San Francisco Planning Department Transfer and Reuse of Naval Station Treasure Island Final Environmental Impact Report Volume I: Chapters 1 through 10 June 1, 2006 Planning Department Case No. 94.448 State Clearinghouse No. 1996092073 Draft EIR Publication Date: August 23, 2003 Draft EIR Public Hearing Date: October 2, 2003 Draft EIR Public Comment Period: August 23, 2003 to October 21, 2003 EIR Certification Date: May 5, 2005 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR THE TRANSFER AND REUSE OF NAVAL STATION TREASURE ISLAND SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Lead Agencies for EIR: Treasure Island Development Authority and the City and County of San Francisco, San Francisco, California Title for Proposed Action: Transfer and Reuse of Naval Station Treasure Island Affected Jurisdictions: City and County of San Francisco, California Designation: Environmental Impact Report State Clearinghouse No.: SCH# 1996092073 ABSTRACT This Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) analyzes the potentially significant environmental impacts associated with the transfer and reuse of Naval Station Treasure Island (NSTI) in San Francisco, California. The NSTI closure was approved by President Clinton and accepted by Congress in 1993 and NSTI operations closed in September 1997 pursuant to the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act (DBCRA) of 1990, Public Law (Pub. L.) 101-510, Title XXIX (A), 10 United States Code (U.S.C.) §2687 note. Under Pub. L. 101-510, as amended, the U.S. Navy has the authority to convey the property to the City and County of San Francisco, or a reuse organization approved by the City (i.e., the Treasure Island Development Authority). Following conveyance of the property, the Treasure Island Development Authority proposes to implement the City’s Redevelopment Plan for NSTI. This Final EIR has been prepared by the Treasure Island Development Authority and the City and County of San Francisco Planning Department pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the State CEQA guidelines, and local implementing regulations. A separate Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) dated June 2003 was prepared by the U.S. Navy to comply with Federal environmental regulations, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), regarding the transfer of Federal surplus land and reuse of NSTI and has undergone a separate public review process. The Final EIR includes public comments received on the Draft EIR prepared in August 2003, responses to those comments, and required modifications, clarifications, and additions to the text and graphics of the Draft EIR. Text changes primarily reflect the modification and addition of text to clarify and amplify the specific impacts of the marina expansion project analyzed in the Draft EIR. An electronic copy of this document is available for review at: http://www.sfgov.org/site/treasureisland Copies of this document are available for review by appointment at the following locations: City and County of San Francisco Treasure Island Development Authority San Francisco Planning Department 410 Palm Avenue, Building 1 1660 Mission Street, 5th Floor Treasure Island San Francisco, CA 94103-2414 San Francisco, CA 94130 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page Volume I 1. PROJECT OBJECTIVES 1-1 1.1 Purpose and Need 1-3 1.1.1 Programmatic EIR/Transfer of Property From Navy 1-3 1.1.2 Long-Term Redevelopment Planning 1-4 1.1.3 Project-Specific Marina Development 1-5 1.2 Location, History, and Current Use 1-6 1.2.1 Treasure Island 1-6 1.2.2 Yerba Buena Island 1-8 1.3 Document Organization 1-9 1.4 Related Processes and Documentation 1-10 1.4.1 Property Transfer 1-11 1.4.2 Reuse Planning Implementation 1-13 1.4.3 Regulatory Framework for Reuse 1-14 1.4.4 Navy Environmental Cleanup 1-23 1.5 CEQA Compliance 1-24 1.5.1 Use of a Program EIR 1-24 1.5.2 Related Site-Specific Environmental Documentation 1-25 1.6 Public Involvement Process 1-25 2. PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES 2-1 2.1 Proposed Action 2-1 2.2 Navy Transfer 2-1 2.3 No Action Alternative 2-1 2.4 Reuse Alternatives 2-2 2.4.1 Assumptions for All Reuse Alternatives 2-5 2.4.2 Maximum Development Alternative 2-9 2.4.3 Medium Development Alternative 2-21 2.4.4 Minimum Development Alternative 2-24 2.4.5 Draft Reuse Plan Guiding Policies 2-27 2.5 Alternatives Considered and Eliminated from Further Review 2-29 2.5.1 Harbor-Oriented Themed Attraction Alternative 2-29 2.5.2 Destination Entertainment District Alternative 2-29 2.5.3 Residential Neighborhood Alternative 2-29 2.5.4 Major Themed Attraction Alternative 2-29 2.6 Environmentally Superior Alternative 2-29 2.7 Project Approval Requirements 2-30 2.8 Comparison of Alternatives, Including Impacts and Mitigation 2-31 3. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING 3-1 3.1 Land Use 3-3 3.1.1 Former NSTI Land Uses 3-3 3.1.2 Non-Navy Land Uses on Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island 3-6 3.1.3 Surrounding Land Uses 3-7 C:\Documents and Settings\sfojml\My Documents\TI\06TI_1\TOC.docTransfer and Reuse of Naval Station Treasure Island Final EIRJune 2006 i TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Page 3.1.4 Existing Off-island Ferry Terminal Land Uses 3-7 3.2 Visual Resources and Aesthetics 3-9 3.2.1 NSTI Character 3-9 3.2.2 Views and Visibility of NSTI 3-12 3.2.3 Views from NSTI 3-13 3.2.4 Viewer Sensitivity 3-14 3.3 Population, Employment, and Housing 3-15 3.3.1 Economic Trends and Conditions 3-15 3.3.2 Population Trends and Projections 3-21 3.3.3 Housing Characteristics 3-25 3.3.4 Schools 3-27 3.4 Cultural Resources 3-29 3.4.1 Regulatory Context 3-29 3.4.2 Cultural Resources Setting of NSTI 3-31 3.4.3 Previous Cultural Resources Investigations 3-35 3.5 Transportation, Circulation, and Parking 3-47 3.5.1 Existing Roadway Network 3-47 3.5.2 Traffic Volumes and Level of Service 3-53 3.5.3 Public Transportation 3-58 3.5.4 Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation 3-66 3.5.5 Parking 3-67 3.5.6 Goods Movement 3-67 3.6 Air Quality 3-69 3.6.1 Climate and Meteorology 3-69 3.6.2 Ambient Air Quality Standards 3-69 3.6.3 Existing Air Quality Conditions 3-72 3.7 Noise 3-77 3.7.1 Noise Standards 3-77 3.7.2 Existing Treasure Island Noise Conditions 3-80 3.7.3 Existing Yerba Buena Island Noise Conditions 3-80 3.8 Biological Resources 3-81 3.8.1 Regulatory Considerations 3-81 3.8.2 Vegetation/Habitat Types 3-85 3.8.3 Wildlife 3-94 3.8.4 Special Status Species 3-96 3.8.5 Sensitive Habitats 3-116 3.8.6 Essential Fish Habitat 3-116 3.8.7 Wetlands 3-119 3.9 Soils, Geology, and Seismicity 3-121 3.9.1 Regional Geology and Seismicity 3-121 3.9.2 Geology Underlying NSTI 3-125 3.9.3 Soils 3-126 3.9.4 Geologic Hazards at NSTI 3-127 3.9.5 Improving Ground Stability 3-137 3.10 Hydrology and Water Quality 3-139 3.10.1 Regulatory Considerations 3-139 3.10.2 Surface Water 3-141 3.10.3 Groundwater 3-143 3.10.4 Past Dredging for Development of Treasure Island 3-144 C:\Documents and Settings\sfojml\My Documents\TI\06TI_1\TOC.docTransfer and Reuse of Naval Station Treasure Island Final EIRJune 2006 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Page 3.10.5 Past Navy Dredging 3-144 3.11 Public Services and Utilities 3-147 3.11.1 Public Services 3-147 3.11.2 Utilities 3-150 3.12 Hazardous Materials and Waste 3-157 3.12.1 Hazardous Materials Management 3-157 3.12.2 Hazardous Waste Management 3-158 3.12.3 Installation Restoration Program 3-158 3.12.4 Asbestos 3-178 3.12.5 Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) 3-179 3.12.6 Storage Tanks and Oil/Water Separators 3-179 3.12.7 Lead 3-180 3.12.8 Radioactive Materials 3-181 3.12.9 Radon 3-181 3.13 Shadow and Wind 3-183 3.13.1 Shadow 3-183 3.13.2 Wind Standards 3-183 3.13.3 Existing Wind Conditions 3-183 3.14 Public Plans, Policies, and Regulatory Agencies 3-185 3.14.1 City and County of San Francisco 3-185 3.14.2 Treasure Island Development Authority 3-190 3.14.2A The Tidelands Trust and the State Lands Commission 3-190 3.14.3 The Sustainability Plan for the City of San Francisco 3-192 3.14.4 San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board 3-193 3.14.5 California Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Toxic Substances Control 3-195 3.14.6 San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission 3-195 3.14.7 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 3-198 3.14.8 U.S. Coast Guard 3-199 4. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION 4-1 4.1 Land Use 4-3 4.1.1 No Action Alternative 4-4 4.1.2 Maximum Development Alternative 4-4 4.1.3 Medium Development Alternative 4-7 4.1.4 Minimum Development Alternative 4-8 4.2 Visual Resources and Aesthetics 4-11 4.2.1 No Action Alternative 4-14 4.2.2 Maximum Development Alternative 4-14 4.2.3 Medium Development Alternative 4-23 4.2.4 Minimum Development Alternative 4-25 4.3 Population, Employment, and Housing 4-29 4.3.1 No Action Alternative 4-29 4.3.2 Maximum Development Alternative 4-31 4.3.3 Medium Development Alternative 4-32 4.3.4 Minimum Development Alternative 4-34 4.4 Cultural Resources 4-37 4.4.1 Significance Criteria 4-37 4.4.2 Project Resource Base 4-40 C:\Documents and Settings\sfojml\My Documents\TI\06TI_1\TOC.docTransfer and Reuse of Naval Station Treasure Island Final EIRJune 2006 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Page 4.4.3 Project Impacts and Mitigation Measures 4-42 4.4.4 No Action Alternative 4-44 4.4.5 Maximum Development Alternative 4-44 4.4.6 Medium Development Alternative 4-59 4.4.7 Minimum Development Alternative 4-62 4.5 Transportation, Circulation, and Parking 4-65 4.5.1 No Action Alternative 4-74 4.5.2 Maximum Development Alternative 4-82 4.5.3 Medium Development Alternative 4-108 4.5.4 Minimum Development Alternative 4-120 4.6 Air Quality 4-131 4.6.1 No Action Alternative 4-132 4.6.2 Maximum