The San Francisco Business Times interviewed Manatt’s Tom McMorrow, chair of the firm’s California state government and regulatory policy and government contracts practice, for an article on the controversy surrounding a proposed housing development project on Brisbane City’s Baylands.
As reported by the San Francisco Business Times, Brisbane City Council members are concerned that state lawmakers will try to override the city’s control of the Baylands development site. In response, the council voted on Jan. 16 to conduct a fiscal analysis of what up to 2,200 new homes and up to six million square feet of commercial space on the site would mean for the city’s coffers. Many residents and city officials oppose the housing component, while the project has picked up support from housing advocates, regional planners and even tech executives who say it could help address the Bay Area’s dire housing crunch.
Housing is a “complicated issue,” said McMorrow, who advises the City of Brisbane on state government issues. “We have motivated (Legislature) members around housing. In reality, they will keep coming back. If you study Sacramento, what you will see is that bills that were controversial when they were introduced become law.”