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Commission reviews Portsmouth Square draft EIR; debate centers on Kearney Street pedestrian bridge
Summary
Planning staff told the Historic Preservation Commission that the Portsmouth Square draft EIR finds demolition of the Kearney Street pedestrian bridge would cause a significant and unavoidable impact to historic resources; commissioners offered mixed preferences between removing the bridge to expand park space and pursuing preservation alternatives to retain the bridge.
At its Aug. 18 hearing the Historic Preservation Commission reviewed the draft environmental impact report for the Portsmouth Square Improvement Project and discussed alternatives for the project, including whether to retain the Kearney Street pedestrian bridge that links the hotel and the Chinese Culture Center to the park.
Michelle Taylor of Planning staff summarized the DEIR and said the project would demolish most park features and remove the pedestrian bridge; because of that removal the DEIR concluded the project would cause ‘‘a significant and unavoidable impact’’ to historic resources. The DEIR presents three mitigation measures — documentation and video recordation, a salvage plan, and a public interpretive program including oral history — and analyzes three alternatives: no project, a full preservation alternative that retains the bridge (with a 15‑ft setback for the clubhouse), and a partial preservation alternative that uses an overlook or symbolic references to the bridge.
Community comment was strongly in favor of removal. A planner with the Committee for Better Parks and Recreation in Chinatown said the private bridge ‘‘has outlived its public useful life’’ and that removal would create roughly 20,000 square feet of new outdoor park space and 8,000 square feet of indoor community space, bringing sunlight and better access to a densely populated neighborhood.
Commissioners debated EIR adequacy and preferences. Several commissioners (including Foley, Nagaswaran and So) supported the proposed project as presented, stressing increased open space and community benefit; others (including Wright and Black) emphasized the bridge’s individual eligibility and recommended full or partial preservation alternatives. Staff corrected a typographical error in the packet: the partial‑preservation clubhouse size is 6,651 square feet. The commission recorded comments for the Planning Commission’s review; the Planning Commission hearing on the DEIR was scheduled for Sept. 9, 2021.
