Waterfront condo backers turn in 26,000 signatures for ballot

SF Gate City Insider

From the article:

It looks like San Franciscans are in for dueling ballot measures over a luxury waterfront condominium project.

Supporters of the proposed 8 Washington development near the Ferry Building turned in more than 26,000 signatures Monday to get the controversial development on the November ballot.

The group, funded by the developer, contractor and architect for the 134-unit development, needs only 9,702 valid signatures to qualify their measure for the Nov. 5 ballot. A spokesman for the effort said he was “absolutely” confident they had met that mark.

“We are one step closer in giving San Franciscans the opportunity to vote ‘yes’ for new parks, jobs, housing, sidewalk cafes and shops on our shared waterfront,” Alec Bash, a retired city planner and supporter of the development, said in a statement.

The city’s Department of Elections now has 30 days to check the signatures turned in and verify if the requisite number are valid.

If so, that will pave the way for competing ballot measures in November — barring a threatened lawsuit or other ruling invalidating the pro-8 Washington petition drive.

A referendum on the Board of Supervisors’ June 2012 approval of a special height-limit increase for the project already qualified for the ballot after 8 Washington opponents turned in more than 31,000 signatures a year ago.

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