The Loma Prietan
May/June 2005
The Bay Meadows project and the Sierra Club
by Irv Dawid, SLU Committee Chair
Recently the chapter has been
receiving calls from many of its
members, especially those living in
the City of San Mateo, asking where
we stand on this project that has
received enormous publicity lately.
For those of you unfamiliar with the
site, it is the 83-acre historic racetrack
abutting the Hillsdale and Bay
Meadows Caltrain stops by El
Camino Real (opposite Hillsdale
Shopping Center).
Unfortunately, by the time this
article is published, some important
dates in terms of public input will
already have passed. However, our
members still have many opportunities
to have their voices heard. See
www.cityofsanmateo.org/dept/planning/corridor_dates.html.
Please note the July 18, 7pm
meeting at the San Mateo City
Council Chambers (330 W. 20th
Avenue). It will be a public hearing
on the Bay Meadows Specific Plan
Amendment and proposed approval
of the Development Agreement.
The Chapter is currently evaluating
how to weigh in on where we
stand on the re-use or preservation of
the site (the SLU committee meeting
on April 12th was dedicated to this
topic, but the outcome came too late
for publication deadline - please see
our website). Because this project is
intended to be transit-oriented infill
development, it is of great interest to
the Sierra Club. We are further
encouraged by the fact that the City
of San Mateo is currently considering
a larger "Rail Corridor Transit
Oriented Development Plan" that
includes several infill development
opportunity sites along the Caltrain
line in San Mateo.
Also, having input into the plan is
not only about support and opposition
—it is also about advocating that
infill development in San Mateo be
designed and implemented with sustainability
in mind. We urge Club
members to let the City know that
sustainable development, as exemplified
by green building, water conservation,
energy efficiency and renewable
energy use, urban parks, and
water quality protection should be
part of creating a sustainable community.
In evaluating both the Bay
Meadows, Phase II development, and
the Rail Corridor Plan, the chapter
will use Sierra Club California's
Urban Growth Management Policy
Guidelines
www.sierraclubcalifornia.org/policies/growth.shtml and
the nascent Sustainable Land Use
Standards for Residential Project
Endorsement, approved by the chapter's
Conservation Committee meeting
of March 28
lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/slu/approvedMarch05.html.
We urge our members to email the
Sustainable Land Use committee:
LOMAP-LANDUSE-FORUM@lists.sierraclub.org, or phone the
chapter office: 650-390-8411 with
your comments. Please visit the SLU
website as well:
lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/slu/index.html.
Most importantly, familiarize
yourself with both the project and
the corridor plan. See
www.cityofsanmateo.org/dept/planning/corridor.html.