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Board certifies Final EIR for 75 Howard; appellants cite traffic and park shadow concerns
Summary
San Francisco ' The Board of Supervisors unanimously certified the Final Environmental Impact Report for a proposed 20-story residential tower and ground-floor retail at 75 Howard Street, affirming Planning's CEQA analysis despite appeals over traffic counts and shadows on Rincon Park.
San Francisco ' The Board of Supervisors unanimously certified the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for a 20-story residential building proposed at 75 Howard Street, affirming Planning's conclusion that the EIR complied with CEQA.
Project and public concerns: Neighbors and a neighborhood coalition appealed Planning's certification, raising two central technical claims: that the traffic counts used in the FEIR were outdated and unreliable for current conditions, and that the FEIR underestimated or did not adequately analyze the shadow the new tower would cast on Rincon Park. Appellants also said a shorter building alternative should have been analyzed and called for more study of flood and hazardous-materials implications given the site's history and proximity to the Embarcadero.
Planning and sponsor response: Planning staff told the Board the EIR complied with state and local guidance. The planning team said the traffic counts used were within the standard guideline (counts within the two previous years of the EIR notice of preparation) and that additional counts taken in 2015 for the record showed similar or lower traffic volumes; staff concluded the EIR's analysis was conservative and therefore adequate. On shadows, the sponsor submitted an additional analysis using updated modeling that can account for partial transparency at the tower's top. Planning said the two analyses were consistent and the EIR properly disclosed a significant shadow effect but provided a reasoned technical basis for the finding.
Board action: After public testimony from both supporters and opponents, the Council voted 11-0 to certify the FEIR. The transcript shows appellants from the Rincon neighborhood, several local advocates and residents, and neighborhood organizations pressing the board to remand the EIR to Planning for further analysis; others, including building trades unions, housing advocates and local businesses, testified in favor of certifying the EIR and moving the project forward.
Why this matters: The site is an underused public parking structure close to Downtown and the Embarcadero; replacing the garage with new housing raises standard tradeoffs in a dense urban area: housing production and redevelopment versus park shading, traffic, and neighborhood character. The unanimous certification does not eliminate continuing public scrutiny; appellants signaled they may pursue additional administrative or legal remedies.
Next steps: The EIR certification clears a key procedural hurdle. Implementation items (building permits, flood and hazard controls, and project-specific site approvals) remain, and the Board or administrative staff asked Planning and the project sponsor to keep the Board apprised of follow-up technical details and mitigation monitoring. Several supervisors asked that additional, practical efforts to reduce traffic and protect pedestrian safety be tracked by SFMTA and building inspectors.
Quote: "The EIR is thorough and meets CEQA standards," Planning staff said during the hearing. "The updated counts submitted by the sponsor do not change that conclusion."
