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Questions and Answers About Measures T & U
What are Measures T and U?Measures T and U are the deal that the City of Emeryville made with Pixar to expand Pixar’s corporate headquarters. Emeryville residents collected hundreds of signatures to put this deal to a vote because they are concerned it is not the best possible deal for the community. Measure T is a vote on the “development agreement” between the City and Pixar, and Measure U is a vote on changes to the City’s “general plan”. What would a "No" vote mean?A "No" vote will reject the current deal and send the City Council back to the bargaining table with Pixar to negotiate a better deal for the community. What is Pixar proposing?Pixar wants to triple the size of their corporate campus in order to add 1,200 new employees. Pixar has proposed to expand onto a plot of land behind the IHOP and Longs on San Pablo Avenue that was designated by the City for construction of 102 townhomes, 20 of them affordable for moderate-income families. For more on the proposed expansion, click here. Who is supporting NO on Measures T & U?Many Emeryville residents, along with the Democratic Party and other local organizations, are supporting a NO vote on Measures T & U. For more endorsers, click here. Why is Citizens for Responsible Development urging a NO vote on Measures T and U?We are not opposed to Pixar expanding. With the right agreement in place, the expansion could benefit local residents and the community. However, the City did not negotiate the best possible deal for residents:
What are some of the impacts of this expansion?
Would a "No" vote mean that Pixar could never expand?No. A “NO” vote would reject this deal, and send a message to the City and Pixar that they need to address community concerns. The City would be free to negotiate another agreement that allows Pixar to expand. They simply couldn’t put forward the same deal they are currently proposing. Why should Pixar be asked to provide community benefits?Emeryville residents are being asked to give up a lot to allow Pixar’s expansion: more traffic, losing a public street, losing scarce land that could be used to provide housing or community services. It’s reasonable to ask that the community get a fair return from this investment. Isn’t Pixar already giving money for housing?When Pixar bought the land from the City, they paid back the $800,000 subsidy the City of Emeryville gave the previous developer. They will also be required by State and local law to pay taxes, like all other property owners in the City, some of which will go towards housing. However, the City has not required Pixar to compensate for the loss of housing intended for this site, or address the impacts this expansion will have on the local housing market, as other companies have done. Isn’t Pixar already doing a lot for the community?Pixar has made donations to local charities and hosted fund-raisers for the schools. They should be commended for those contributions. However, the city has negotiated better deals from other corporations. Chiron had to sign a legally binding development agreement to pay as much as $27 million over the life of the agreement towards Emeryville’s schools, childcare center, senior center, etc., and make an effort to hire locally. For a summary of Chiron's community benefits, click here. We are not asking for charity – we’re calling on Pixar to make an on-going investment in their community. If voters reject Measures T & U, will it cause Pixar to leave Emeryville?That’s highly unlikely. Pixar spent $100 million on the first phase of their construction, and will spend even more to expand. The changes the community is asking for are reasonable and easily affordable. It just wouldn’t make business sense for Pixar to walk away from a huge investment in its current location rather than negotiate a better deal for the community.
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