Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Natural Areas Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sharp Park and dog‑play areas at center of heated debate as Planning Commission opens Natural Areas Plan DEIR public hearing
Summary
The commission opened a public hearing on the Natural Areas Plan DEIR, drawing dozens of speakers for competing views: recreation and dog‑owner groups warned against closures of dog play areas while conservation and restoration proponents, and golf‑course advocates, argued for habitat actions and protections for Sharp Park. The comment period was extended.
The Planning Commission opened a public hearing Oct. 6 on the draft Environmental Impact Report for the Significant Natural Areas Management Plan (case 2005.1912E), prompting extensive testimony on competing priorities for San Francisco's natural areas.
Jessica Range of the Planning Department explained the EIR process and noted a correction to the summary chapter: staff will clarify that the maintenance alternative, not the maximum‑restoration alternative, is identified in the summary as the environmentally superior alternative and will correct the document in the comments-and-responses. Staff said the hearing was limited to comments on the adequacy of the draft EIR and that written comments would be accepted through the extended deadline announced at the meeting.
Public testimony covered sharply divergent views. Sally Stevens, chair of the San Francisco Dog Owners Group, warned the EIR "incorrectly states the number and total acreage of off leash dog play areas" and argued the plan could remove recreational access without documented impacts: "Give us unbiased proven facts or don't kick us out." Recreation and golf advocates, including Beau Links and Richard Harris, defended Sharp Park Golf Course as a historic recreational resource and urged options to preserve the course while advancing habitat restoration. Several environmental‑science and native‑plant speakers, including Linda Shaffer and Peter Bridal, supported careful restoration but asked for more specificity about alternatives and site‑level impacts.
Commissioners asked staff to clarify Sharp Park mitigation (including measures to preserve an 18‑hole course or relocate/report additional environmental analysis) and to provide more time for review; staff extended the public comment period to Oct. 31 (5 p.m.). The commission did not take action on the plan at the Oct. 6 hearing; the record will include comments and responses before final certification.
