San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who had been relatively mum in the recent flap over Medjool's possibly illegal rooftop bar and the apparent typo granting its politically connected owner Gus Murad an extra 20 feet of height on a separate project, has finally made his voice heard, just like the rest of us — in a blog.
A new blog, called "Corrections Page," appeared on the mayor's website today. In the first and only entry, spokesman Nate Ballard writes that San Francisco Chronicle reporter Robert Selna's coverage of the ongoing story, "may leave readers with the false impression that Mayor Gavin Newsom, in vetoing legislation concerning the New Mission Theater, did something improper."
Newsom vetoed legislation last month that would have corrected an alleged typo in planning documents that grant Murad a height variance of 85 feet for his proposed renovation of the New Mission Theater. The normal height limit in the area is 65 feet. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors held a vote to overturn the veto Tuesday, but the effort failed.
In Selna's Saturday story about the questions that have arisen over the legality of Medjool's rooftop deck and the apparent typo that led to the extra height permission, Ballard is quoted as saying, in an e-mail, "The Mayor believes that Mr. Murad should be treated the same - no better and no worse - as any other business owner in the same circumstances."
Murad has contributed several thousand dollars to Newsom's campaign, and hosted a New Year's Eve fundraiser at Medjool during Newsom's 2007 mayoral campaign, according to the Chronicle.
At last week's San Francisco Planning Commission meeting, commission vice president Christina Olague seemed to be just a touch annoyed by the New Mission Theater issue, saying, "are we planning by typo now?" She went on to say, "apparently the rooftop bar on the Medjool restaurant is not legal."
Later, planner Craig Nikitas confirmed to the Chronicle that the bar violates zoning ordinances, and said it would have to be closed, "unless there is a plan to correct the problem." Murad's lawyer, Andrew Junius, on the other hand, is quoted as saying the bar is legal, with permits that were "authorized and signed by the city."
The Newsom camp's blog salvo does not mention a typo in the planning documents associated with the New Mission Theater, nor does it mention Medjool by name. It does insist that the 85-food height limit makes for a better project, and includes a link to the mayor's veto letter.
So that's where we stand, folks. Medjool's rooftop bar may be illegal, the New Mission Theater project can be 85 feet tall, and Gavin Newsom and his staff are apparently pissed at Robert Selna and the Chronicle. This is getting interesting. We'll be darned surprised if they close down Medjool's rooftop bar. It is, as far as we know, the only one in the city.
CORRECTION: New Mission Theater articles by Robert Selna [SFGov/Mayor/Press/Corrections Page]
Bar owner may benefit from city's typo [SF Chronicle]
Medjool [MenuPages]
Medjool [Official Site]
Previously:
Could The Roof At Medjool Be Illegal? [MenuPages: San Francisco]
[Photo: Via t_w/flickr]
