Argument in Opposition to Measures T & U

Please join us in voting NO on Measure U.

We don’t oppose Pixar expanding, but this proposed deal is bad for the Emeryville community. Consider the following:

• The expansion will add 2,700 car trips a day, and eliminate a planned street. But the agreement doesn’t adequately address the increased traffic congestion the project will cause.
• This change allows Pixar to build a six-story, 75-foot tall parking structure, which is far higher than any other building in the neighborhood.
• The City didn’t prepare an environmental impact report for the project, even though it has required such reports for other large-scale projects like Ikea, Chiron and Bay Street.

Given all the City of Emeryville is conceding to Pixar- and the project’s huge impacts- the City could have made sure to get a fair deal for residents out of this project. The City Council could have:

• Required Pixar to compensate for over 100 planned housing units that won’t be built as a result of this project.
• Required an aggressive, legally binding plan to reduce car trips and traffic congestion.
• Created a job training and local hiring program to help Emeryville residents access the jobs created by the project, as other cities do.
• Negotiated a design for the project that protects the character of the neighborhood.

But they didn’t. The City of Emeryville has attracted scores of retail, hotel and high-tech businesses over the last decade. The City is in a good position to ask developers to do their fair share for the community before approving deals. This time they failed to do so. So it’s up to voters to send them back to the bargaining table

Vote NO on Measure U and on Measure T.

Additional "No on T & U" Ballot Arguments

Is the City getting the best deal possible for Emeryville residents out of the Pixar expansion? We don’t believe so.

Pixar’s success is admirable, and its charitable giving is commendable. But that doesn’t relieve the City of responsibility for protecting residents from:

• Traffic congestion
• Environmental impacts
• The impact on neighborhoods of new high-rise development
• Loss of affordable family housing.

The argument that Pixar could be “forced” to move isn’t credible. According to published reports, Pixar has spent over $100 million to build its campus. It’s projected to spend even more to expand. It wouldn’t make business sense for Pixar to abandon that huge investment rather than make some small changes that are very important to the community. It just doesn’t add up.

This deal doesn’t stack up against what has been required of other large businesses. The City’s development agreement with Chiron requires that company to pay up to $27 million towards meeting community needs, including contributing to Emeryville’s schools, childcare center, and senior center. Chiron was required to build a public park, run educational programs for Emeryville schoolchildren, and make an effort to hire locally. Why didn’t the City hold Pixar to the same standard?

We can get a better deal- one that works for Emeryville residents and for Pixar. The first step is rejecting this flawed proposal.

Vote NO on Measure T and Measure U.