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Draft EIR for 75 Howard draws dozens of public objections over height, shadows and traffic
Summary
The Planning Commission heard the draft EIR for 75 Howard Street and public comment from residents, unions and neighborhood groups raising significant concerns about height, bulk, shadowing of Rincon Park, transportation analysis (especially weekends and Warriors Arena impacts), and adequacy of the EIR's alternatives and mitigation. Staff noted the EIR found several significant and unavoidable impacts.
Planning Department EIR coordinator Don Lewis told the commission the draft environmental impact report for the proposed 75 Howard project was published July 31 and identified significant and unavoidable impacts in land use, aesthetics, shadowing, transportation and hydrology. The document presents three alternatives: no project, code-compliant and reduced height.
The commission opened an extended public hearing on adequacy and completeness of the draft EIR. More than two dozen speakers addressed the report; key themes included criticisms that the EIR:
- Understated cumulative transportation impacts, particularly weekend traffic and interactions with the nearby Warriors Arena and increased ferry and waterfront activity; - Failed to analyze appropriate alternatives and feasible mitigation for the project's six identified significant and unavoidable impacts (including shadowing of Rincon Park and conflicts with adopted height limits); - Treated hotel variants inconsistently with residential uses (unions and labor speakers asked for more scrutiny of employee circulation, kitchens and trip generation); - Lacked sufficient background on site ownership, freeway-related parcels and historical redevelopment constraints affecting project footprint and public right-of-way uses.
Speakers included neighborhood associations, condominium owners, union representatives and architects; several requested changes: additional traffic analysis (weekends and event days), recirculation of the EIR for new material and extension of the public comment deadline. Commissioners asked staff for clarification on the EIR's scope (approval action and notice deadlines) and several commissioners suggested more detail or design-based alternatives would improve the document. The public review period was noted as closing Sept. 16 for written comments.
