richhillissf@yahoo.com, dennis.richards@sfgov.org, planning@rodneyfong.com, christine.d.johnson@sfgov.org, joel.koppel@sfgov.org, myrna.melgar@sfgov.org, kathrin.moore@sfgov.org, Commissions.Secretary@sfgov.org

CC:
mayoredwinlee@sfgov.org, Hillary.Ronen@sfgov.org, Nate.Allbee@sfgov.org, john.rahaim@sfgov.org, richard.sucre@sfgov.org, debra.dwyer@sfgov.org, andy@plaza16.org

It’s always great if you can explain in your own words why you oppose the project but if you need it, here’s is a sample letter you can use or adapt.

San Francisco Planning Commission
1650 Mission Street, Suite 400
San Francisco, CA 94103

RE: Case No. 2013.1543, 1979 Mission Street Mixed-Use Project

Dear President Hillis and Planning Commissioners,

I am writing to express our strong opposition to the project proposed for 1979 Mission Street by Maximus Real Estate Partners, known widely as the “Monster in the Mission.” As you know, the Mission District is facing a dire crisis of community and cultural displacement. To address this crisis, we must prioritize deeply affordable housing at this site, not a project of mostly luxury-priced housing that will further accelerate gentrification and the displacement of the existing residents, SRO hotels, mom and pop businesses, nonprofit organizations, arts and cultural spaces, PDR spaces etc. We urge you to recognize the urgent crisis facing the neighborhood, acknowledge the impact of the current massive and unsustainable imbalance of market-rate vs. affordable development in the neighborhood, and reject this project outright.

Furthermore, the Maximus project would have a significant negative impact on the Marshall Elementary School community.  Not only would none of the housing in the project be affordable to the majority of families and employees at this Spanish immersion school, the project would also cast a shadow over the school’s playground for most of the school day. For many students this playground is their primary outdoor recreational space. The developer’s proposal to raise the playground would not sufficiently mitigate the shadow impact. We stand with the many Marshall community members who oppose this project due to its unaffordability and student-harming shadow impacts.

With the overwhelming influx of market-rate development across the Mission, we must prioritize affordable housing at all remaining building sites. Yet as 16th and Mission is one of the City’s busiest public transportation hubs, affordable housing there is even more essential. Recent research confirms that low income households use public transit at much higher rates than higher income households that drive and/or use car shares at much higher rates. Therefore, building deeply affordable versus market-rate housing  at 16th and Mission would benefit the environment and our city with reduced greenhouse emissions and less street congestion.

The Maximus project would exacerbate the Mission’s displacement crisis, would cast both a metaphorical and literal shadow of the Marshall School community, and would likely result in both increased pollution and traffic. Instead of the Monster, our organization supports a plan for the site such as the “Marvel,” the community serving project envisioned and created with input from over 300 community members via a grassroots year-long process anchored by the Plaza 16 Coalition. We strongly urge you to fulfil your sacred duty as city planners and use your significant power to reject an unaffordable, community-harming Monster in the Mission and instead advocate for an affordable, community-serving Marvel.

Sincerely,