Planning Commission accepts Academy of Art University IMP after heated public comment; two commissioners recuse

The San Francisco Planning Commission closed the public hearing on the Academy of Art University’s Institutional Master Plan (case no. 2006.0737) and accepted the document as an informational filing after more than a dozen public speakers raised concerns about housing displacement, transportation impacts and enforcement of existing violations.

Planning Department staff told the commission the third draft of the IMP meets the informational requirements of Planning Code Section 304.5 and that acceptance of the IMP at the close of the hearing does not constitute approval of any project or land use. Staff and project counsel also said an environmental impact report (EIR) is being prepared for specific projects and properties and will be released in draft next summer; the EIR, not the IMP, will analyze traffic, air quality and other environmental impacts associated with future development and occupancy.

The hearing drew a mix of supporters and critics. Jim Lazarus of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce urged acceptance, citing what he described as the Academy’s economic contributions: "$211,000,000 of direct…