The Plaza 16 coalition hosted another inspiring and productive community meeting last evening at St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church. Once again, the house was packed, and once again the message from residents and organizations from the community was clear, no more market-rate and luxury developments in the Mission District until affordable housing needs are met.

Last night’s meeting had the particular goal of uniting community based organizations in the Mission in the fight against Maximus Real Estate Partners’ proposed luxury development for 1979 Mission Street at the 16th/Mission BART Plaza.  Members of the community and organization leaders spoke to the crowd calling for unity and insisting that community organizations not make their own deals with the developer, deals that might bring short-term financial benefit to the organization but have devastating and long-term impacts on the community they serve. Numerous organizations were represented and confirmed their support for the coalition’s demands. 

Read Mission Local‘s account, “At Plaza 16 Meeting, Non Profit Opposition Builds.”

Top Five Reasons Community Orgs Should Oppose the Project

During the meeting Maria Zamudio of Causa Justa :: Just Cause recited the Top Five Reasons Community Organizations Should Oppose the Maximus Project:

• If the Maximus project is built, organizations would lose the client bases they serve due to their displacement.
• The Maximus project would trigger a further rise in evictions of residential and commercial tenants.
• The Maximus project would result in a loss of culture and character in the Mission, a poor/working class, lgbt, immigrant, Latino, and African American enclave
• The 16th/Mission Plaza would become an exclusive playground for higher income residents and push out communities of color and lower income.
• We need comprehensive planning in our community that takes into consideration the needs of the existing community. We need planning for people not for profit.

Thanks so much to everyone who joined us last evening and helped make it such an inspiring and successful event!

UPDATE:  The San Francisco Bay Guardian has posted a story on the meeting as well:
Ranks of opposition to 16th and Mission development as Plaza 16 pushes forward.

Please join us THIS THURSDAY for an urgent community meeting.

MISSION COMMUNITY UNITED
Thursday, August 28, 6PM
St. John’s Episcopal Church
1661 Fifteenth Street at Julian Ave. (main entrance on Julian)

We are inviting and reaching out to Individuals, residents, organizations, and community leaders who live work, play, pray, provide services, and care about our Mission community.

Join us for a conversation about the 10-story, 350 unit luxury housing project being proposed for 1979 Mission St, on the northeast corner 16th/Mission BART Plaza. We will discuss the impacts this monster development will have on the Mission community, particularly low-income individuals and working families. The affordable housing crises and widespread unjust evictions have displaced thousands of local residents and non-profit workers. Further worsening the gentrification of the neighborhoods and communities we have built and sustained for generations. 

The focus of this important meeting will be seeking unity as organizations and residents. We will discuss the proposed development for 1979 Mission Street, and shed light on the horrible track record of the developer Maximus Development. Together we will consider the impacts this development will have on our neighbors, immigrant merchants, Marshall school children, and the dozens of surrounding non-profit organizations. Our goal inform ourselves, deepen our unity and stand firm against the empty promises by the multi-million dollar developer Maximus.

The Plaza 16 Coalition has formed to oppose the 1979 Mission Street project because it would be unaffordable to the existing community and because it would drive up residential and commercial rents in the neighborhood, exacerbating the neighborhood’s displacement crisis, and block sunlight and worsen pedestrian hazards for the hundreds of Marshall school kids. We encourage all organizations and individuals in the community to join us in advocating for deeply affordable housing in the Mission District and in opposing market rate developments, such as 1979 Mission, until affordable housing needs are met.