Envisioning a Better Neighborhood
By Bryan Quan
Ever since the sighting of San Francisco Bay by Portolá in 1769, the desire to come to the region has only grown.
One of the fascinating infographics I've noticed popping up around the Lands End trail has been tidbits about the various shipwrecks that dot the entrance to the safe and calm waters of the Bay. It's easy to forget that the fog and strong currents just west of the Golden Gate Bridge created a mortal danger that, until fairly recently, posed one of the greatest challenges to our then-growing region.
Surprisingly, the first shipwreck in the area was in 1595 from a Spanish galleon, the San Agustin, that just missed making it to the San Francisco Bay and sank off the coast of Point Reyes. The 1888 collision between the SS Oceanic and the SS City of Chester nearly worsened U.S.-China relations at the turn of the century, but potentially turned the course of history with the bravery of the Chinese crew and passengers coming to the rescue of the fast-sinking City of Chester.
The most impactful shipwreck in the area was likely the SS City of Rio de Janeiro in 1901 that hit Mile Rock amidst heavy fog and led to the building of the Mile Rock Lighthouse. Yet, even as late as 1952, the FV Fernstream fell victim to an accidental collision in heavy fog despite calm seas, fog signals and radar.
Could you imagine had we not installed the ever-present foghorns, modern lighthouses and worked to make the heavily trafficked route safer? Without investing and building up the area there might have been considerably more shipwrecks and the San Francisco Bay Area would not have been the major port during WWII that became the springboard to our continued prosperity. Growing infrastructure and making routes safer as the volume of traffic increased is how cities and regions change over time if they want to grow to accommodate the people that give character to the area.
Yet it seems we are getting in own way on change these days at City Hall. Recent housing projects that appear to have all their permits ready, like 469 Stevenson and 1151 Washington as well as long-standing proposals, like the Geary BRT or the Alexandria Theatre adaptive reuse, face further delays. The path forward on these projects has become as opaque as the August fog that settles over Outside Lands. The incessant need for public input at times feels like a riptide pulling us away from the shore. And a discretionary review process on even the smallest project are the rocky reefs hiding below the waterline ready to capsize the unwary.
With the state setting forth to address the challenges ahead regarding housing, transit and the environment, the City will need to adapt to its approved draft plan submitted to the state or face losing decision-making ability and funding on future projects. To not be sunken by a state takeover, the mayor's Housing for All strategy "consists of governmental organization actions, administrative actions and legislative actions the City will take to meet the bold goal set in the Housing Element of allowing for 82,000 new homes to be built over eight years."
Part of this the mayor can directly implement, like allowing our departments to work more efficiently, more cohesively and more collaboratively. The legislative side will need approval and support from the Board of Supervisors and the electorate to see even more of the streamlining take place.
We built things to make it safer, reliable and improved. If we needed to do that now, what would we face? Complaints about the noise created by the foghorns. Upsetting the natural views with a giant International Orange-colored suspension bridge. This is an opportunity for innovation and growth. We shouldn't hold hostage any new changes to the need to prevent any possible harm. Community inputs and insights should be helping improve changes and understanding how to best mitigate the transition.
It is easy to lose sight of how much our environment is a thing we've built and invested in over many decades. These shipwrecks of the past should remind us that we can create genuine progress as long as we have leaders willing to advance change. That's where we can make sure our leaders in City Hall are ensuring that this change is one that is inclusive of housing for all income levels; one that helps us achieve our density goals and our climate goals; one that can help alleviate the homelessness problem; one that can attract and support a diverse population of teachers, first responders, artists and restaurant workers; one in which families can stay together and seniors can age in place and kids can afford to stay in the City and make a life for themselves where they grew up.
By committing our support for the upcoming Housing for All legislation, we can finally start to see a clearer path through the fog of permits that could sink our housing future with the state.
Brian Quan is a Richmond District native, co-leader of Grow the Richmond, president of the Chinese American Democratic Club, member of the Park Presidio-Sunset Lions Club and participant in monthly Refuse Refuse S.F. street clean-ups.
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