Meeting on Embarcadero

I went to a meeting at the Port Commission Hearing Room the Ferry Building on Embarcadero. The Planning Department’s Northeast Embarcadero Study was initiated by Supervisor Chiu and funded by the Port of San Francisco, according to San Francisco Planning Department. The study timeline is a year and being completed in four phases. “Public comment has been solicited and considered throughout the entire Study and will continue as the recommendations are considered by each commission.” I was the youngest one there.

It was basically about urban development. It seems the city will go through with further development on the Embarcadero, but it also wishes to know what local resident think about it, and what the impact of development might be.

There are talking about opening up and extending streets to Embarcadero, and closing a lane on that street to make more space for pedestrians. That street is like a surface highway. They’re talking about opening up the spaces and adding greenery, such as plants and lawns for recreation and sports.

Of course, some complained that they do not desire a more ‘urban’ Embarcadero, and that the reason they like Embarcadero is because it is relatively quiet and does not have many shops or tourists. A local resident at the meeting said, the tourists can have pier, but leave Embarcadero alone.

Since urban development is a hard subject to cover, even those at the meeting thought the subject was very broad and the guidelines many to cover. There will be another meeting soon. Apparently, the city and its people want to develop Embarcadero and Fisherman's Wharf to create a better 'sense of place,' and open up the Northeast Waterfront to contextually connect it to the city.