MEMORANDUM

May 21, 2021

TO: MEMBERS, PORT COMMISSION Hon. Kimberly Brandon, President Hon. Willie Adams, Vice President Hon. John Burton Hon. Gail Gilman Hon. Doreen Woo Ho

FROM: Elaine Forbes Executive Director

SUBJECT: Informational presentation regarding the Islais Creek Southeast Mobility Adaptation Strategy

DIRECTOR’S RECOMMENDATION: Information Only – No Action Required

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Draft Islais Creek Southeast Mobility Adaptation Strategy (“ICSMAS”) was developed through a multi-agency process led by the Planning Department (“SF Planning”), the (“Port”), the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (“SFMTA”) and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (“SFPUC”) to address near- and long-range flood risk in the area (through 2080). The ICSMAS project area encompasses the district between southern Dogpatch and northern Bayview neighborhoods, elevated highways to the west and to the east, including Port maritime-industrial areas between Warm Water Cove and Heron’s Head park, shown on Attachment A. The study is funded by a two-year grant from Caltrans.

The flood risk reduction measures prioritize co-benefits to transportation systems, open space, economic growth and job opportunities for middle income earners, many that live in the Bayview. The flood risk reduction measures also support the Islais Creek Vision and Community Goals that were co-created for the district through a series of community workshops for over two years. ICSMAS is one of multiple coordinated City efforts to protect and adapt the waterfront and adjacent communities to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. All work including community input will feed into the Waterfront Resilience Program (“WRP”) short- and long-term planning efforts. Though the Caltrans SB 1 grant funded deliverables for ICSMAS will be

THIS PRINT COVERS CALENDAR ITEM NO. 13B completed in June 2021, the Vision and Goals and the strategies developed through community engagement will continue to inform ongoing resilience work in the area.

ICSMAS is well aligned with Resilience and Equity goals of the Port 2021-2025 Strategic Plan. Equitable engagement in program development has been provided through robust stakeholder engagement to develop resilience planning goals for the district and ongoing updates regarding the WRP and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco Waterfront Flood Resiliency Study (“USACE Flood Study”).

ICSMAS supports healthy and resilient communities in this district through an array of measures that reduce flooding risk for lands that are prioritized for economic growth that benefits workers and industries, community serving bridges and critical public transit assets that ensure mobility for area industries and residents, and that enhance the ecology of the creek and open space areas. ICSMAS furthers Port resilience objectives by providing measures for reducing flood risk in the Islais Creek district, protecting the deep-water berths, cargo terminals and related industrial operations in the Port’s Eco-Industrial Area, as well as protecting and enhancing wetlands and open spaces from Warm Water Cove to Heron’s Head Park.

Approach and Coordination

ICSMAS is part of multiple coordinated City efforts to protect and adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. ICMSAS was developed through a multi-agency effort led by SF Planning, the Port, SFMTA and SFPUC (the “City Team”). The City Team assessed future climate risks and identified potential near-term and long-term adaptation strategies to address potential flooding for planning horizons of 2050 and 2080. ICSMAS includes the City’s first flood modeling effort that combines upland stormwater and coastal flooding plus sea level rise, providing a more complete understanding of the district’s growing vulnerabilities to flooding.

ICSMAS will serve as a key input to the comprehensive Waterfront Resilience Program, including: 1) the Port’s Adapt Plan that will seek to reduce seismic and flood risk and enhance the 7.5 miles of Bay shoreline from Islais Creek to Fisherman’s Wharf; and 2) the USACE Flood Study that explores a wide range of flood projections, adaptation strategies, and costs, and will identify the potential for a federally funded project.

USACE Flood Study work began in 2018 when the USACE awarded San Francisco a “new start” study appropriation and will continue through 2025 depending on a pending USACE exemption request to the Assistant Secretary of the Army to extend the Flood Study beyond the 3 years and $3 million in funding that USACE typically allows for these types of studies. Please see the October 27, 20201 Port Commission staff report for a description of the USACE Flood Study and this exemption process. Port staff intends to brief the Port Commission regarding the status of the exemption request in the next 1-2 months. The Study is currently paused pending consideration of the exemption request.

When work recommences with USACE in late 2021 or early 2022, WRP staff will ensure that strategies identified in ICMSAS are brought into the next step of the planning process. During this planning process, USACE will identify the National Economic Development (NED) Plan,

1 The October 27, 2020 staff report can be found at: https://sfport.com/meeting/san-francisco-port-commission-october-27-2020-supporting-documents

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The Port, SF Planning, SFMTA and Public Works will continue to coordinate through preparation of the USACE Flood Study and Adapt Plan and will facilitate early planning and funding coordination among these agencies to protect critical City assets and deliver local benefits.

Stakeholder Engagement

In 2019 and early 2020, the WRP and City Team held three in-person workshops and other events, including a walking tour, to connect with residents, workers, property owners and local organizations. In addition to sharing the project scope and site analysis with attendees, the events were created as opportunities to engage community members in identifying the community vision and goals that will guide resilience work for the district. Community outreach continued with students from Malcom X Academy, and the ‘I am Islais’ campaign which created a personal connection and neighborhood identity between the flood discussions and the people who are affected by it. Community goals include a(an): • Transportation system that is resilient and adaptable to flood risk; • Healthy environment for residents, workers and ecologies; • Sustainable economy that benefits local residents, workers and industries; • Socially and environmentally resilient neighborhood; and • Authentic and transparent public engagement during and beyond planning.

This month, the City Team hosted a series of meetings to discuss the Draft ICSMAS plan with community stakeholders. Concurrently, the City Team is obtaining feedback from agency staff and leadership. The Port has discussed ICSMAS with long-term tenants in this District including PASHA, Hansen, Cemex, Central Concrete, and Recology to elevate awareness of flood risks and adaptation alternatives in the vicinity of their operations and include their perspectives in the planning process. Stakeholder feedback will inform the ICSMAS final report to Caltrans at the end of June and continue to inform the WRP’s comprehensive resilience plans for this area.

The stakeholder engagement process described above supports the community goal to achieve an authentic and transparent public engagement during and beyond planning and will continue with the Waterfront Resilience Program comprehensive plans for the 7.5-mile shoreline.

ICSMAS Draft Report

The ICSMAS draft document is under review by the City Team; a final version of the strategy will be published in mid/late June. A summary of the comprehensive adaptation strategy is illustrated in Attachment B, District Scale Adaptation Framework (through 2080). The draft includes the following key components:

• Description of critical infrastructure along the shoreline that is managed or maintained by the Port, MTA, SFPUC and Public Works and serves both the local neighborhood and wider City;

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• Combined flood hazard maps that illustrate the cumulative risk of sea level rise (SLR), with a 100-year storm (1:100 chance of occurrence per year), and stormwater flooding where a 3-hour rainfall event is coupled with SLR during a 2-year extreme tide.

• District-Scale Concept including near- and long-term flood protection measures for five geographic reaches or subareas. For each reach, a series of manageable steps is provided to help manage risks over time under uncertain future conditions, also referred to as adaptation pathways.

• Asset-specific recommendations for a subset of critical assets including: Islais Creek Bus Facility; Marin Yard; Islais Creek Bridge; Illinois Street Bridge; Pier 80; Pier 96; Pier 90-96 Backlands.

The City Team worked with an inter-disciplinary consultant team to develop a strategy that ensures a resilient, creek-centered neighborhood. Informed by the community goals for the district, the flood adaptation strategy seeks to achieve the following benefits:

Economic Opportunity

Economically, the Islais Creek area is important as it supports some of the city’s last remaining production-distribution-repair (PDR) and industrial land uses and maritime cargo operations, which create and sustain a critical concentration of skilled, middle-wage job opportunities. Regional Plans forecast growth in cargo and industrial/PDR uses in this district through 2050, including the Association of Bay Area Government’s (ABAGs) and MTCs “Plan Bay Area 2050 Final Blueprint” that designates the Islais geography as a “Priority Production Area” to enable industrial areas to thrive and grow.

The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission’s (BCDCs) recent 2050 cargo forecast for its Seaport Plan identified Pier 96 as a key expansion site for either Ro-ro (auto) or Dry Bulk cargo assuming continued full utilization of Piers 80, 90, 92 and 94. Additionally, there are opportunities to invest in the African American Arts and Cultural/Bayview District for initiatives that expedite commercial growth.

Key adaptation moves that protect and enhance maritime, industrial and commercial areas include:

• Adapt shoreline with raised edge to preserve and optimize marine berths and terminals for regional cargo growth and dual function as disaster response and recovery operations and protect industrial use areas for local jobs;

• Focus investment on key transit corridors such as 3rd Street and Evans Street, including strategies to help pay for flood adaptation and neighborhood priorities; and

• Further study of cargo berthing and conveyance infrastructure to examine opportunities to offset deepwater berths and convey cargo to terminals located further inland from the vessel.

These flood protection measures support the community goal to achieve a sustainable economy that benefits local residents, workers and industries.

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Mobility

ICSMAS seeks climate adaptation investments that expand active transportation and transit, enhance traveler safety, and improve connections between maritime and industrial uses and regional highway and rail systems. Key adaptation moves include:

• Implement improvements to the Blue Greenway along Ilinois and Cargo Way, and through Warm Water Cove;

• Enhance key transit corridors to improve East/West connectivity including Evans Ave, which helps ease the burden on Islais Creek and Illinois Street bridges and reduce North/South traffic;

• Improve the bike and pedestrian network for safe, enjoyable experience for those using it;

• Maintain and enhance truck and freight rail to sustain cargo and maritime operations and revisit need for freight rail to Pier 80 when the Illinois St bridge is reconstructed; and

• Use green streets/infrastructure to create safety buffers from vehicle with intersection bulb-outs.

These flood protection measures support the community goal to achieve a transportation system that is resilient and adaptable to flood risk.

Open space

Nature based adaptation strategies aim to provide flood protection while increasing or enhancing parks and habitat areas. Key adaptation moves include:

• Remove aging waterfront structures in favor of living shoreline features that restore a natural edge condition and create passive recreation opportunities (Warm Water Cove Park and southwestern creek bank);

• Consider expanding open space in opportunity areas that could be developed as a public/private partnership (Southwestern creek bank);

• Maintain existing wetland areas and consider regrading areas where they could migrate over time (Pier 94 wetlands, Heron’s Head Park); and

• Introduce green streets, street-level green infrastructure to reduce localized urban flood risk, reduce peak flows, increase biodiversity and enhance neighborhood character.

These flood protection measures support the community goal to achieve a healthy environment for residents, workers and ecologies.

Collectively, the flood adaptation measures described above deliver Economic, Mobility and Open Space community co-benefits that support the community goal to achieve a socially and environmentally resilient neighborhood and promote community resilience over time.

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Next Steps

Port staff seeks initial comments on the ICSMAS Strategies from the Port Commission, with the understanding that the Commission will have multiple opportunities to engage with the adaptation strategies for this area through the Adapt Plan and the USACE Flood Study.

The City Team will prepare final edits to the Draft ICMSAS report based upon feedback from stakeholder engagement, and public agencies including the Port, SF Planning, SFMTA, SFPUC, Public Works. ICSMAS will be finalized by the end of June, fulfilling the requirements of the Caltrans funding grant.

Prepared by: Kari Kilstrom, Special Projects Kirsten Southey, Communications Manager for Brad Benson, Waterfront Resilience Director

Attachment A: ICSMAS Project Area Attachment B: District Scale Comprehensive Strategy

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