Supervisors order further review of CEQA exemption for 1151 Washington Street after neighbors raise contamination and shadow concerns

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted on June 27 to require additional written findings and further review after neighbors and local groups appealed the Planning Department’s Class 32 categorical exemption for a proposed 10‑unit development at 1151 Washington Street.

Appellants argued the project poses two unexamined risks: soil contamination that could release toxic chemicals during excavation and a design that would cast new, extensive shadows over the nearby Betty Ann Ong Recreation Center play areas. "The play yards are almost entirely engulfed in shadow," appellant attorney Scott Emblidge told the board, summarizing shadow modeling his group commissioned.

Why it matters: The site is adjacent to one of the few outdoor play spaces serving Chinatown and Upper Nob Hill. Appellants and neighborhood groups said the combination of proximity, topography and the project’s massing makes the impacts unusually severe and asked the board to require an…