Paper mislead to support Bay Meadows II project

For example, the only grade school, George Hall, is close to 1/2 mile away, and when I talked to the school district they will have no bus service for the children. That means the kids will walk, crossing a busy intersection on Hillsdale Avenue, which isn't feasible for the younger ones. More likely they will be driven by their folks. With 1,500 residences planned that will greatly increase the traffic congestion and does not fit into the public transit-oriented community the project tries to promote, once the parents get into their cars.

I was talking to retired Fire Deputy Paul Kulkowski, who told me the housing in the Bay Meadows I project does not comply with the response time the Fire Department mandates, nor are the streets wide enough to allow the larger response vehicles. He also said that while inspecting the project for safety items like smoke alarms he saw mold already growing on the walls of places only a few years old. When he expressed his concerns to his superiors he was told to keep quiet in the name of "Progress." Instead he took an early retirement rather than be complicit in what could be a real disaster. His opinion is that Project II will have the same results.

Speaking of disasters, Bay Meadows is the only large open space area left in San Mateo, and in these post-Katrina times it would be a perfect staging area for emergency vehicles and helicopters when the big earthquake that the experts forecast strikes the area.

The project planners try to scare people into believing that Bay Meadows will devolve into a casino, but there is no proof of that. In fact, the plan to put in slot machines there was turned down before it reached the voters' ballot in the last election.

The project calls for a million square feet of office space to be built, but there is already so much office vacancy locally that the city of San Mateo has to lease space downtown that they don't want or need. The office space built for Project I remains nearly 1/2 vacant, and very few people living in the Project I plan work there. Demolishing Bay Meadows will put nearly 700 people out of work, and those losses will affect the local economy.

The project planners had to hire people to gather petition signatures, and I personally heard say " Who is in favor of affordable housing," and "Bay Meadow wants to put in slot machines," to lure people into signing. Only a fraction of the plan calls for housing "below market value" and there was an article in one of the local papers about how the planners are already trying to amend that proposal to their advantage. The last statement on their petition says in bold print "No costs to the taxpayer," another one of their fallacies.

The addition of so many houses would impact the environment, traffic congestion, and water quality far more than what they would have you believe.

I want you to know that while I am in favor of keeping Bay Meadows, I infrequently go there, and it is for the excitement of the races. I seldom wager and even then it is only $6 on a horse, so gambling is not my reason for writing you.

There are many other facts and reasons for saving Bay Meadows and why Project II is a big mistake. Have you been in touch with www.savebaymeadows.org or www.keepbaymeadows.info? Those people are far more eloquent than I am in stating those facts.

I hope you will reassess your position about the Bay Meadows II project.

Gary Warnock

San Mateo