Zusha Elinson/The Bay Citizen

The site in Redwood City where Cargill wants to build as many as 12,000 new units of housing

The business community has dropped its opposition to proposed new building guidelines that are designed to prepare communities around San Francisco Bay from rising seas, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

The Bay Planning Coalition and the Bay Area Council withdrew their opposition to proposed amendments to the Bay Plan, which governs building within 100 feet of the Bay's high tide lines.

Previous drafts of the amendments specifically discouraged building in low-lying shoreline areas. The latest draft allows such construction if the Bay Conservation and Development Commission finds that benefits of a particular building project outweigh the costs.

DBM Associates, which plans to build 12,000 homes in Redwood City on waterfront land owned by Cargill, also dropped its opposition after reviewing the latest draft of the proposed amendments, Vice President David Smith told the Bay Citizen.

"It's by no means a green light to any project, but it clarifies that the commission needs to look at each project case by case on its merits," Smith said.

Some local governments remain opposed to the proposal, the Mercury News reported. Local officials have expressed concerns about losing control over waterfront building decisions.

The proposal will be debated during a Sept. 1 BCDC public hearing in San Francisco's Ferry Building.