Planning Commission certifies EIR and approves 55 Laguna project after heated preservation debate

The San Francisco Planning Commission certified the final environmental impact report (EIR) for the 55 Laguna mixed‑use project and approved related zoning and conditional‑use actions at its Jan. 17, 2008 meeting after more than three hours of public testimony and debate.

Ruthie Bennett of A.F. Evans Development, the project sponsor, told the commission that the proposal would deliver roughly 440 market‑rate dwelling units alongside a separate senior building to be developed with Open House, a nonprofit focused on housing and services for older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. “A.F. Evans is very pleased to bring for your approval the project at 55 Laguna,” Bennett said during the public presentation.

The plan preserves and adaptively reuses most of the campus’ existing buildings while replacing two smaller structures to make room for new housing, public open space and a community facility. Open House said the senior building would be 100 percent affordable and target low‑income seniors while welcoming LGBT elders and others; Marcy Adelman of Open House told commissioners the project would “provide a safe, welcoming home for LGBT seniors and their friends.”

Opponents — including the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board and neighborhood preservation groups — argued the proposal would…