The Tag ProjectFight on
A signed lease in developer Doug Manchester's hands and approval from the Centre City Development Corporation doesn't mean the war over the Manchester Pacific Gateway project is over. Oh no-no, indeed.
The opposition takes the fight to the City Council on Tuesday, Jan. 9, when that august body will consider an appeal of the project's environmental-impact report (EIR) brought by the newly incorporated Broadway Complex Coalition. BCC members are optimistic, thanks to a recent legal memo from City Attorney Mike Aguirre.
The memo contradicts a position taken by CCDC and the city's Development Services Department, said Cory Briggs, a lawyer for BCC. Specifically, Briggs says, the memo sites several passages in a recently released environmental assessment produced by the Navy which indicate substantial changes in circumstances since 1990, when the last EIR for the project, slated for Navy land at the west end of Broadway on the waterfront, was compiled. If the City Council determines that new information has come to light, a new EIR would be required by California law. Such a finding would force Manchester to put his silver shovel away, because it will be weeks or months before he'd be able to break ground.
Marcela Escobar-Eck, director of the Development Services Department, told CityBeat that even though her staff had not been privy to the Navy's recent environmental assessment-because it was released after DSD's determination that a new EIR would not be required-DSD stands by its conclusion. “There were parallel processes going on, but the conclusions are not different,” Escobar-Eck said.
City Council President Scott Peters is reviewing the documents, but his spokesperson, Pam Hardy, said “Development Services and the City Attorney should be prepared to respond in depth to these issues.”
-Eric Wolff
State of rules
Pennsylvania has “several.” New York has “dozens.” California has 910. Surely, you've been hearing about some of the new laws you'll be expected to follow this year. Here are a few that got our attention:
The Well, Duh laws: You can no longer chain your dog outside for more than three hours or keep him in your car on a hot day. Don't be stuffing your friends into the trunk of your car to chauffer them around, either. And government employees can no longer while away the day looking up Internet porn at work.
The Huh? law: It's illegal to buy, sell or possess cigarettes that aren't deemed “fire safe.”
The We Remember When It Was $4.25 law: The kid buttering your popcorn at the movie theater is now making $7.50 an hour, up from $6.75. Next year, he'll be making $8.
The Can't Wait Till '08 laws: Starting July 2008, drivers will no longer be able to chat on their cell phones lest it's with the help of a hands-free device-so you've got 18 months to find a comfortable earpiece or the like. Starting Jan. 1 of next year, any car emitting visible exhaust won't pass a smog test; folks who can't afford to have it fixed are eligible for assistance.
The Trolling for Poll Workers law: High-school students who volunteer as election poll workers get to skip school for the day.
The Who Butters Your Toast, Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth? law: Landowners who want to lease their land and the “use” of the birds and animals on it to a commercial hunting club don't have to obtain a license.
The Hands Off CityBeat law: Think you can earn some cash snagging stacks of CityBeats for recycling? Making off with more than 25 free newspapers ain't legal.
-Kelly Davis
