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Oh, Berkeley

By Tom Fletcher

From the San Francisco Chronicle, regarding the Downtown Planning Advisory Committee's recommendations on what Berkeley should do next:

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Another potential problem with the plan is that no one knows if it's economically feasible. Developers might not be able to make a profit with the proposed height limits and green construction requirements, ultimately leaving downtown in the long-term slump it's in now.

"We're very much concerned. We want to see some real economic measurement," said Deborah Badhia, executive director of the Downtown Berkeley Association, which represents business owners. "There's a lot we agree with, but we very much want to see the business sector remain healthy."

The committee didn't look at economic factors it ran out of time, and "the majority (of members) felt they couldn't trust economists," Travis said. "We felt it was our job to come up with a Christmas wish list for the city. It's up to the parents to decide what we actually get."

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When I think about how beautiful the town could be, and how it's run, I feel sad. I suppose two points pop out to me: 1) the committee didn't finish its work completely, but instead decided to turn in a speculative report, and 2) the committee does not appear to have wanted to economically vet the plan anyway ("the majority felt they couldn't trust economists").

I think the last point should have gotten that majority of the committee fired, but I don't think that will happen in Berkeley. My current bet: no one can economically develop given the constraints imposed by the plan, downtown continues to deteriorate as investements by UC, others are wasted.

Counterhypothetical: would downtown improvement proceed more smoothly without a planning advisory committee, but with a constant police presence instead?

Full post as published by Nuts & Boalts on December 17, 2007 (boomark / email).