Hi Jeremy, I will not be able to make it to the meeting on June 29 as I am teaching summer school. However, would you like to present this to the Transp. Working Group on June 28 at 7 p.m.? Sue --- Jeremy Nelson <nelson.jeremy@comcast.net> wrote:
Dear opponents of the UC Hastings parking garage-
Below are the notes from the first meeting of "Groups Against the Hastings Garage" (GAHG), a coalition of community groups, neighborhood residents, and Hastings students who are opposed to a 500-space, 7-story parking garage located in the Tenderloin neighborhood, just a few feet away from an apartment building that is home to many people living with AIDS.
FOLLOW-UP STEPS: Coalition members, please review these notes, and see your assigned follow-up steps which are [BRACKETED AND IN CAPS LIKE THIS].
HELP GROW OUR COALITION: Please forward this to community groups and neighborhood residents you know who would like to join our growing coalition opposed to this unneeded and harmful parking garage.
NEXT MEETING: All are welcome to attend GAHG's next meeting - Wednesday, June 29th, noon to 1pm, at 995 Market St (at 6th St), Suite 1550 (HAC/TLC/SFBC offices). Suggested agenda topic: Develop a positive vision for what GAG wants done with this site?
Best- Jeremy
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Notes from 6/6 GAG meeting
GAG members present: James - Aids Housing Alliance (AHA) / Rainbow Flag Apts. (RFA) Brian - Aids Housing Alliance (AHA) / Rainbow Flag Apts. (RFA) Daniel - Hastings student / student government rep Kyle - Hastings student / student government rep Jeremy - Transportation for a Livable City (TLC) Carmen - Transportation for a Livable City (TLC) Sam - Tenderloin Housing Clinic (THC) / Central City Collaborative (CCC) Kate - Housing Action Coalition (HAC)
1) Sam: Update on the fight to oppose the previous (2002) proposal for Hastings parking garage - Site at corner of Golden Gate/Larkin is currently a surface parking lot but was formerly site of 3 SRO buildings - After earthquake, Hastings moved quickly to demolish SRO buildings claiming they were unsound - Hastings also claimed the neighborhood needed parking due to the opening of Asian Art Museum - But main driver of the proposal appeared to be the revenue stream to Hastings - Community groups, transportation/enviro advocates, and Tenderloin residents organized to oppose - Opponents claimed parking wasn't an educational use and should therefore be subject to city review - State attorney general ruled that parking was an educational use and didn't require local approval and review - Direct action/sit-in by coalition of groups and residents opposed to the garage (coalition wanted housing, not parking) - Former Senator John Burton threatened to withdraw Hastings state funding if they persisted with garage - Proposal withdrawn, Hastings appointed "blue ribbon committee" to develop new proposal (described below)
2) Jeremy: Update on current (2005) proposal - 7 stories (last proposal was 8 stories) - 480 spaces (last proposal was 885 spaces) - Minimal ground-floor retail (last proposal had no retail at all) - No housing on site (same as last proposal) - New YMCA facility to be built next to garage - Old YMCA building and parking lots to be sold and possibly developed as housing (YMCA in negotiation with potential buyers) - Hastings is guaranteeing the YMCA loans and believe that the community benefits of housing on the old YMCA site will help sell the garage
3) Jeremy: Update on timeline - Last Year: "Institutional Master Plan" approved by Hasting Board and Planning Commission, included current garage proposal - Summer: YMCA in talks with potential buyer(s) for its existing site this summer - Late Summer: Hastings students back Aug. 18th - Fall: Hastings Board meeting in September to approve concept plan, initiate "Supplemental EIR" and updated traffic study for the concept plan - Fall: EIR initiated by Planning Department in October - Spring 2006: Public hearings on "Supplemental EIR"
4) All: Campaign Strategy, Goals, Tactics
A) Strategy 1: Grow/organize GAHG coalition Goal: Create political pressure for a better use of the site
- Existing Partners * RFA residents * UC Hastings student government reps and some students / student groups * AHA * TLC * HAC * CCC/THC * Supervisor Chris Daly
- Potential Partners: * Tenderloin Futures Collaborative * Conard House residents * SF Aids Foundation * St. Anthony's Foundation/Marion Residence * YMCA members * SFBC * Rescue Muni * Walk SF * Green Party * Sierra Club * Senior Action Network * Police officers/police officer's union * Other Hastings students/student groups & alumni * Neighborhood organizations in the TL and vicinity * SOMCAN [FOLLOW-UP: ALL - ONCE POSITION LETTER IS DEVELOPED (see below), WE'LL ALL OUTREACH TO OTHER GROUPS TO GET THEM TO ENDORSE]
B) Strategy 2: Lobby elected/appointed officials Goal: Get Hastings/YMCA project to go through local review
- Write letter to YMCA Board & Hastings Board [FOLLOW-UP: ALL TO E-MAIL 1 OR 2 SENTENCE BLURB ON YOUR ISSUE FOR KYLE TO CREATE LETTER; NOTE: Kyle's email is sosebee@gmail.com ] - Petition to be developed based on letter [FOLLOW-UP: TBD ONCE LETTER IS DEVELOPED] - Ask Mark Leno to get AG Bill Lockyer to issue a decision that Hastings must go through local review/Planning Commission [FOLLOW-UP: BRIAN] - Carole Migden [FOLLOW-UP: KATE WITH SFBC or DANIEL WITH ?] - Leland Yee [FOLLOW-UP: JEREMY] - Fiona Ma [FOLLOW-UP: BRIAN] - Janet Reilly [FOLLOW-UP: BRIAN] - John Burton to gauge his interest in getting involved again [FOLLOW-UP: SAM] - Mayor [FOLLOW-UP: WHO?] - Board of Supervisors [FOLLOW-UP: WHO?] - Planning Commission could write letter asking to review project [FOLLOW-UP: WHO?]
C) Strategy 3: Suggest Hastings existing assumptions/studies are flawed Goal: Have a project with housing & reduced parking analyzed in order to put this forward as a feasible alternative
- Have environmental lawyer review original EIR [FOLLOW-UP: JEREMY OR KATE] - Have developer or developer attorney review CMA's pro forma suggesting that Hastings won't make any $ with housing [FOLLOW-UP: JEREMY OR KATE]
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