by Jerry Feitelberg

The San Francisco Giants hopes to develop retail and condos on parking lot A at AT&T Park might be all but a memory with the very probable passing of Proposition B a city initiative that limits any buildings to 40 feet or less. Niether the Giants or San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee are taking a position in the June election on Prop B.

The Giants had hoped for developments on the 27 acre property of two 380 foot towers, ten commmerical and residential buildings that would house 1,000 units, the Giants wanted to add another 280 feet to the towers.Former San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos who opposed any development that exceeds the height limit on the Waterfront said that the Giants proposal at the time was “Donald Trump style planning.”

It is the long shot hopes (behind the scenes) of the Giants who have not come out against the measure publicly, that it would not pass so they would not have to go to the voters for any development approvals but that’s real long odds as Prop B is predicted to win convincingly.

Agnos, former San Francisco Board of Supervisor president Aaron Peskin and Prop B campaign co-chairman Jon Golinger took their fight to City Hall to get the initiative on the ballot when the Warriors were in the planning stages to build at Piers 30-32 a new arena and have a luxury condo tower and hotel built across the street from the arena.

With that in mind Waterfront residents with San Francisco voters in tow took more than the minimum amount of petition ballots needed to put Prop B on the ballot, according to some reports it was almost double the minimum amount needed to qualify for the June election.

The Warriors shortly thereafter took the cue and realized that this was not a fight that they wanted to have with the San Francisco voter and made their land purchase from Mission Bay land owners Salesforce and purchased the property for the Warriors new arena without objections from the residents, Agnos, Peskin, or Golinger.

The Giants still wanted their retail, commericial and residential property development on Lot A but also realized by not opposing the measure that they didn’t want to take on the San Franisco voters. In talks with residents and downtown workers, some said that the underlying arguement against the development was also because of gentification and that they questioned how much affordable housing from the condos would be available something that Agnos had asked about a few times much to the sound of crickets.

The strong arguement that defeated waterfront development will always be height limits as neighbors argued they wanted a strong protection of the views of the Bay Bridge, Bay and East Bay. What was surprising was when Lee, the Giants, and the Warriors, actually thought they could get these projects done after the loss of last November’s election propositions B and C the Washington 8. Washington 8 was set up to develop retail and condo towers by the Ferry Building.

Washington 8, both Props B and C lost by a large margins and shortly thereafter the Warriors went big on the new arena idea at Piers 30-32 but after this recent Prop B campaign it’s very likely any future developements will have to be approved by the voters.

Jerry Feitelberg is covering the arena developemnts of the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings for http://www.sportsradioservice.com