Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environmental Review topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Booker T. Washington redevelopment draws divided comment at draft EIR hearing
Summary
The Planning Commission took public comment on the draft EIR for the Booker T. Washington Community Center replacement project at 800 Presidio Ave.; neighbors praised the center and affordable housing but raised strong objections to proposed height, bulk and claims that the DEIR underestimates impacts. The Historic Preservation Commission recommended additional mitigation to document cultural history.
Planning staff presented the draft environmental impact report for the Booker T. Washington Community Center replacement and a proposed five-story housing component. The EIR describes demolition of the existing community center as a significant CEQA impact because the center was found to be a historic resource tied to the local African American community.
Michael Jacinto of the Planning Department summarized the project and alternatives, including a code-compliant preservation alternative, and told commissioners the EIR would be followed by a formal comment-and-response document. The Historic Preservation Commission recommended adding a mitigation measure to document the community center's history and to include more on architect Lloyd Gartner in the preservation alternative.
Dozens of neighbors and community members testified at the hearing. Supporters said the center needs renovation and praised the proposed expanded programs and set-aside affordable units for emancipated youth and low-income residents. Several neighbors and preservation advocates said the proposed housing's height and massing would be out of scale and that important elevation drawings and view simulations were missing from the DEIR. Some speakers asked for additional analysis of parking and traffic around the site, and for fuller documentation of the building's historical associations.
Staff said the DEIR uses an envelope approach to analyze the proposed development intensity and that visual, parking and historic analyses in the document would be updated in the comments and responses. Commissioner comments noted the EIR should include more detailed documentation for the mitigation and preservation alternatives and suggested staff ensure required elevation drawings are included in the final document. The public comment period for the draft EIR remains open through the announced deadline; staff said commenters will receive the comments-and-responses document prior to certification or any entitlements.
Outcome: Public comment recorded; Historic Preservation Commission requests and multiple public comments will be included in the comments-and-responses record. No certification vote at this session.
