Just south of San Francisco city sits a town on the bay that is home to more than 4,200 people. Brisbane, a town whose land is nearly 50 percent vacant, mostly in the Northeast Ridge and Baylands area, has city officials up in arms over what to do with the empty space.

Currently, Brisbane has just under 2,000 housing units for its population and needs more. Brisbane Baylands, 684 acres of land that previously contained a railyard and garbage dump, is currently being considered for development by Universal Paragon Corporation. 

According to Curbed SF, UPC has two propositions. The first entails a 12 million-square foot mixed-use lot featuring 4,400 new homes. The other plan would be a large retail, hotel, and open space development. 

City officials see problems with both potential uses of the Brisbane Baylands area. If no residential units were built on the lot, community members and officials are concerned the new jobs would nearly double the current population but provide no place for new employees to live. Per SF Examiner, community members and officials also worry that toxins released from developing on what was once a garabage dump may make it an unsafe place to live. 

The site has undergone 10 years of environmental review and appears not to have any harmful toxins, according to a UPC spokesperson. The developer, which also owns the site, originally proposed the project 12 years ago.

As for now, the plan boasts features such as 100 percent LEED-rated buildings, 20,000-plus new jobs, and 7 million square feet of commercial space.

The City Council is expected to vote on the land use of Brisbane Baylands or send it to city voters by the end of this summer.