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Commission backs Japantown overhaul
By: John Upton
06/25/09 7:21 PM PDT
A draft plan to overhaul Japantown was acknowledged Thursday by the Planning Commission.
The unanimous vote was largely irrelevant, except that it pushed responsibility for overseeing finalization of the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan to the Board of Supervisors, which has taken the lead in finalizing similar neighborhood plans in recent years.
Commissioner Michael Antonini described the draft plan as a “great start” and a “work in progress.”
The aim of the Japantown plan is to bring new visitors, housing, ground-floor stores and open space into the neighborhood.
Up to $41 million would need to be raised through development impact fees and neighborhood taxes to pay for proposed public improvements included in the draft 20-year plan.
Some residents and neighbors have criticized the draft plan, saying it could have a gentrifying effect, and that The City has failed to sufficiently consult with the community about the proposed changes.
Funding has not yet been allocated for an environmental impact report, which is needed before the plan can be implemented.
This blog entry was corrected after it was published to reflect the fact that the commission voted to acknowledge the draft plan. The blog entry originally stated that the commission voted to endorse the draft plan.
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