Planning Commission certifies India Basin final EIR, clears major zoning and design approvals

The San Francisco Planning Commission on July 26 voted unanimously to certify the final environmental impact report for the India Basin Mixed-Use Project and to adopt related planning and zoning approvals, including a special-use district and a set of design standards and guidelines.

Planning staff said the revised project now envisions roughly 1,575 dwelling units and about 209,000 square feet of commercial space after sponsor BUILD reduced commercial area and added housing. The final environmental review found significant and unavoidable impacts for historic architectural resources, transportation, noise, air quality and wind; those findings were accompanied by mitigation measures and a statement of overriding considerations that commissioners adopted.

Supervisor Malia Cohen, who represents the district, told the commission she supports the plan and emphasized neighborhood priority for local residents. "My support for 900 Innis at India Basin," she said during public testimony, "is grounded in the project's potential to provide 1,500 housing units, 25% of which are below-market-rate, and to create new publicly accessible parks." (first spoken by Supervisor Cohen during the hearing.)

Anne Topier of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development outlined the public-benefits package, including a 25% affordable-housing obligation for market-rate units (to be met by a mix of on-site BMR units, conveyed affordable parcels, and in-lieu fees, with a cap on off-site units), a proposed $1.5 million annual community facilities district for open-space maintenance and sea-level-rise mitigation, and other commitments such as a roughly $10 million contribution for off-site transportation improvements and a roughly $4 million school-fees payment. "The affordable housing plan has been designed to facilitate development of 25% of all market rate residential units built within the project site," Topier told commissioners.

Rec & Park and BUILD presented the project's public-open-space approach: about 14 acres of publicly accessible parks and open space at full build-out, including a 5-acre "Big Green" that the sponsor would convey at no cost to Recreation and Parks and improvements to the existing shoreline park. Rec & Park deputy director Stacy Bradley called the park component "one of the most important undertakings in San Francisco in our modern history." Sponsor BUILD emphasized outreach and a package of workforce, local hiring and small-business targets.

Commissioners repeatedly pressed staff and the sponsor on contamination testing, sea-level-rise resilience and enforceable community-benefit language. Planning staff said CEQA-required geotechnical and hazardous-material mitigation measures and Department of Public Health review will govern any subsurface disturbance and that grading and testing programs are conditions of future permits. Anne Topier said the development agreement — which contains detailed implementation and benefit commitments — will come back to the commission and board because of a technical notice requirement; staff noted the DA will be considered in late August.

The commission’s action at this hearing certified the environmental review and adopted associated land-use and design approvals as amended by staff; a separate development agreement vote will follow once notice requirements are met. Next steps: staff will return with the development-agreement hearing and final implementation steps for the public-benefits package and for the special-use district’s development controls.