The amendment also would exempt the property from any “height, setback, open space or other dimensional limitations and requirements” under state tidelands law solely “for the purposes of a sports, recreation or events center.” The exemption would be in effect only if the facility is permitted for construction within three years.
“It’s a fairly dramatic change,” said Bruce Berman, strategy and communications director for the environmental group Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, who has 25 years of experience in municipal harbor planning. “But in a way, it seems somewhat inevitable given the success of Encore.”