Coyote Point - Need immediate help from the community

[geffert]

Hi Everyone,

Happy 2012! I hope everyone is ready for the best wind season ever. It’s going to happen in 2012....or at least we are all ready for it!!!!

I know that all of you are busy, but I need to PERSONALLY ask you to help our wind community – this includes non-coyote point sailors and kiters too. I’ll explain below

I’ll be succinct as possible:

We as a wind community need as many members as possible to show up to a Burlingame Planning Commission on Monday night at 7pm.

What’s happening:
*There is an 18 acre lot just northwest of the Coyote Point Launch that is going to developed into an office Park.
*When the proposal was originally presented to the Burlingame Planning commission, the Planning commission’s staff recommended: 1) a limit of 471,000 square feet of building space, 2) That the buildings be developed diagonally to minimize the impact on the wind, 3) that the developers to include wind impact studies with their proposed design.

On Monday night, the Planning commission will be looking at the developers proposal, including their study of the impact on the wind.

The developers are proposing:
*A 777,000 square foot project = 64% increase in the City Council’s own staff recommendation!
*A flawed wind study comparing their current design of 770k square feet to a 471 square foot design that was never suggested. Instead of comparing their current design 771sq ft design to a 471k sq ft design where the buildings were build diagonally, they compared their design to a building layout that had zero consideration for wind impact. The result is that they are looking to say that their increased design will not have significantly more impact on the wind. IT WILL!

How can you help?

Show up to show your support – the more people from the wind community, the better. You can bet the construction union will have their out of work employees there by the dozons.
Ask the City Council to support it’s staff own recommendations for a 471k square foot usage. If the developers hold to the same design, but with the original proposed square foot usage, then there would an approximate 64% decrease in the wind impact.
Remind the city council that if it goes against it’s own recommendations, that will be a precedent to allow all of the other, current bay-side buildings to expand. There is one remaining site just northwest of this development site that will have an even greater impact on the wind one it is developed. Thus, the owners of this last site as well as current building owners adjacent to this site can use this new building exemption as a reason to build even higher buildings!

Why should you care? I don’t even kite/sail there (or not a lot).

All of our launch sites are under risk. And coyote point IS a launch site that can be used by both windsurfers and kiteboarding (we are now launching both kites and windsurfers down by the shop and way from the wind shadow – ready, set, go!) At 3rd Avenue and Alameda, the beach/launching areas are naturally eroding at alarming rates. Candlestick’s wind will be almost non-existent if/when the gigantic proposed developments go through the 101 freeway. The access to Crissy Field is being more and more constrained by sailing and other events (in 2013 America’s Cup events will make it extremely difficult to park and launch. Silt is building up more and more at Berkeley.

Coyote Point is, and can remain, a KITEBOARDING and WINDSURFING site for all of us to us. We are now launching and landing both kites (experienced kiters only) and windsurfers by the shop without problem – close to the wind line.... On extreme low tide days at 3rd or on too crowded days at 3rd, or on no wind days in Alameda or on days when Crissy and Berkeley are fogged in, COYOTE POINT IS THE PLACE TO GO. (Reminder: outdoor showers, indoor HOT showers, snack bar, grass rigging and parking passes that are only $40 for the season).

Come help us preserve this spot for all of our sakes!!!

Planning Commission
Date: 1/9/2012 7:00 PM
Location: Burlingame City Hall, Council Chambers
501 Primrose Road
Burlingame, California 94010


See you there!
-Rebecca
--
Boardsports School & Shop
Alameda - San Mateo - San Francisco
Voted "Best of the Bay"
http://www.BoardsportsSchool.com
415.385.1224

[jp5]

Some of us are from out of town, can we write to the address listed? Maybe there is an email?

[BillRx]

Written comments addressing the draft EIR are strongly encouraged. Although Rebecca summed up the issues well, you can download the draft EIR at www.burlingame.org;

To find the EIR, click on "Document Library" in the upper right; then expand "Planning Department"; and go all the way down to "Burlingame Point Project (former Drive-In Theater).

The document alone is over 700 pages, not counting most of the appendices. To assist in your navigation: 1) You will find from the beginning of the document, the massive size of the proposed project and the need for a variance from the existing Bayfront Specific Plan to accommodate their approximate 60% increase in building volume; 2) To assist in evaluating the potential impacts to wind speeds and quality (turbulence), you will find the Wind Tunnnel study in "Appendix I"; and 3) The Standards of Significance as described in the "CEQA Guidelines Appendix G", can be found on page 389, Section 3.11-9. Also, the meager Summary of Impacts, Etc. can be found in Table S-3, page S-39.

This Draft EIR is being circulated for review and comments until 5PM on January 16th... all written comments must be in by then. Because the potential impacts to wind quality are so significant, it would substantially impair access to and from the Bay from existing launch sites and prohibit windsurfing and kiteboarding instruction as practiced today due to the increase in confused winds in that area. We risk to lose both access to the Bay for experienced sailors and one of the only learning-friendly areas on San Francisco Bay, both of which are unique and vital existing recreational uses!

All written comments should be sent to:
Maureen Brooks, Planning Manager
City of Burlingame
Community Development Department
Planning Division
501 Primrose Road
Burlingame, CA 94010-3997
Fax: (650) 696-3790
Email: mbrooks@burlingame.org

We need as many windsurfers and kiters as possible to comment both in writing and at the hearing on Monday night... to take a stand, tell the Planning Commission how important Coyote is to your sport and livelihood, and though some development upwind is probably inevitable, that it should remain within the massing established by the existing Bayfront Specific Plan (0.6 FAR, not 1.0 FAR as proposed in this project) and give the recreational uses at Coyote a fighting chance!

Save Coyote!

[rlemmens]

It's funny that they're planning to build. Half the projects recently have had to stop half way because they ran out of money. Secondly, if you drive around the area, have you noticed how many office building are up for lease? It seems absurd. Also, what are the offices going to look out on?? The humane society and everything that occurs behind that blacked out fence?
I don't want the site to be built but, on the other hand, it's not public property so as long as everything is built to code the owners should be able to do what they want. I certainly don't want my neighbors to have a meeting about what happens on my property, I wouldn't listen. Honestly, unless it onshore or super windy the inside's always a hassle. Maybe a better idea would be for all the windsurfers to petition America's Cup to sponsor a replacement launch, since they're using Crissy field.

[jp5]

Email sent.

[mac]

rlemmens is concerned that:

[rlemmens]

Firstly, I'm just playing devil's advocate here, I'll send a letter. But wouldn't you want your property to be worth $45,000,000 (that's a lot of zeroes) more. Also, if they're saying there's a 20% effect on the wind, instead of blowing 20 on the inside it would be blowing 16. The other thing the developers could argue is that Coyote point beach is a public park, and the building could block some of the wind and make the beach more pleasant for visitors. I'm sure there are more visitors than windsurfers. Finally, even if there is a 20% effect on the wind, it won't make the inside area less navigable, you can still schlogg out, go upwind and downwind, you'll just plane a little later. And don't forget, for beginners, there's no better place than Shoreline.

[geohaye]

Thank you Jane, Rebecca, Bill, Jim, et al for bringing this urgent issue to everyone's attention. I am back East but my comment letter has been sent!

Everyone reading this, please at least do the minimum and send an email before 5PM on Monday January 16 to:
mbrooks@burlingame.org

...with a short statement such as THIS BELOW (copy and paste this one if you have very little time; though sending your own unique statement would be more powerful):

Please do not allow the proposed approximately 770,000 sq ft building project northwest of Coyote Point to go forward. The impacts to wind quality would be so significant that this building project would substantially impair windsurfing and kiteboarding access to and from San Francisco Bay at existing, long-established launch sites. It would also prohibit effective windsurfing and kiteboarding instruction due to the severe degradation of wind conditions in the area. Local businesses would therefore be harmed.

The strong and relatively steady wind conditions in this area are of an extremely rare and unique nature -- making nearby recreation areas absolutely vital to the community -- and thus this largely unobstructed natural windflow pattern must be protected. Therefore, the building project, as proposed, must be denied.

YOUR NAME
YOUR ADDRESS

[kcorr1]

as if nearshore winds at coyote p(ay parking lo)t have ever been that great. From boardsports, I never expect less than a 10 minute slog from shore to the wind. That, and the ranger rape to get a vehicle in of $6, are the reasons why I never go there unless there is a free demo day at boardsports. I hope I get a job in those new buildings so I can windsurf instead of working when its windy. I'd work there for less if they kicked in for windsurf equipment storage, grass rigging area and a ramp to launch. I'd get absent employee of the month plaques from the boss March thru September.

[king1]

Unbelievable takes.
More schlogging is what we all need for our access...?
Coyote is a great spot. Come on.