While not yet a done deal, the proposed renovation of the Beach Chalet Athletic Fields survived an appeal, with supervisor Olague casting the only vote in favor of overturning the project’s approved Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
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While not yet a done deal, the proposed renovation of the Beach Chalet Athletic Fields survived an appeal, with supervisor Olague casting the only vote in favor of overturning the project’s approved Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
looks like that section of the park is ruined. sweet.
Please elaborate. How does approval ruin the park. Really, I’m curious about your reasons. You do know there are atheletic fields there at present, correct?
Good. I’m glad to see it approved. I also have no idea what anon$random is complaining about….must be Supervisor Olague’s minion.
You do realize there is a reason amature astronomers come to Ocean Beach to set up their telescopes at night? I guess they’ll have to drive up to Stinson now or down past Half Moon Bay. As someone who used to take night walks along the “outerlands” shoreline, there is something to be said for a beautiful night sky, but since we live in a “city”, I guess there is nothing to do but get in the car. I just hope this type of light pollution is not inserted into future Crissy Field plans.
The lights curfew is 10 pm.
@anon1, this is good to know, thanks. As someone who has also spent a good deal of time up at Stinson Beach, I cannot tell you how beautiful the night sky is at the ocean when there is not a lot of light pollution. A nightime stroll along the Pacific Shoreline is one of life’s great pleasures here in Northern California. I would someday hope the entire Ocean Baech plan is re-considered. The ugly streets lights, wasteland of parking lots, lack of native landscape, etc, is a true waste of what should be a spectacular resource.
While I agree that open space is required in an urban area to keep us all from going crazy, I fail to see how turning a dangerous marshland posing as an athletic field into an athletic field that will actually provide a safe place for kid’s sports teams (and others) to play is such a bad thing.
It’s such a tiny percent of GG park, which is a park for everyone.
As to the save Ocean Beach crowd… I guess we could let some of it revert to it’s natural state. I’m sure folks in the Sunset won’t mind the majority of homes being covered in sand dunes.
Typical that someone would complain about something before they even knew if it would be an issue.
Another thing, exactly how often is the sky immediately adjacent to the ocean clear enough to look at stars? I am guessing this happens 30 – 60 nights max a year if that.
I am kicking myself for supporting Supervisor Olague when she ran…what the heck was I thinking??? What a nit.
My first reaction with star gazers raising the issue of light pollution was wtf (air moisture and star visibility are not the best of friends), but true, even though it’s a coastal area, it’s one of the few dark spots accessible in the City. Otherwise your only option is driving out.
My only small issue with floodlights is that they tend to overwhelm your vision when you are in the shadow.
Case in point: if you’re walking or cycling on the GH bike path behind the tree line, most of the time you’ll have a halo over the trees, which could make the path less visible especially if street lighting on the GH (roughly one light every 100ft I think) is of a different type. I am sure they’ll adjust the power/light spectrum if this poses any safety issue (though maintenance on the GH is often slow to react, like sand patches on the bike lanes)
“I am kicking myself for supporting Supervisor Olague when she ran…what the heck was I thinking??? What a nit.”
Why,why,why>>> When she ran for what? She was appointed by Lee, she hasn’t run yet. Don’t kick yourself to hard.
Glad this is progressing. Spent plenty of time on those fields and they are rough. The turf will allow more people to have more fun. I do hope they expertly deploy the lighting to minimize the glow -but that goes for every new light deployed in this town.
Agreed, I’m for the new fields as well. The old fields are terrible and unusable. I think with the light curfew, you’ve got a good compromise. Star gazers can still go out later in the evening and check things out and youth and adult sports teams have more fields to play on in the earlier evening.
I’m also going to reassess my options for District 5 supervisor come the fall election.
In the end, it’s a balancing act. As the Planning Commission repeatedly stated, the park’s mission is not just to provide natural spaces, it’s also for recreational purposes. This area is already designated for recreational use. The synthetic turf will maximize their potential in a city hurting for playfields.
This is a good project – hopefully it will survive whatever additional challenges are made and the fields get put into place soon.
If the park is for “everyone” please explain the chainlink fence that surrounds the current fields and will surround the new fields. By the way, what is the best way to remove sand from fake turf…a vacume cleaner, an air blower, or a broom?
UPDATE: Play On: Beach Chalet Athletic Fields Cleared For Construction.