Planning Commission certifies final EIR for 801 Brandon and 1 Henry Adams, clearing way for large eastern-neighborhood projects

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Planning Commission on Jan. 31 certified the final environmental impact report (EIR) for two large Eastern Neighborhoods projects at 801 Brandon Street and 1 Henry Adams Street and approved the project entitlements after months of review and public comment.

Planning department staff told the commission the EIR documents remain technically adequate but identify "project-specific significant and unavoidable environmental impacts" for transportation and for air-quality and health risks that could not be fully mitigated, and that a Statement of Overriding Considerations would be required under the California Environmental Quality Act if the commission approves the projects. "Implementation of the proposed project would result in project-specific significant and unavoidable environmental impacts with respect to transportation at 2 intersections and air quality," staff planner Deborah Dwyer said.

Commissioner John Antonini moved to certify the final EIR, saying he found it "complete, accurate, and adequate." With Commissioner Hillis recused from the item, the motion passed 6-0.

The project sponsor, Archstone, said the developments respond to the Eastern Neighborhoods plan and aimed to increase housing and jobs near transit. "We will build it on our dime and allow these 4 to 6 of La Cocina businesses to move into that space without that financial burden," Archstone representative Amir Massey told the commission, describing a commitment to ground-floor incubator space for food-related small businesses.

Staff presentations and project materials describe multiple project variants and a combined development program that includes mixed-use buildings, retail, public open space and an affordability strategy that mixes on-site units with a land-dedication alternative for additional affordable housing under the Mayor's Office of Housing. Staff flagged a typographical correction in the responses-to-comments document (adjusting a vehicle-trip figure), and said the change did not alter the EIR conclusions.

Public testimony at the hearing reflected the dispute at the heart of the decision: neighborhood groups and environmental advocates urged stricter mitigation for traffic, transit service improvements and reduced parking; community speakers from Bayview and Hunters Point raised environmental-justice concerns about pollution and site testing near 3450 Third Street; other local business owners and developers urged the commission to approve the projects to add housing and retail that could sustain neighborhood businesses.

After further discussion about design refinements, affordable-housing commitments and transportation coordination, the commission voted to approve the project entitlements in motions referencing the commission's findings and conditions. Commissioners asked staff to continue work on facade materials, context-sensitive detailing and to ensure that permit-level review addresses the bulk, massing and mitigation measures described in the entitlements.

What happens next: certification of the EIR allows the entitlement process to proceed; project approvals require follow-through on mitigation measures and coordination with the Mayor's Office of Housing on the land-dedication affordable-housing parcel. The commission record shows the EIR certification and the project-approval motions passed at the Jan. 31 hearing; subsequent permit-level reviews and any appeals will follow the standard administrative process.

— Reporting from the San Francisco Planning Commission hearing on Jan. 31, 2013.