Committee approves amendments to clear way for James Alley vacation tied to Chinese Hospital project

The Land Use and Transportation Committee on March 7 accepted amendments and acted to advance measures that would begin the process of vacating James Alley to accommodate improvements tied to the Chinese Hospital redevelopment.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin, the item’s author, told the committee the alley on the hospital’s east side must be vacated to allow the project to proceed and said the state of California requires that the entire alley be vacated because of underground facilities beneath it. Peskin proposed two technical amendments: filling a blank in the resolution to schedule the required public hearing for April 5, 2016, and updating the measure’s title to note that hearing date.

The clerk described the two items as a resolution and an ordinance declaring the city’s intention to order the street vacation of James Alley and reserving various easements as part of the improvement agreement between the city and the Chinese Hospital Association. Chair Malia Cohen opened public comment and, after no members of the public came forward, the committee closed the public comment period.

Supervisor Reno moved to accept the amendments; the motion passed without objection. Supervisor Peskin then moved to send item 1 to the full Board with the committee’s recommendation for a hearing on March 8 and to refer item 2 without recommendation to the Board meeting scheduled for April 5, 2016. Those motions passed without objection.

What happens next: the committee-recorded action sends item 1 to the full Board as a committee report for the Board’s hearing, and item 2 will be placed on the Board agenda without a committee recommendation. The resolution will require the advertised public hearing on April 5, 2016, as noted in the amended title and text.