Proposed housing blocks playground sun

Letter to the editor in today's SF Chronicle:

Why S.F. supervisors are right to halt housing development near Chinatown

Regarding “After a fleeting moment of reason on housing, S.F. supes are back to chasing shadows” (Open Forum, SFChronicle.com, June 28): 

The recent decision by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to require environmental review for a small townhome project near Chinatown is reasonable.

The project requires analysis because it would block sunlight from reaching a public park and would be built on a site that is contaminated with toxic chemicals, adjacent to one of the few playgrounds around Chinatown.

Unfortunately, Louis Mirante’s commentary ignores the subtleties of the issue and uses the supervisors’ decision as an excuse to smear the California Environmental Quality Act.

The area near the proposed development is populated largely by working people living in cramped spaces, often in just one room, and there are so many highrise buildings that sunlight is a rare commodity. 

Residents rely on the park for fresh air, sunlight and exercise.

CEQA is working exactly as planned. By requiring projects to mitigate their negative impacts, CEQA gives people like these residents a voice in land use decisions that affect them.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin explained that housing and natural resources (such as public parks) “are not mutually exclusive concepts, but they require care and consideration.” 

Let’s take the time to consider the nuances and get housing done right.

Hanmin Liu, director

Upper Chinatown Neighborhood Association 

San Francisco

Rob's comment:

"Halt" has become a ubiquitous single word cliche. What's wrong with plain old "stop"?

See also Is CEQA Preventing Housing from Being Built in California? and S.F. supervisors shelved townhome project because of shadows....