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| Demolition of Geneva
Towers
Following is a letter to Visitacion Valley from HUD Regional Director Art Agnos. July 9, 1997 Dear Residents of Visitacion Valley: Geneva Towers will soon come down to make way for new homes. But first we must decide how Geneva Towers will be demolished. That is the question that you as residents of Visitacion Valley can help us answer in the next six weeks. Just as many of you helped in the decision a few years ago to tear down the towers and build better housing in the neighborhood, your ideas are needed once again for deciding on the method to be used for demolishing the towers. There are two demolition choices: 1)
the wrecking ball method, and 2) the implosion method.
In order to inform you of the advantages and disadvantages of these two methods and hear your opinion, I have requested the participation of many key leaders from the Visitacion Valley community to make sure that the community is as fully informed as possible and participates in the decision. They will be the Visitacion Valley Community Outreach Steering Committee. They will assist HUD in getting information out to you. We will conduct community presentations,
distribute multi-language literature describing demolition methods and
impact. This will increase your understanding of the process and provide
you with a way to let HUD know your preference for a demolition method.
We need to know the community's preference by the end of August so that
necessary building permits can be acquired.
Sincerely,
Proposed New Site for Norcal Waste Plant Following is a letter presented July 26 to members of the Visitacion Valley Task Force updating the garbage/trash, public disposal, hazardous waste and recycling facilities at the Norcal complex on Tunnel Avenue. Dear Task Force Members: The three main items are: (1) Norcal/Sanitary Fill Company (Westcoast Recycling) has submitted a construction and land use plan to the San Francisco Planning Department to relocate the recycling operations from 401 Tunnel Avenue and 350 Rhode Island Street to Shed A on Pier 80 at Third Street and Cesar Chavez Boulevard; (2) Sanitary Fill Company has withdrawn the Draft Environmental Report (DEIR) that was published in February 1995 for the major expansion project at the Tunnel/Beatty site. The DEIR was withdrawn before it had been certified by the Planning Commission as to being complete and accurate. (3) The City (Hazardous Waste Management) and Sanitary Fill Company have submitted to the Board of Supervisors for approval a three year contractual agreement to operate the hazardous waste facility at 501 Tunnel Avenue. The Little Hollywood Committee will continue to petition, request and promote the relocation of these heavy industrial operations. Our goal is to establish a large physical distance between this type of industry and a residential neighborhood. The Tunnel/Beatty site handles more than one million tons of material per year. The federal lands that are being transferred to City control will greatly increase this amount. These types of industries are necessary and convenient services that are beneficial to urban life. Our opposition is based on the lack of land for any expansion and for the adverse environmental impacts that are imposed on a residential neighborhood that is located directly adjacent to these types of facilities. Long and short term physical and mental health effects that could develop are unknown. There is also the possibility of genetic or adverse health effects during pregnancy. The 300 tests that were studied by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concerning air borne particulate clearly demonstrates that even non-toxic dust causes 67,000 deaths in the U.S. every year. A low to medium income and mainly minority community does not need the additional burden of preventable health problems. The Little Hollywood Committee and community are asking Visitacion Valley, Bayview/Hunters Point, Brisbane, and Daly City to support our efforts for relocation of these operations. These operations must be relocated to the largest M-2 heavy industrial district in the City, the Central Basin/Southern Waterfront area. This is the industrial heart of San Francisco and it has become a wasteland of massive warehouses and abandoned buildings.. A simple tour of the area east of Third Street at 20th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th Streets will clearly demonstrate the blight and deterioration of area that produced billions of dollars to the blue collar worker. Hundreds of acres of land go unused while we are told there are no jobs. Relocation of the garbage industries will be profitable and beneficial to everyone. The prestige of the City is diminished by the effects of the environmental racism and the lack of environmental equity. State law requires cities to provide areas for expansion of solid waste management without causing adverse environmental impacts on established communities The possible entanglement of class action litigation and worst cause scenario of federal involvement and the withholding of federal funds is not a pretty picture. The existing facilities are too old and too small to achieve the 50 percent reduction of the waste stream being dumped into landfills. A budget of $68 million was established to rebuild the facilities at the Tunnel/Beatty site and it was suggested that the residential and apartment building rate payers would pay for this construction There would be intense opposition to the garbage rate increases to fund a major construction project on private property. The rate payers might be persuaded to help fund the new facilities because the need for new facilities is very clear. Some inducements could be: the new facilities would be built on City property and would belong to the City; there is a consolidation of all the garbage companies management to reduce garbage rate increases and operational costs; the Redevelopment Agency will give substantial tax increment funds for construction and infrastructure; and California Integrated Solid Waste Management could arrange some type of grants. At a new location, facilities could be built without endangering the existing employees and the construction workers would not have to worry about garbage trucks and other large vehicles. The garbage companies would lease the new site from the City at a very reasonable rate. The Tunnel/Beatty site could then be leased, sold, purchased by the City, or developed for business or light industry that has a lot less adverse environmental effects and be more compatible to future commercial development in the Valley. Write or phone: *Senator Quentin L.Kopp, 363 El Camino
Real, So. San Francisco, CA 94080, (415) 952-5666
Thank you for your time,
Retraction on King Senior Housing Editor: The July 1997 Grapevine made some statements that should be retracted. At the June 11, 1997 Administrative meeting at the John W. KIng Senior Center, the team met to discuss the future plans for the Senior Housing to be constructed on Raymond Street. There were concerns how the housing should be erected. All ideas were discussed, some were agreed upon and some were not. We kicked it around until we all came to a happy medium. There was no discord among the sponsors in coming to that conclusion. The report that was written in the Grapevine was misleading and was misunderstood. We regret that this happened. We, sponsors, all want the same thing for the seniors. The Senior housing and the Senior Center must be comfortable, accessible and available to the neighborhood as well as to the seniors who will live there. John. W. King |