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Greenbelt Alliance In the News

November 30, 2005

Bay Meadows can't go back

Opinion

Residents of San Mateo County could soon be facing the opposite side of the coin.

The city of San Mateo has put the Bay Meadows Land Co. through an extraordinary six-year community planning process in the effort to actively plan for San Mateo's future growth and create smart, transit-oriented development along the Caltrain line that will meet the growing needs of our community. The reuse plans for the racetrack were studied in more than 100 public meetings by community members, two citizens advisory committees, and local and regional environmental groups.

The result was unparalleled for a development, and the plan to recycle the track received support from the Sierra Club, Greenbelt Alliance, the League of Women Voters, the Housing Leadership Council, and Peninsula Interfaith Action ­ not exactly your typical development backers.

Instead of embracing the results of this model collaboration, a small number of racetrack goers have begun to collect signatures that could put an anti-Bay Meadows referendum on the ballot, threatening to derail the years of hard work and diligent study by both the city and the community.

Given what has happened in California with the growth of Indian gaming and the introduction of "racinos," combining racing and casino gambling, it is clear that horse racing is no longer a viable business for Bay Meadows.

The choices for Bay Meadows' future are simple: It can continue to try to expand its gaming operations and add slot machines, or it can be recycled into a new use such as a new neighborhood. The city of San Mateo favors the latter, and so do I.

One of the most important issues facing our community today is a lack of housing. And as land in the Bay Area becomes increasingly scarce and valuable, the importance of smart, transit-oriented development has come sharply into focus. The Bay Meadows development is just this type of project, providing in-fill housing in an environment that promotes walking and the use of public transit, with a generous number of affordable homes set aside for those that qualify.

It is for this very reason that the San Mateo City Council unanimously approved the specific plan and development agreement, applauding the Bay Meadows developer for its outreach work and commitment to the community in creating a new, positive use for the failing track. It is also why the Sierra Club believes the project can serve as a model for future housing development on the Peninsula.

We can't "save Bay Meadows" as we know it. This is not the choice. The only way to save the track is through increased gaming. This may be all right for the few who value a horse track in San Mateo over all else, but it is not all right for the great majority of people who live here.

As we have seen in the East Bay, there are two ways to win approval for development: Through an honest effort in a community development process; or by distorting the issues and putting them to voters.

In this case, Bay Meadows has made this honest effort. We cannot allow a few fans of horse racing to undo the hard work that residents and local officials have put into this important project. It happened in Pittsburg and Antioch, only now the shoe is on the other foot ­ it is the developers who have acted responsibly and the critics who are attempting to usurp the same community planning process that they actively participated in.

Before you sign anything, know the facts and study the issues as the city and the community have done. Otherwise, we could end up betting San Mateo's future on the wrong horse.

Jerry Hill is a member of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and resides in San Mateo.

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