Hastings College of the Law parking garage and residential upgrade : draft environmental impact report

210 Pages·2002·12.1 MB·English

by  Hastings College of the Law

SANFRANCISCOPUBLICLIBRARY
of California
3 1223 06038 1283
HASTINGS COLLEGE OF THE LAW
PARKING GARAGE AND RESIDENTIAL UPGRADE
Draft Environmental Impact Report
January 16, 2002
Public Review Period: January 16 - March 8, 2002
State Clearinghouse # 2001112109
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San Francisco PublicLibrary
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REFERENCE BOOK
Not to be taken from the Library
UNIVERSITY OFCALIFORNIA
HASTINGS COLLEGE OF THE LAW
TO: Federal, State, and Local Agencies, Interested Groups and Individuals, Adjacent Land Owners, andMedia
FROM: David Seward, ChiefFinancial Officer, Hastings College ofthe Law
SUBJECT: Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
DATE: January 16, 2002
Hastings College of the Law, a public law school affiliated with the University of California and an
instrumentality of the State of California, has completed a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the
following project:
Project Title: Hastings College ofthe Law Parking Garage and Residential Upgrade
Project Sponsor: University of California Hastings College ofthe Law
Lead Agency: University of California Hastings College ofthe Law
Draft EIR Topics and Findings: The followingenvironmental topics are evaluatedin theDraft EIR: LandUse,
Plans, and Zoning, Transportation and Circulation, Historic Architectural Resources, Visual Quality, Shadow,
Air Quality, and Noise. Potential cumulative impacts and project alternatives are also evaluated. The Draft EIR
identifies potentially significant impacts with respect to Historic Architectural Resources and Noise. Potential
impacts to these environmental factors can be reduced to a less-than-significant level with proposed mitigation
measures. No other potentially significant impacts were identified. Other environmental factors evaluated as
part ofthe Initial Study process are included as an appendix item in the Draft EIR.
Within 45 calendar days following publication ofthe Draft EIR (i.e., by March 8, 2002), any person may:
1) Review the Draft EIR as an informational item and take no action, or
2) Make recommendations for amending the text of the document. The text of the Draft EIR may be
amended to clarify or correct statements and/or expanded to include additional relevant environmental
issues or cover issues already identified in greater depth.
Comments concerning the environmental effects of this project are welcomed. Please mail all comments or
questions on the environmental review ofthe Draft EIR in writingto David Seward, ChiefFinancial Officer, to
the address below. If you would like a copy of the Draft EIR, please call David Seward at [phone].
Hastings will hold a public hearing to receive comments on the Draft EIR on March 6, 2002 at 2:00 PM at 455
Golden Gate Avenue (State Building), Hearing Room # 9. The Draft EIR and all supporting materials are
available now at the reference desk of the Hastings Law Library, 200 McAllister Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco,
California.
Project Description: The proposed project is located on two blocks bounded by Golden Gate Avenue, Larkin
Street, McAllister Street, and Leavenworth Street in San Francisco, California. The proposed project has two
elements; 1) a parking garage on the corner of Golden Gate Avenue and Larkin Street, and 2) an upgrade ofthe
Hastings residential building at 100 McAllister Street. A more detailed project description is provided below.
Parking Garage The proposed parking garage project, on the southeast corner of Golden Gate Avenue and
.
Larkin Street, would replace an existing surface parking lot containing approximately 175 spaces with a parking
structure containing approximately 885 spaces. There would be two levels below grade plus seven levels above
200 McAllister street san francisco, California94102-4978
Internet: [email protected] [phone] FAX[phone]
UNIVERSITY OFCALIFORNIA
HASTINGS COLLEGE OF THE LAW
grade, totaling 303,600 gross square feet (gsf). The two levels below grade would accommodate parking and
approximately 6,300 sq. ft. ofstorage space intended foruse by Hastings and other State agencies.
The ground level would contain approximately 7,200 sq. ft. of retail space on the Golden Gate Avenue and
Larkin Street elevations, intended for use as the College bookstore, a coffee shop, and other College and
community-serving retail uses. The garage would be approximately 275 ft. long, 123 ft. wide, and 80 ft. tall,
measured from the existing street level to the parapet on the Golden Gate Avenue/Larkin Street corner.
Mechanical rooms for elevator equipment would rise up to an additional 27 ft. above the parapet, for a total
project height ofapproximately 107 feet. Driveways would be on Golden Gate Avenue and Larkin Street.
Residential Upgrade The proposed residential upgrade project would include seismic, fire/life-safety, and
.
housing capacity improvements to the Hastings residential building at 100 McAllister Street, including; 1) a
limited scope of seismic strengthening measures in the interior of the building intended to assist exiting in a
seismic event or other emergency, 2) replacement of the existing fire alarm and life-safety system with a new
system, increased emergency exit capacity by replacing an exterior fire escape with a new interior exit stair,
conversion of two exit stairways into "smokeproof towers," and accessibility improvements as required by the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and 3) adding 80 new residential units for student occupancy by
subdividing existing units and converting space currently allocated to commercial tenants for residential use.
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3 1223 06038 1283
200McAllisterstreet sanfrancisco, California94102-4978
Internet: [email protected] [phone] FAX[phone]
University of California
HASTINGS COLLEGE OF THE LAW
PARKING GARAGE AND RESIDENTIAL
UPGRADE
Draft Environmental Impact Report
January 16, 2002
Prepared for:
University of California
Hastings College of the Law
200 McAllister Street
CA
San Francisco, 94102
and
State of California Department of General Services
Real Estate Services Division
1102 Q Street, Suite 5100
CA
Sacramento, 95814
Prepared by:
EEP Associates
601 Montgomery Street, Suite 500
CA
San Francisco, 94111
Digitized by the Internet Archive
2014
in
https://archive.org/details/hastingscollegeo1620hast
University of California
Hastings College of the Law Parking Garage and Residential Upgrade
Draft EIR
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
SUMMARY
S-l
INTRODUCTION
I. 1-1
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
II. H-l
A. Introduction and Project History II-l
B. Project Objectives II-4
C. Project Location H-5
D. Project Characteristics II-7
E. Project Schedule 11-17
F. Project Approvals 11-18
III. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING, IMPACTS, AND MITIGATION HI-1
A. Land Use, Plans and Zoning HI-1
B. Transportation and Circulation 111-15
C. Historic Architectural Resources DI-38
D. Visual Quality 111-55
E. Shadow 111-69
F. Air Quality 111-78
G. Noise IH-86
H. Cumulative Impacts 111-96
IV. ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS IV-1
A. No-Project Alternative IV-1
B. Reduced Scale Alternative IV-2
V. CEQA FINDINGS V-l
A. Significant Environmental Effects That Cannot Be Avoided ifthe Proposed
Project Were Implemented V-l
B. Growth Inducement V-l
University ofCalifornia DraftEIR
Hastings CollegeoftheLaw January 16, 2002
1
VI. DISTRIBUTION LIST VI-1
REPORT PREPARERS; ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS
VII.
CONSULTED
VII-1
APPENDICES
A. Initial Study
LIST OF FIGURES
1. Project Location II-2
2. Ground Level Plan 11-10
3. Typical Floor II-1
4. Golden Gate Avenue Elevation 11-12
5. Larkin Street Elevation 11-13
6. South Elevation 11-14
7. Existing Land Uses in the Project Area III-2
8. Zoning and Height and Bulk Districts in the Project Area III-9
9. Study Intersections 111-18
10. Existing Off-Street Parking Locations HI-21
11. Historic Architectural Resources in Project Vicinity 111-45
12. Viewpoint Locations 111-59
13. A&B View ofParking Garage Site Looking Southeast from the Corner of
Golden Gate Avenue and Larkin Street 111-60
14. A&B View ofParking Garage Site Looking East from the
Federal Building Plaza at Golden Gate Avenue 111-61
15. A&B View ofParking Garage Site Looking South from Larkin Street
Near Turk Street 111-62
16. A&B View ofParking Garage Site Looking North from the
Civic Center Plaza at McAllister Street 111-63
17. A&B View ofParking Garage Site Looking North from the
Civic Center Plaza at Fulton Street 111-64
18. Project Shadow Patterns - March 21 111-73
19. Project Shadow Patterns -June 21 111-74
20. Project Shadow Patterns - September 21 111-75
21. Project Shadow patterns - December 21 HI-76
22. Year-Round Shadow Trace 1H-77
LIST OF TABLES
UniversityofCalifornia DraftEIR
Hastings CollegeoftheLaw January 16, 2002
R
1. Parking Garage Characteristics II-8
2. Off-Street Parking Inventory and Occupancy Rate (Midday) 111-22
3. Parking Occupancy with Proposed Hastings Parking Garage (Midday) 111-25
4. Trip Generation For Proposed Retail Uses (PM Peak-hour) HI-26
5. Total PM Peak Hour Trip Generation 111-27
6. Intersection Levels of Service (PM Peak-Hour) 111-29
7. Average Noise Levels And Abatement Potential Of Construction Equipment
Noise At 50 And 100 Ft m-91
8. Typical Commercial/Industrial Construction Noise Levels 111-92
UniversityofCalifornia DraftEI
Hastings CollegeoftheLaw iii January 16, 2002
Summary
S.
SUMMARY
A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The University of California Hastings College ofthe Law (Hastings) proposes the
development ofa project on the two blocks bounded by Golden Gate Avenue, Larkin Street,
McAllister Street, and Leavenworth Street in San Francisco. The proposed project has two
elements: 1) a parking garage on the corner of Golden Gate Avenue and Larkin Street, and 2)
an upgrade ofthe Hastings residential building at 100 McAllister Street.
PARKING GARAGE
The proposed parking garage site is approximately 33,825 sq. feet (about 275 feet long by 123
feet wide) on the southeast corner of Golden Gate Avenue and Larkin Street. The garage
structure would replace an existing surface parking lot, and would contain approximately 885
spaces (358 compact spaces, 511 standard spaces, 16 handicap spaces), and parking for six
motorcycles. Approximately four electric vehicle charging spaces would be included in the
total. There would be two levels below grade plus seven levels above grade, totaling 303,600
gross square feet (gsf). Two levels below grade would accommodate parking as well as
approximately 6,300 sq. ft. ofspace intended for joint use by Hastings and state agencies in the
adjacent State Office Building at 350 McAllister Street for records and other storage needs.
The ground level would contain approximately 7,200 sq. ft. ofretail space on the Golden Gate
Avenue and Larkin Street elevations, intended for use as Hastings' bookstore, a coffee shop,
and other College and community-serving retail uses. The remainder ofthe street level would
be used for parking, circulation, and access., This level would also contain 35 bicycle lockers
and restrooms with shower facilities. The garage would have stairways at the two southern
corners ofthe garage. The garage would have two entrance/exits, one on Golden Gate
Avenue and one on Larkin Street.
UniversityofCalifornia DraftEIR
Hastings CollegeoftheLaw S-1 January 16, 2002