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April 2, 2006

Bay Meadows plan touts supporters

Detractors agree that despite flaws, 83-acre project sets positive public precedent

SAN MATEO — Bay Meadows Phase II, a mixed-use project slated to replace Bay Meadows Race Course, has an enviable list of supporters who have drawn ire from racetrack preservationists.

But these groups argue that the project focuses on a greater good: setting a precedent for more transit-oriented developments and encouraging public participation in major projects for the future.

The project plans call for an 83-acre village of housing, retail, office and park space next to the Caltrain line. Resident groups are fighting in court to reverse City Council's unanimous vote for redevelopment by trying to qualify a referendum on the November ballot.

Bay Meadows Land Co., the racetrack's owner, has the backing of everyone from environmental groups to the San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce and the County Building and Construction Trades Council, all of which support the project for reasons that range from stimulation of the economy to an expected decrease in traffic on the already clogged roadways.

City Council lent its unanimous approval in November, saying the project was an opportunity that provided millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements that the city literally couldn't afford to pass up.

Greenbelt Alliance spokeswoman Michele Beasley said that developments near mass transit cut down on commuting — and therefore, air pollution and traffic congestion — when people can live and work in the same place.

Rafael Reyes, a San Mateo residentwho volunteers with the Sierra Club, agreed that an infill development this large is rare and the city was right to approve it.

He has noted that it keeps residents in their communities, where they shop in nearby stores while keeping car use down.

The message is that if public transportation is nearby, people will use it, Reyes said.

The project's support base was enough to sway Marina Lagoon-area resident Rick Sakuda.

"I've never seen all these groups come together for anything," said Sakuda, a member of San Mateo Together, a group supporting redevelopment. "To me, it's a no-brainer. They're pretty rational people."

He also says, citing the five-year public process that led to the project's approval, that the land company opened a door for more community input on large developments.

"They showed that you can come to a community first and create a win-win situation up front," Sakuda said.

Sakuda acknowledged that the racetrack preservationists are well-organized and influential, but he believes that if the issue went to the voters as a referendum this fall, the results would be overwhelmingly in favor of upholding redevelopment plans.

"As community groups, we can't always be 'me first,'" Sakuda said. "We need to think about what's best for the whole city."

Staff writer Tara Ramroop covers San Mateo. She can be reached at (650) 348-4302 or by e-mail at tramroop@sanmateocountytimes.com.

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