Back in 2007, Mayor Newsom created a panel to look into the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal at the Port of San Francisco. It will create 600 jobs, 20 percent of which will be local. It's a $92 million project that will not only be a cruise terminal but also a public plaza.
"This is a world class international event we are hosting, but it is also important legacies that we are establishing with the cruise ship terminal and the open plaza. The really huge amount, the two and half acres more of open space that will be publically accessible as another part of this important legacy," said Mayor Lee.
It won't be completely done for all the races in 2012 and 2013, but it will act like an Olympic Village for the race.
The project comes with controversy; environmental groups not only oppose the America's Cup, but also the cruise terminal. They have concerns that the environmental impact report was rushed; Mayor Lee countered that it was a long EIR process.
