RESPONSES TO COMMENTS San Francisco 2004 and 2009 Housing Element Revised EIR Alternatives Analysis CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO PLANNING DEPARTMENT CASE NO. 2007.1275E STATE CLEARINGHOUSE NO. 2008102033 Draft EIR Publication Date: June 30, 2010 Draft EIR Public Hearing Date: August 5, 2010 Draft EIR Public Comment Period: June 30, 2010 – August 16, 2010 Revised Draft EIR Publication Date: December 18, 2013 Revised Draft EIR Public Hearing Date January 23, 2014 Revised Draft EIR Public Comment Period: December 18, 2013 – February 18, 2014 Final EIR Certification Hearing Date: April 24, 2014 ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING DIVISION| SAN FRANCISCO PLANNING DEPARTMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS San Francisco 2004 and 2009 Housing Element Revised EIR Alternatives Analysis: Responses to Comments Volume III Page I. Introduction to Responses to Comments I-1 A. Purpose of this Responses to Comments Document I-1 B. Organization of Comments and Responses I-2 II. Public Hearing Transcript and Public Comments II-1 A. List of Persons Commenting II-1 B. Transcript II-5 C. Comment Letters and Emails II-50 III. Responses to Comments III-1 A. Organization of Responses to Comments III-1 B. Responses to Individual Comments III-1 IV. Revised EIR Text Changes IV-1 Appendix A San Francisco 2004 and 2009 Housing Element Page i Table of Contents Revised EIR Alternatives Analysis: Responses to Comments San Francisco 2004 and 2009 Housing Element Page ii Table of Contents Revised EIR Alternatives Analysis: Responses to Comments SECTION I Introduction to Responses to Comments A. Purpose of this Responses to Comments Document On March 24th 2011, the San Francisco Planning Commission certified the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the 2004 and 2009 Housing Element. On June 21, 2011 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors adopted the 2009 Housing Element as the Housing Element of the San Francisco General Plan. However, pursuant to the San Francisco Superior Court’s direction in San Franciscans for Livable Neighborhoods v City and County of San Francisco, San Francisco Superior Court Case No. 513-0771, the Planning Department recirculated for public review a revised Chapter VII Alternatives of the FEIR, on December 18, 2014. The following summarizes the changes made to the revised Chapter VII Alternatives: x A subsection in Chapter VII Alternatives titled “Development Assumptions by Alternative” was added under the Analysis of Project Alternatives section. This discussion provides generalized assumptions regarding the location, density, and types of new housing anticipated under each alternative, based on the policies associated with each alternative. x The environmental analysis of each alternative was revised to provide additional clarification and substantiation of the impact conclusions. The impact conclusions provided within the previously circulated Draft EIR have not been changed. x The discussion in Chapter VII Alternatives, under the Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Further Analysis section of the EIR, was revised. x Table VII-4, Comparison of Alternatives to the proposed Housing Elements, has been revised to correct errata in the previously circulated EIR and to reflect refinements to the revised Chapter VII Alternatives analysis. In addition, the Department recirculated and made conforming changes to Chapter II Executive Summary to reflect the revisions made in Chapter VII Alternatives (hereafter referred to as the ”Revised EIR”). This Responses to Comments document was prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines and contains all relevant comments on the Revised EIR and the Department’s responses to those comments, including copies of the comment letters received and a transcript of the January 23, 2014 public hearing on the Revised EIR at the San Francisco Planning Commission. As specified in the Notice of Availability of the Revised EIR dated December 18, 2013, “Comments should be limited to the recirculated sections of the EIR in accordance with Section 15088.5(f)(2) of the CEQA Guidelines.” Thus in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15088(f)(2) this document formally responds only to comments on the recirculated Revised EIR sections. Comments provided on other sections of the EIR that were not recirculated are included in this document, but any associated response is provided for informational purposes only, and do not require any changes to the EIR. 1 San Franciscans for Livable Neighborhoods v City and County of San Francisco, December 19, 2013. This document is part of the case file 2007.1275E and is available for review at the Planning Department, 1650 Mission Street, Suite 400. San Francisco 2004 and 2009 Housing Element Page I-1 Section I Revised EIR Alternatives Analysis: Responses to Comments This Responses to Comments document will be sent to public agencies and members of the public who testified at the public hearing on the Revised EIR and/or provided written comments via letters and emails. The Revised EIR, together with this Responses to Comments document and the unrevised portions of the EIR, will be considered by the Planning Commission in an advertised public meeting and then certified as a Final EIR if deemed adequate. The Housing Element is a public policy document that addresses issues relating to housing needs for San Francisco residents. The Housing Element is prepared in response to Government Code section 65580 et seq., California state housing element law, which requires local jurisdictions to plan for and address the housing needs of its population to meet state housing goals. The 2004 and 2009 Housing Element EIR found that implementation of either the 2004 or 2009 Housing Element would result in significant environmental effects on the transit network that could not be mitigated to a less than significant level with implementation of mitigation measures. B. Organization of Comments and Responses This document contains the written and oral public comments received on Revised EIR, and responses to those comments. Also included in this document are staff-initiated changes to the text of the revised portion of the Draft EIR. Following this introductory section, Section II presents a table of all persons and organizations that provided written or oral comments, and the date of their communications. The public hearing on the Revised EIR occurred before the San Francisco Planning Commission on January 23, 2014. Following the list of commenters is the full transcript of the public hearing, and all written comments that were received by the Planning Department on the Revised EIR. The public comment period ran from December 18, 2013 through February 18, 2014 (the original close of the public comment period was February 3, 2014, but was extended to February 18, 2014 in response to requests from the public and the Planning Commissioners). Section III provides the Planning Department’s responses to the public comments. The order of the responses generally corresponds to the order of comments provided in Section II. The name of the commenter is indicated in parentheses following each comment number. In instances where multiple commenters made similar statements, those comments are typically responded to only once and subsequent comment responses refer the reader to the earlier (similar) response(s). Section IV contains text changes to the Revised EIR, specifically Chapter VII Alternatives, provided by the EIR preparers subsequent to publication of the Revised EIR to correct or clarify information presented therein. Where applicable changes made to the text of the Revised EIR are shown in underline for additions and strikethrough for deletions. Numerous comments made both in writing and at the public hearing were directed towards the perceived merits of the project and not the adequacy or accuracy of the Revised EIR, or were directed to sections of the EIR that were not revised or recirculated. Such instances are noted in the responses. These comments will be available to decision-makers as they consider whether to approve the project. The comments and responses to the Revised EIR will be incorporated into the Final EIR as a new chapter. Text changes resulting from comments and responses will also be incorporated in the Final EIR, as indicated in the responses. San Francisco 2004 and 2009 Housing Element Page I-2 Section I Revised EIR Alternatives Analysis: Responses to Comments SECTION II Public Hearing Transcript and Public Comments A. List of Persons Commenting Letter/Transcript Commenter Name Number (Last, First) Agency/Organization Date Media R1 Scott, Leonard Pacific Heights Residents Gregory Association R1 Bisho, Dave Westwood Highlands Association R1 Russom, Michael Park Merced Action Coalition R1 Ferguson, Charles Presidio Heights Association of Neighbors R1 Devincenzi, Kathy San Franciscans for Livable Neighborhoods R1 White, Steven R1 Hillson, Rose R1 Romanovsky, Paula R1 Romanovsky, Alex R1 Vaughey, Patricia Marina Cow Hollow Neighbors and Merchants Public R1 Meiswinkel, Diane Francisco Heights Neighborhood January 23, 2014 Hearing Association Transcript R1 Rawlins, Kathleen Miraloma Park Improvement Club R1 Liberthson, Dan Miraloma Park Improvement Club R1 Ross, Tom R1 Squeri, Carolyn St. Francis Homes Association R1 Choden, Bernard San Francisco Tomorrow R1 Fukuda, Hiroshi Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods R1 Armour, Timothy Miraloma Park Improvement Club R1 Teitelbaum, Risa Liberty Hill Neighborhood Organization R1 Steiner, Shari Liberty Hill