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Board upholds Planning Department’s general‑plan evaluation for 700 Indiana lab over neighborhood objections
Summary
After a contested hearing, the Board of Supervisors voted 9–1 on Sept. 24 to uphold the Planning Department’s General Plan Evaluation for a proposed biotech incubator at 700 Indiana Street, rejecting an appeal that raised CEQA, hazardous‑materials and shadow concerns.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted on Sept. 24 to uphold the Planning Department’s General Plan Evaluation for a proposed 72,000‑square‑foot laboratory building at 700 Indiana Street, denying an appeal from neighborhood groups that argued the project requires fuller CEQA review.
Appellants including the Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association and the Dogpatch Neighborhood Association said planning staff failed to include a sufficiently specific project description, neglected to survey sensitive receptors within 1,000 feet before entitlements, omitted analysis of shadows on Dogpatch Arts Plaza, and did not analyze hazards posed by potential biotech operations (biosafety levels, infectious agents, or operational biohazards). "These facilities are essentially black boxes," appellant Jared Epler told the Board, arguing that life‑science uses can involve airborne toxic or infectious risks and should be studied before approval.
Planning staff and the project sponsor (MBC/NBC BioLabs) countered that the Eastern Neighborhoods EIR anticipated laboratory uses in the urban mixed‑use (UMU) zone and that the project fits the development density analyzed in the programmatic EIR. Staff said targeted mitigations — including a site‑specific air‑quality analysis, shadow studies and regulatory oversight by local, state and federal agencies — would be applied and that the GPE was supported by substantial evidence in the record.
Vote and outcome: The board approved item 23 (the GPE) by roll call vote with nine supervisors in favor and one opposed (Supervisor Walton voted no). Prior procedural motions to split or table items failed or were amended during debate.
Why it matters: The decision keeps the proposed incubator eligible for streamlined CEQA review under section 15183, which applies when a project is consistent with prior programmatic EIR density and does not create unusual or more severe impacts than previously analyzed. Neighbors said the operational hazards and proximity to parks, schools and residences warrant a fuller environmental review; sponsors and trade groups said the project will expand biotech job opportunities, include union construction agreements, and keep startups in the city.
Next steps: The project will proceed under the Planning Department’s determination subject to the stated project mitigations and future operational permits and regulatory reviews. Appellants may seek judicial review or other legal remedies outside the board process.
Quotes from the hearing: "This is not a request to stop biotech in the city — it is a request to do the environmental review the law requires," Jared Epler for Potrero Boosters said. Leah Minkley, COO of MBC BioLabs, said the company operates biosafety level‑2 labs and that multiple local, state and federal regulatory programs protect workers and the public.
Ending: The board’s action preserves the Planning Department’s streamlined finding; neighbors cited unresolved environmental concerns and signaled potential further appeals.
