Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Planning Market Octavia topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board affirms Planning Commissioncertification of Market/Octavia EIR despite preservation appeals
Summary
After a lengthy hearing on appeals that challenged the environmental impact report(Market/Octavia FEIR) for alleged gaps on historic-resource surveys and omitted parcels, the Board of Supervisors voted to affirm the Planning Commission's certification of the EIR.
The Board of Supervisors voted to affirm the Planning Commissioncertification of the Market/Octavia final environmental impact report after several hours of testimony from appellants, neighborhood groups, preservationists and planning staff.
Appellants argued the EIR was inadequate, saying it lacked a comprehensive historic resources survey and that the document did not fully analyze potential cumulative impacts from large nearby parcels such as the 55 Laguna site. Preservation groups and neighborhood advocates urged the board to withhold certification until additional surveys and protections were completed.
Planning department staff told the board the EIR is a program-level document appropriate for a plan of this scale and that it included all known historic resources at the time of the review. Paul Mulcher (Planning Department) said the EIR "disclose[d] the potential adverse impacts to historic resources" and that the plan contains specific policies requiring completion of a comprehensive historic resources survey and incorporation of its findings into future review. He said subsequent site-specific projects would go through detailed project-level historic and CEQA reviews.
The Planning Commission added a finding to its certification noting that a historic resource survey is underway and that the EIR as it stands was adequate. Appellants continued to press for recirculation or additional study; Planning staff and supporters argued recirculation was not required under CEQA because changes since the draft did not constitute "significant new information" requiring a new public comment period.
On the motion to affirm certification (Item 31), moved by Supervisor Ellsberg and seconded by Supervisor Alioto Pier, the board voted 8 ayes and 1 no; the motion passed and the EIR certification was affirmed.
Why it matters: The Market/Octavia plan is a large, multi-neighborhood planning initiative that creates new zoning types and policies for a transit-rich area. Certification of the FEIR allows the city and developers to proceed under the program-level environmental review; opponents argued the absence of a final survey meant potential historic impacts were not fully known. Planning staff and many neighborhood supporters said the plan strengthens preservation policy and that project-level review will capture site-specific impacts.
Key vote: Motion to affirm the Planning Commission certification of the Market/Octavia FEIR: 8 ayes, 1 no.
Next steps: Planning Department will continue with implementation steps described in the plan, including completion of a comprehensive historic resources survey and project-level reviews for future development.
