Rotting on the Dock of the Bay

Some of the projects that are now floundering under a cloud of pier repairs, doubtful state approval, and dubious financing might become viable if it became possible to build hotels along the waterfront.

The kibitzers who urged passage of the 1990 anti-hotel measure were right to worry about the possibility of shore-hugging high-rises that blocked the public's view of, or access to, the bay. But avoiding such a scenario is a question of architecture and planning, and not of whether a redevelopment project includes hotel rooms, offices, or some other use.

If the choice is between an ugly waterfront fronted by rotting piers and a vibrant shoreline that includes a few hotels, the decision isn't complicated at all.

Simple.

Right?