The San Francisco Department of Elections announced late Tuesday that a citizens-sponsored referendum on the creation of a Bayview-Hunters Point Redevelopment Area has qualified for the ballot. This immediately suspends the Board of Supervisors transfer of control of nearly 1500 acres in Bayview to the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. Referendum backers turned in over 33,000 signatures, far more than the 20,800 needed. The referendum will be decided by San Francisco voters in the November 2007 election, which also includes the mayor's race. Brian Murphy O’Flynn, a leader of the petition drive, noted “The referendum finally gives San Francisco the chance for a citywide discussion on the future of Bayview-Hunters Point, and the future role of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. We believe the community can be best improved without residents ceding control of its future to the Redevelopment Agency bureaucracy.”