To whittle the controversy over decades-long, contentious development project down to the bare minimum, it pitted developers and the building trades on one side against environmentalists -- concerned about toxic waste on the former shipyard and the impact of a bridge over a wetland -- and myriad forces concerned about gentrification of Bayview-Hunters Point on the other.
If you believe the most fervent supporters of either position, today's vote will either lead to a bonanza of jobs and transform Hunters Point into the land of milk and honey or lead to rampant gentrification while poisoning everone who treads atop the befouled ground.
Politically, Board President David Chiu apparently managed to both advance a massive redevelopment project -- opposing it would have potentially been a roadblock to higher office -- and keep his progressive credentials intact. He introduced amendments giving the city more oversight of the cleanup process and engineering of the controversial bridge, among others. This may have helped him get some political "cover" -- progressives Supervisor David Campos and Ross Mirkarimi also joined him in voting yes in the 8-3 tally.
With the EIR out of the way, a final vote on the project is scheduled for next month.
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