[CPEO-MEF] Shipyard deal good for city

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

California
Shipyard deal good for city

THE City began negotiating with the United States Navy to obtain
ownership of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard during the early stages of
the George Bush presidency -- the elder George Bush, that is. Twelve
years into a saga that has alternately raised and dashed the hopes of
Bayview-Hunters Point residents, The City is finally nearing the point
at which it can break ground at the shipyard with an ambitious plan that
includes thousands of low-cost residential units, retail space, an
artists' colony, and other needed attractions.

But much work remains to be done, and the next few months will be
crucial. Last December The City, the Navy, and the developer, Lennar,
entered into a legally binding agreement that requires the Navy to turn
over the land to The City by November, and lays out the schedule of
cleanup of toxins at the contaminated Superfund site.

Some community activists are arguing that, instead of the
parcel-by-parcel cleanup and development plan worked out between the
parties, the Navy should be forced to clean up the entire bloc of land
before any development occurs.

That, however, would delay the project for years. The Navy is in the
midst of trying to transfer dozens of former military bases around the
country to cities. It has been given the mandate by Congress to carry
out its transfers in a timely fashion, and the Navy is inclined to place
more emphasis and effort in those cities where it is close to a
completed transfer agreement.

This editorial can be viewed at:
http://www.examiner.com/opinion/default.jsp?story=n.editorial.0226w

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