The Mission Bay Alliance, noted opponents to the Warriors' San Francisco arena plans and avid haters of traffic, put out a press release today proposing that the Warriors look elsewhere: specifically, a plot of land south of Mission Bay.
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Image courtesy of Mission Bay Alliance
Spaulding said the Alliance wants to help the Warriors and the City develop a site that could work for the Warriors. Although it had no obligation to do so, the Alliance took the practical step of searching for a better site for the arena when no one else did. Its efforts have now culminated in success: the new alternative site can meet project objectives and lessen environmental impacts.
"The site is the best location for the Warriors and the environment. After they analyze it, the City and the Warriors should come to the conclusion that we did: it is a far superior site in the best interests of the environment and everyone," Spaulding added.
Coincidentally, the location they've selflessly vetted for the Warriors is also the best location for them — close enough to take advantage of the economic boon, while not sitting on a valuable parcel of land within the boundaries of their biomedical township.
"The Warriors and City should jump at the opportunity our proposed site near Pier 80 provides," Spaulding said.
Thanks, dudes!
Assuming for a moment that the city and the Warriors have managed to completely overlook this alternate site that is "already owned in part by the City of San Francisco and the SFMTA", perhaps the proposal holds some water. It's closer to 280 (hell, it's practically underneath it!), there's more space for other business to build around it, the location could be in better position to take advantage of the rapidly gentrifying Dogpatch, and it wouldn't be surrounded by UCSF research facilities, which, honestly, feels kinda weird.
However, I don't think we can assume any such thing. Public transportation access is worse, as is its proximity to existing economic growth centers. There are other plans in the works with the city and that stretch of dilapidated buildings south of the Dogpatch which may call into question the feasibility of such a development. And in case you missed my bleeding sarcasm, the Mission Bay Alliance is not loudly and publicly pushing this proposal out of the kindness of their own hearts — I would not immediately take for granted that the environmental impact research they've done is as conclusive as this press release claims. Their concerns about traffic are real, but those concerns are not unique to Mission Bay.
This proposal is largely posturing for the eventual battle for public opinion, which the Warriors are currently winning. The issue is eventually going to hit the ballot, and the Mission Bay Alliance wants to be seen as the good guys: "Look, we even gave them a great alternative!" Now the ball, as the saying goes, is in the Warriors' court.