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Commission denies appeals, approves EIR findings and housing project to replace two homes with 12 units
Summary
The commission denied appeals by Mary Andell and Faye Andell and upheld planning department recommendations to certify the EIR and approve a project to replace two single-family houses with 12 housing units on South Press Street.
The Land Use and Planning Commission denied two appeals and approved related environmental findings and project approvals for a housing conversion on South Press Street, city planning staff said during the hearing.
Planning staff reported that the commission of hearings previously addressed the project in August 2024 and that recent work by staff and the applicant addressed agency concerns. David, an assistant in the municipal planning department, summarized the file and said the project was found to fall within the scope of the certified Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and that, with the required permit, operations could proceed. He said two new appeals had been filed and staff recommended denying the appeals.
The applicant’s representative described the project as replacing two single-family houses with 12 new dwelling units in an area targeted for increased housing near schools, jobs and transit. The representative told the commission the applicant had responded to agency concerns through project modifications on height and walls and consultation with transportation and engineering agencies.
A representative of SAVER (an environmental advocacy commentator recorded in the transcript as an appellant or commenter) urged the commission to recirculate the EIR, arguing the EIR omitted a quantitative cancer-risk analysis for air emissions, lacked adequate noise mitigation measures and did not analyze indoor air quality risks. The SAVER speaker asked the commission to require additional study and recirculation before approval.
The applicant’s counsel, Edward Caravien, said no new information was presented at the hearing and that the administrative record contained sufficient evidence to deny the appeals and certify the EIR.
The commission then called the roll and announced votes on the appeals and on subsequent related approvals. For the item recorded as agenda item 9, the clerk announced the motion to deny the two appeals and adopt the planning commission’s original findings; the transcript records the motion passed with three votes in favor. For agenda items 10–12 — which the staff described as related approvals, technical modifications, and determinations tied to the EIR and zoning changes including a density bonus for affordable units — the transcript likewise records the commission approving the department’s recommendations with three votes in favor.
Actions recorded include denial of appeals filed by Mary Andell and Faye Andell, certification of the EIR determinations cited in the staff report, and approvals needed to proceed with the project. The commission did not record any amendments to the staff recommendations during the hearing.
The hearing closed after commission action, and the presiding official opened a brief general public comment period; no additional comments were recorded for the project.
