For weeks, many have tied a San Francisco condominium project called 8 Washington to the Golden State Warriors’ proposed arena at piers 30 and 32.
In some ways, the two are similar. Both are aggressive development projects near the waterfront that have naturally faced significant grass roots opposition.
Concerns about height have surrounded both throughout planning, and former San Francisco mayor Art Agnos has called the projects “walls on the waterfront.”
Last Tuesday, San Franciscans soundly defeated measures B and C, which would have cleared the way for 8 Washington to continue.
The defeat has prompted a number of questions for the Warriors plan, which could face a similar vote down the line.
CSN Bay Area’s Ray Ratto wrote that the defeat of the 134-foot condominium project means the Warriors will have to change their own approach.
Tuesday, the Warriors will reveal version 3.0 of their designs, which are expected to address many of the concerns shared by neighbors of the piers.
Still, many of the critics of 8 Washington have now moved their focus to the arena, which could prove challenging for the Warriors to overcome.
But not all opponents of 8 Washington oppose the Warriors plan to move to San Francisco.
One of the biggest complaints concerning the condos was that they seemed exclusive to the wealthy, something that the arena will likely not face.
Also included in the Warriors plan is a significant amount of open park space, and public walking paths around the arena, which could offer views of the bay that aren’t currently available.
There are also important groups and individuals who opposed the 8 Washington that are actually in support of the Warriors’ proposal.
Warriors on the Waterfront, a group in support of the arena, hosted a number of those individuals last Thursday at a breakfast meeting.
While the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved 8 Washington, prompting the push for a ballot measure, President David Chiu was one of the three members opposed.
“The 8 Washington project was about high-rise luxury condos for a few versus an iconic public arena that will serve 800,000 San Franciscans” Chiu said Thursday.
Another major source of opposition for 8 Washington was the local Democratic Party. Also speaking at Thursday’s breakfast was Vice-Chair Leah Pimentel.
“I was in the no on 8 Washington because I felt it wasn’t the right development for our waterfront,” Pimentel said. “However, this is the correct development for our waterfront.”
Chiu believes one of the biggest issues with the 8 Washington project was that they didn’t do a good job working with its neighbors. He doesn’t think that’s an issue for the Warriors.
“With this project, the Warriors, under Rick Welts management, are actually engaging with our community. They’re actually working with environmentalists to make this project better. They’re actually working with labor to make sure we have the right local hiring agreements in place,” Chiu said. “They’re working with neighborhoods to make sure we’re addressing transit concerns. They’re working with our entire city.”
Pimentel said there are so many positives that come with a Warriors arena that just weren’t present in 8 Washington.
“It’s going to produce thousands of jobs for San Franciscans, amazing entertainment for our families and public parks for us all to enjoy”
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