Table Of Content

SANFRANCISCOPUBLICLIBRARY looo 06256 2351 Ftm STK SAN FRANCISCO PLANNrNG DEPARTMENT 2000.1090E STATE CLEARINGHOUSE NO. 2001072091 DOCUMENTS DEPT. DRAFT EIR PUBLICATION DATE: 1 7 2002 SEPTEMBER 2002 14, SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY DRAFT EIR PUBLIC HEARING DATE: OCTOBER 2002 17, DRAFT EIR PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: SEPTEMBER 14 TO OCTOBER 29, 2002 Writtencommentsshouldbesentto: REF 711 4097 PAULMALTZER,ENVIRONMENTALREVIEWOFFICER• SANFRANCISCOPLANNINGDEPARTMENT Sa52. th 1660MISSION STREET,SUITE500,SAN FRANCISCO,CA 94103 5/S San Francisco PublicLibrary REFERENCE BOOK Not to be taken from the Library DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT SAN FRANCISCO PLANNING DEPARTMENT 2000.1090E STATE CLEARINGHOUSE NO. 2001072091 DRAFT EIR PUBLICATION DATE: SEPTEMBER 2002 14, DRAFT EIR PUBLIC HEARING DATE: OCTOBER 2002 1 7, DRAFT EIR PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: SEPTEMBER 14 TO OCTOBER 29, 2002 Writtencommentsshouldbesentto: PAULMALTZER,ENVIRONMENTALREVIEWOFFICER•SANFRANCISCOPLANNINGDEPARTMENT 1660MISSION STREET,SUITE500,SAN FRANCISCO,CA 94103 Thisdocumentwasprintedonrecycledpaper. 300 Spear Street TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY I. 1 PROJECT DESCRIPTION II. 25 A. Introduction 25 B. Objectives ofthe Project Sponsor 25 C. Project Location 27 D. Project Characteristics 29 E. Project Schedule and Approvals Required 57 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING AND IMPACTS III. 59 A. LandUse, Zoning, and Plan Consistency 59 B. Visual Quality and Urban Design 92 C. Transportation 110 D. Air Quality 139 E. Shadows and Wind 149 F. Growth Inducement 169 MITIGATION MEASURES PROPOSED TO MINIMIZE IV. POTENTIAL ADVERSE IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT 172 V. OTHER CEQA CONSIDERATIONS 181 A. Significant Environmental Effects that Cannot Be Avoided ifthe Proposed Project Is Implemented 181 B. Significant Irreversible Environmental Changes Which Would Be Caused by the Proposed Project Should It Be Implemented 182 ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED PROJECT VI. 183 A. Alternative A: No Project 183 B. Alternative B: No Traffic Impacts 185 C. Alternative C: Existing Height and Bulk Controls 187 D. Alternative D: Reduced Development Under RequestedRezoning 92 1 VII. DRAFT EIR DISTRIBUTION LIST 96 1 VIII. AUTHORS AND PERSONS CONSULTED 207 DraftEIR/September 14,2002 i 300SpearStreet/2000.1090E Table ofContents APPENDICES A. Notice ofPreparation/Initial Study EIRRequirement A.l B. Requested Amendments to Planning Code and General Plan B.l C. Transportation C.l D. Wind Tunnel Analysis D.l LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Project Location 28 Figtire 2 Existing Zoning Districts in Project Vicinity 30 Figure 3 Existing Rincon Hill SUD With Its Subdistricts 31 Figure 4 Existing Height and Bulk Districts in Project Vicinity 32 Figure 5 RequestedZoning District 34 Figure 6 Requested Residential/Commercial Subdistrict in the Rincon Hill SUD 35 Figure 7 RequestedHeight and Bulk Districts 37 Figure 8 Development Project Site Plan 40 Figure 9 Spear-Street Level 42 Figure 10 Main-Street Level 43 Figure Courtyard Level 44 11 Figure 12 Fourth Level 45 Figure 13 Typical Fifth and Sixth Levels 47 Figure 14 Typical Seventh and Eighth Levels 48 Figure 15 Ninth Level 49 Figure 16 North-South Building Section Through Courtyard 50 Figure 17 Typical Tower Level 51 Figure 18 Spear Street Elevation 52 Figure 19 Main Street Elevation 53 Figure 20 Folsom Street Elevation 54 Figure 21 Typical Basement Level 56 Figure 22 Existing Land Use in Project Vicinity 61 Figure 23 Existing, Under-Construction, and Approved Residential Developments in Project Vicinity 62 Figure 24 Viewpoint Locations 101 Figure 25 View Looking West on Folsom Street from The Waterfront Promenade 102 Figure 26 View Looking North on Spear Street from the Bay Bridge Anchorage 103 Figure 27 View Looking East on Folsom Street from Essex Street 105 Figure 28 View Looking West from the Bay Bridge 106 Figure 29 View Looking East from Twin Peaks 108 Figure 30 Transportation Study Areas Ill DraftEIR/September 14,2002 ii 300SpearStreet/2000.1090E 3 1223 06256 2351 1 1 1 Table ofContents Figure 31 Shadow Patterns on December 21 (10 a.m., Noon, 3 p.m. PST) 152 Figure 32 Shadow Patterns on March 2 (10 a.m., Noon, 3 p.m. PST) 154 Figure 33 Shadow Patterns on June 2 (10 a.m.. Noon, 3 p.m. PDT) 155 Figure 34 Shadow Patterns on September 2 (10a.m.,Noon, 3 p.m. PDT) 157 Figure 35 MaximumNew Shadow on Rincon Park, December6 (2:15 p.m. PST) 159 Figure 36 Wind Speed Measurement Locations 163 Figure 37 Alternative C Site Plan 189 Figure 38 Alternative C Building Section 190 Figure 39 Ahemative D Building Section 193 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 RinconHill SUD - Existing and RequestedRezoning 79 Table 2 General Plan Designations for Local StreetNetwork 113 Table 3 P.M. PeakHourTravel by Travel Mode 123 Table 4 Intersection Levels ofService (P.M. Peak Hour) 125 Tables 2020 Cumulative Intersection Levels ofService (P.M. PeakHour) 135 Table 6 Contribution to 2020 Cumulative Traffic Volumes (Intersections at LOS E or F) 137 Table 7 State andFederal Ambient Air Quality Standards 140 Table 8 San Francisco Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Summary, 1995-2000 141 Table 9 Regional Emissions fi-om Development Project 144 Table 10 LocalizedMicroscale Carbon Monoxide Emissions 146 Table 11 Wind Speed Measurement Locations 164 Table 12 Interior Courtyard and Rooftop Wind Speed Measurement Locations 65 1 DraftEIR/September 14,2002 111 300 SpearStreet '2000.1OWE Digitized by the Internet Archive 2014 in https://archive.org/details/300spearstreetdr1420sanf SUMMARY I. PROJECT DESCRIPTION A. The project sponsor, Union Property Capital, Inc., proposes rezoning ofparcels in the Rincon Hill neighborhood (the "rezoning project") and a mixed-use development ofapproximately 1,560,000 gross square feet (gsf) at 300 Spear Street (the "developmentproject"). The property is currently used as apavedparking lot for 290 vehicles.' The rezoning project includes rezoning Lots 1 and 8 in Assessor's Block 3745, and part ofLot 1 in Assessor's Block 3746 from the existing P (Public) to a zoning district that allows private development. The project sponsor requests rezoning from P (Public) with height limits of 105, 150 and 200 feet to RC-4 (Residential- Commercial Combined: High Density) with 300- and 400-foot height limits. In addition, the project sponsorrequests a Planning Code text amendmentto create anew Residential/ Commercial subdistrictunderthe Rincon Hill Special Use District (SUD) overlay, and amendments to theRinconHillAreaPlan, apart ofthe San Francisco GeneralPlan. The request forrezoning has been made in conjunction with the proposed development at 201 Folsom Street on Assessor's Block 3746, Lot I, that wouldbe a part ofthe rezoned area. The third parcel requested to be rezoned is 345 Main Street, Lot 8 in Assessor's Block 3745, the remaining privately owned lot in the existing P district. The developmentportion ofthe project would consist ofup to 820 residential units, about 60,000 gsfofretail and about 50,000 gsfofoffice space, and about 960 underground parking spaces. Two 80-foot-tall building bases would be built to the property lines on Spear, Folsom and Main Streets; the building bases would enclose a centrally-located landscaped courtyard beginning at the courtyard (third) level. A pedestrian walkway connecting Spear and Main Streets would be routedthrough the landscaped courtyard. Another 20- to 30-foot-wide pedestrian walkwa\-. accessible from the courtyard, would abutthe rearproperty line. Two residential towers would rise above the building bases to total heights ofapproximately 350 feet and 400 feet above the ground level, respectively. ' The propertywas formerly ownedby Caltrans and under lease to Golden Gate Transit for daytime commuterbus layovers. Golden Gate Transit buses were relocated a few blocks away in 2000. DraftEIR/September 14,2002 1 300 SpearStreet/2000.1090E Summary I. The requested rezoning would retain the 6:1 ratio ofresidential to commercial (six square feet of residential space for every one square foot ofcommercial space) that applies in the existing Residential subdistrict. Uses allowable in the new Residential/Commercial subdistrict would be broaderthan those uses permitted in the Residential subdistrict under RC-4 zoning. In additionto RC-4 uses, the rezoning would also include provisions to allow institutional and community facilities, utility and automotive uses, retail, office, home and business services, and entertainment uses. A minimum ofa 50-foot height differential wouldbe required between two towers proposed on the same site (that is ifone tower is 400 feet, the othertower couldbe a maximum of350 feet). The existing bulk limit wouldbe changed from Rto new bulk limits. The requestedrezoning would permit 100 percent site coverage forthe building base. The rezoning request would establish requirements for aminimum separation of82.5 feet between the towers above a height of80 feet, iftwo towers are proposed on one site. The requested rezoning area is about three blocks south ofMarket Street and one blockwest of The Embarcadero and San Francisco Bay. The anchorage ofthe San Francisco - OaklandBay Bridge is about one blocktothe south. The 300 Spear Street site occupies atotal land area of approximately 75,625 square feet (sq. ft.) on the northern halfofthe blockboundedby Spear, Folsom, Main and Harrison Streets. Development is proposedto begin by summer 2003. Development would be sequenced during a 36- to 48-month construction period. The project would require the following actions, with acting bodies shown in italics: 1. Amend Planning Code Zoning Maps to rezoneprivately owned parts ofexisting P (Public) District to RC-4 (Residential-Commercial Combined: High Density), increase height limits from 105, 150 and 200 feetto 300 and 400 feet, and change bulk limit from W Rto for Block 3745, Lots 1 and 8, andportions ofBlock 3746, Lot 1. Planning Commission recommendation, BoardofSupervisors approval 2. Amend Planning Code Text to add a new Residential/Commercial subdistrict to the Rincon Hill SUD. Planning Commission recommendation, BoardofSupervisors approval 3. Amend GeneralPlan, Rincon HillAreaPlan. Planning Commission approval, referral to BoardofSupervisorsforapproval 4. Conditional Use Authorization/Planned Unit Development (PUD) forbuildings taller than 40 feet in a R district. Planning Commission approval DraftEIR/September 14,2002 2 300SpearStreet/2000.1090E