fooled by empty promises. On November 8th, Vote No on Measure W.