Board affirms CEQA categorical exemption for 1719 Wallace cannabis cultivation site after neighborhood objections

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Dec. 17 affirmed the Planning Department's categorical exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act for a proposed cannabis cultivation facility at 1719 Wallace Avenue, despite objections from nearby residents who said the project could harm local air quality.

The decision came after a contested public hearing in which appellant Barbara Tassa, a Bayview resident, urged the board to require a full environmental review. "I believe this decision was a mistake," Tassa said during her allotted time, arguing the site's proximity to longtime homes and the cumulative number of cultivation projects in Bayview raised a "reasonable possibility of significant environmental harm." She cited CEQA guidance that exempts projects only where there are no unusual circumstances and warned of volatile organic compounds and odors from cultivation that can affect vulnerable residents.

The Planning Department's principal planner, Tanya Shaner, told the board staff had reviewed the appeal and concluded the project fit within CEQA's class 1 and class 3 categorical exemptions for minor alterations and…