Planning Commission moves forward on major housing projects: Pine Street EIR certified; 1545 Pine and 490 South Van Ness approved
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Summary
The commission certified the final EIR and approved the Pine Street mixed-use development (1527'1545 Pine), and separately approved the 490 South Van Ness large-project authorization; both votes passed unanimously on Oct. 2, 2014, advancing roughly 175-180 housing units combined and requiring follow-up design and variance steps.
The San Francisco Planning Commission on Oct. 2, 2014 certified a final Environmental Impact Report and approved discretionary entitlements for two major residential projects and related actions.
Pine Street (1527'1545 Pine Street) Staff recommended certification of the final EIR for the proposed 12-story mixed-use building at 1527'1545 Pine Street, which would demolish five existing buildings to construct approximately 137,000 square feet of new development with about 107 dwelling units (including 12 permanently affordable on-site units) and two levels of below-grade parking. Michael Jacinto of the Planning Department's Environmental Planning section said the EIR documented unavoidable significant impacts to historic resources and recommended the commission adopt a statement of overriding considerations under CEQA if it chose to approve the project.
Trumark Urban (project sponsor) and Architectonica described outreach, ground-floor retail and an activated alley community space (Austin Alley) as elements of the design; multiple unions and neighborhood groups spoke in support during the public hearing. Commissioners discussed alternatives and design refinements. The commission adopted the CEQA findings and approved the conditional-use authorization with required conditions and findings (motion passed unanimously 7'0to'0).
490 South Van Ness Staff presented a large-project authorization for a proposed seven-story residential building at 490 South Van Ness (Case 2010.0043X) with up to 72 dwelling units and an on-site affordable-housing option that would yield 12 inclusionary units under the applicable Tier B rules. The department noted revisions in response to earlier hearings (upper-story setback, massing refinements, material palette) and reported that relocating the garage entrance to South Van Ness would require additional CEQA review; staff and the project's traffic consultant recommended keeping the Adair Street garage entrance for safety and sight-line reasons.
After lengthy public comment from both supporters (developers, unions, neighborhood groups) and opponents (residents, school parents citing potential impacts to Marshall Elementary School drop-off), commissioners discussed traffic, neighborhood context and design refinement conditions. The commission voted to approve the large-project authorization with conditions, including continued design work with staff and required refinements; the motion passed unanimously 7'0to'0.
What the approvals mean Together the approvals move two large sites forward in San Francisco's development pipeline and include on-site affordability commitments and required mitigation steps. The Pine Street decision includes CEQA certification and a requirement to adopt findings about historic-resource impacts before further discretionary approvals. The 490 South Van Ness authorization proceeds with conditions intended to limit neighborhood impacts and requires subsequent coding/permit steps to implement final design and access arrangements.
Next steps Each approval requires follow-up: final design refinements with staff, any required variances or zoning administrator decisions, and standard permitting and construction-phase conditions. The commission recorded unanimous support on both items.
