Cow Palace could be on the state chopping block
By: John Upton
Examiner Staff Writer
May 14, 2009
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| A herd of cattle is led into the parking lot of the Cow Palace during the cattle drive to the 53rd Grand National rodeo in San Francisco. (ASSOCIATED PRESS) |
The Cow Palace could be redeveloped to include a grocery store and affordable housing if a new proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is passed.
Schwarzenegger will propose selling up to $1 billion of surplus or underutilized state land, including the 68-year-old, money-losing entertainment center in Daly City to help address the state’s fiscal crisis, according to Sen. Leland Yee.
The landmark could be sold or leased in part or in full, according to Yee, who said he was briefed Wednesday by Schwarzenegger’s office on the plans.
Last year Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill authored by Yee that would have allowed the sale of Cow Palace’s 13-acre overflowing parking lot so it could be included in a 37-acre redevelopment project featuring a grocery store, post office and other amenities.
The surrounding Bayshore neighborhood suffers a severe shortage of such amenities.
Yee described Schwarzenegger’s decision to consider the sale of Cow Palace to help relieve the state’s financial pressures as practical and wise and he said it could mean finally fulfilling a promise to the Bayshore community.
“Politicians after politicians have said, ‘We want to provide you with the amenities of any neighborhood,’ and then we’ve always come short of that promise,” Yee said.
A grocery store, affordable housing and other projects could be built within two years because planning efforts are well advanced, according to Yee.
Developers could be wooed, despite the poor economy, because the city and state would be motivated to cut red tape associated with their projects, according to Yee.
A development project could raise tens of millions of dollars for the state, Yee said.
Other state land to be proposed for sale or lease to help raise up to $1 billion includes San Quentin State Prison in Marin County, Del Mar Race Track in San Diego, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Cal Expo in Sacramento, according to Yee.
Yee’s bill was vetoed last year because it gave the Daly City Redevelopment Agency right of first refusal, rather than selling the land through a competitive bid process, according to Schwarzenegger’s veto statement.
Yee introduced a similar bill this year that instead proposes selling Cow Palace land to the highest bidder.
Cow Palace
$1 billion Value of proposed state land for sale
13 Acres in Cow Palace parking lot
68 Age of Cow Palace
50 million Visitors since it opened
jupton@sfexaminer.com
