Residents, community groups press OCII for answers on Western Addition loans and Fillmore assets

During public comment (both on the Warriors item and on non-agenda matters) numerous residents and community organizations urged OCII to provide clearer accounting and public hearings on redevelopment-era loans and properties in the Western Addition/Fillmore corridor.

Speakers from the Fillmore Bay Area Media Group, long-time neighborhood residents and community advocates said loans and public investments made under the former redevelopment agency have not yielded promised community benefits and that several Fillmore businesses and cultural venues are at risk. Noni Richin and Eris Edgeley described vacant storefronts and unpaid bills at properties developed with public support and asked for a public forum in the neighborhood to document what happened to public funds and to explore community options for preserving cultural assets.

Ken Johnson and other Fillmore advocates asked OCII to come to the neighborhood, meet community groups and consider ways to enable community ownership or participation before loans are resolved or properties change hands. Majid Crawford suggested the Commission proactively work with neighborhood stakeholders, including local groups that might help raise or leverage funds to preserve community uses.

Commissioners responded that OCII staff had produced an informational memorandum on Fillmore Street corridor loans in 2013 and that the agency has been working on loan workouts and bankruptcy-related matters for affected properties; Chair Rosales requested that staff re-distribute the informational memo to commissioners and asked staff to schedule a special meeting in the Western Addition to address lingering questions.

Speakers also warned that redevelopment’s history contributed to displacement of African American residents in the Fillmore and Bayview/Hunters Point and urged the Commission to prioritize local hiring, community access, and reparative steps in current redevelopment work.