No Wall On The Northeast Waterfront

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:     Wednesday, August 1, 2012

NEWS RELEASE

REFERENDUM ON 8 WASHINGTON CONDO PROJECT WATERFRONT HEIGHT LIMIT INCREASE OFFICIALLY QUALIFIES FOR S.F. BALLOT:   FIRST S.F. VOTER REFERENDUM TO QUALIFY IN MORE THAN 20 YEARS

New Poll Shows S.F. Voters Strongly Oppose Waterfront Height Limit Increase For 8 Washington Condo Project By More Than 2-1 Margin

A San Francisco voter referendum challenging a city ordinance that would dramatically increase building height limits on the northeast city waterfront for the 8 Washington luxury condo project has officially qualified for the ballot.  In a letter delivered to referendum supporters today, S.F. Department of Elections Director John Arntz stated that his Department has completed its review of a random sample of the 31,297 petition signatures submitted two weeks ago and found that the number of valid signatures on the Referendum Petition is sufficient to qualify the measure for the ballot.  (Read the certification letter by clicking here).  This makes the Waterfront Referendum the first referendum petition protesting a city ordinance to qualify for the S.F. ballot in more than 20 years.

“This is an historic day that shows just how effective a citizens’ coalition working together for a waterfront they care deeply about can be,” said Jon Golinger, Campaign Director for the No Wall on the Waterfront Campaign.  “The political establishment said there was no way we could collect enough signatures in less than 30 days to qualify a referendum and that we shouldn’t bother trying.  But now, instead of back-room politics ramming through a special waterfront height increase exemption for an ill-conceived project, the people will have the chance to decide.”

A new poll indicates that an overwhelming majority of San Francisco voters oppose the Waterfront Height Limit Increase for the 8 Washington Project.  The poll of 400 voters conducted from July 27-29 by David Binder Research asked S.F. voters the likely referendum question, “Shall the City and County of San Francisco amend the Zoning Map to increase the allowable building height limits at 8 Washington Street from 84 feet to 136 feet?”  Only 25% of voters said they would vote “Yes” to increase height limits and allow the project while 56% of voters said they would vote “No.”  According to the poll, the 8 Washington Project waterfront height limit increase would be rejected by more than a 2-1 margin and by voters in every Supervisor District across the city.

Now that the referendum petition has been officially certified, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will be required by law to consider repealing the height limit increase ordinance at their next meeting in September.  If a majority of the Supervisors declines to repeal the ordinance, the law requires that they vote to place it on the next election ballot which is more than 88 days away from that date, which would likely be the November 5, 2013 Municipal Election Ballot.

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