Planning Commission upholds Sharp Park mitigated negative declaration after contentious public debate

SAN FRANCISCO ' The San Francisco Planning Commission on Jan. 16 voted 5-0 to uphold the Planning Department's Preliminary Mitigated Negative Declaration (PMND) for the Sharp Park Safety Infrastructure Improvement and Habitat Enhancement Project, rejecting an appeal that had sought a full Environmental Impact Report.

The item drew more than two hours of public testimony. Brent Plater, executive director of the Wild Equity Institute, urged the commission to order a full EIR, arguing the project's sediment removal and vegetation clearing around Horse Stable Pond and the connecting channel would increase pump-driven water removal and threaten breeding habitat for the California red-legged frog and the San Francisco garter snake. "When those pumps are turned on and start removing close to 10,000 gallons of water per minute from the system," Plater said, "the egg masses dry out and they die." He also noted that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biological opinion the city cites is the subject of…