San Francisco southern waterfront draft supplemental environmental impact report

292 Pages·2000·15.6 MB·English

by  San Francisco (Calif.). Dept. of City Planning

San Francisco Planning Department
SAN FRANCISCO
SOUTHERN WATERFRONT
Draft Supplemental
Environmental Impact Report
Planning Department Case No. 1999.377E
State Clearinghouse No. 94123007
Draft SEIR Publication Date: September 23, 2000
Draft SEIR Public Hearing Date: October 26, 2000
Draft SEIR Public Comment Period: September 23 to November 7, 2000
Commentsshouldhesentto:
EnvironmentalReview Officer
1660Mission Street, Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94103
SAN FRANCISCO
PUBLIC LIBRARY
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PLANNING DEPARTMENT
3 1223 05683 6167
City and County of San Francisco 1660 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94103-2414
PLANNINGCOMMISSION ADMINISTRATION CURRENTPLANNING/ZONING LONGRANGEPLANNING
[phone] FAX:[phone] FAX:[phone] FAX:[phone] FAX:[phone]
DATE: September23, 2000
TO: DistributionList forthe Southern Waterfront Supplemental DraftEIR
FROM: Hillary Gitelman, Envu-onmental Review Officer
SUBJECT: Requestfor theFinal Supplemental Environmental hnpact Report forthe Southern
WaterfrontProject (Case No. 1999.377E)
This is the Draft ofthe Supplemental Envirormiental Impact Report (SEIR) forthe Southern Waterfront
A
Project. public hearing will be held on the adequacy and accuracy ofthis document. After the public
hearing, our office will prepare and publish a document titled "Summary ofComments and Responses"
which will contain a summary ofall relevant comments on this Draft SEIR and ourresponses to those
comments, and may also specify changes to this Draft SEIR. Public agencies and members ofthe public
who testify atthe hearing on the Draft SEIR will automatically receive a copy ofthe Comments and
Responses document, along with notice ofthe datereserved for certification ofthe SEIR by the Planning
Commission; others may receive such copies and notice on request orby visiting our office. This Draft
SEIR together withthe Summary ofComments and Responses document will be considered by the
Planning Commission in an advertised public meeting and certified as a Final SEIR ifdeemed adequate.
Aftercertification, we will modify the Draft SEIR as specifiedby the Comments and Responses
documentandprint both documents in a single publication called the Final Supplemental Environmental
ImpactReport. The Final SEIR will addnonew information to the combination ofthe two documents
except toreproduce the certification resolution. It will simply provide the information in one document
rather than two documents. Therefore, ifyou receive a copy ofthe Comments and Responses document
in addition to this copy ofthe Draft SEIR, you will technically have a copy ofthe Final SEIR.
We are aware thatmany people who receive the Draft SEIR and Summary ofComments and Responses
have no interest in receiving virtually the same information after the SEIR has been certified. To avoid
expending money andpaperneedlessly, we would like to send copies ofthe Final EIR to private
individuals only ifthey request them. Ifyou would like a copy ofthe Final SEIR. therefore, please fill
out and mail the postcard provided inside the backcover to the MajorEnvironmental Analysis Office of
the Planning Department within two weeks aftercertification ofthe SEIR. Any private party not
requesting aFinal SEIR by that time will not be mailed a copy.
Thank you foryour interest in this project.

San Francisco Planning Department
SAN FRANCISCO
SOUTHERN WATERFRONT
Draft Supplemental
Environmental Impact Report
Planning Department Case No. 1999.377E
State Clearinghouse No. 94123007
Draft SEIR Publication Date: September 23, 2000
Draft SEIR Public Hearing Date: October 26, 2000
Draft SEIR Public CommentPeriod: September 23 to November 7, 2000
Commentsshouldbesentto:
EnvironmentalReview Officer
1660Mission Street, Suite500
San Francisco, CA 94103
Thisreporthasbeenprimedonpost-consumerrecycledpaper/ESA990267
3 1223 05683 6167
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SOUTHERN WATERFRONT PROJECT
DRAFT SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT
Page
INTRODUCTION
iv
SUMMARY
I. S-1
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
II. 1
A. SiteLocation 1
B. Project Sponsor's Objectives 1
C. Project Characteristics andApproval Requirements 4
III. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING AND IMPACTS 25
A. LandUse 25
B. Transportation 44
C. Air Quality 63
D. Hydrology andWater Quality 99
E. Hazardous Materials 114
F. Biological Resources 136
G. Growth Inducement 141
IV. MITIGATIONMEASURES PROPOSED TO MINIMIZE 143
THE POTENTIAL ADVERSE IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT
V. SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS THAT CANNOT BE 165
AVOIDED IF THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS IMPLEMENTED
VI. ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED PROJECT 167
A. No Project 168
B. Reduced-Scale Alternative 169
C. Residential Use Future Scenario 172
VII. DRAFT SEIR DISTRIBUTION LIST 175
APPENDICES
VIII.
IX. EIRAUTHORS AND CONSULTANTS
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1
INTRODUCTION
Page
LIST OF FIGURES
1. ProjectLocation 2
2. Project Components 8
3. Existing and ProposedFreightRail Routes 21
4. Generalized Map ofExisting Land Uses 26
5. Intersection Levels ofService 55
6. Annual Wind Rose, Potrero PowerPlant (1991-1992) 65
7. Sensitive Receptors 92
LIST OF TABLES
1. Project Characteristics 6
2. Phase IProject Trip Generation (2003) 50
3. Phase n Project Trip Generation (2015) 5
4. Traffic Level OfService Results 53
5. Phase II Project TransitTrip Generation (2015) 59
6. Phase II Parking Demand and Requirement (2015) 61
7. State and National Criteria AirPollutant Standards, Effects, and Sources ' 66
8. Summary ofLocal Monitoring Data for the Arkansas Street 74
and Ellis Street Stations, 1995-1999
9. Summary ofRegional Monitoring Data for the San Francisco 75
Bay Area AirBasin, 1995-1999
10. San Francisco, Arkansas Street Station, Toxic AirContaminant Concentrations, 1994-1998 76
11. Estimated Net Change in Regional PollutantEmissions, 2003 and 2015 84
12. Estimated Net Change in Daily Regional Pollutant Emissions by Project Component, 2003 85
13. Estimated Net Change in Annual Regional PollutantEmissions by Project Component, 2003 86
14. Estimated Net Change in Daily Regional Pollutant Emissions by Project Component, 2015 87
15. Estimated Net Change in Annual Regional PollutantEmissions by Project Component, 2015 88
16. Estimated Carbon Monoxide Concentrations at Selected Intersections in Project Vicinity 90
17. Maximum PM-10 Concentrations at Sensitive Receptors 94
18. MaximumDiesel Particulate Concentrations and Risk at Sensitive Receptors 95
19. Estimated Change in Impervious Surface due to Project Components 107
20. Changes in StormwaterFlow and Combined Sewer Overflows 110
21. Summary ofPotential Hazardous Materials Site Conditions 120
at Industry Group Project Sites
22. Summary ofPotential Hazardous Materials Site Conditions 124
atFuture Port Development Sites
23. Mitigation Measures For Intersection Levels ofService 144
24. Traffic Levels ofService for AlternativeB 171
25. Traffic Levels ofService for Alternative C 174
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INTRODUCTION
On January 9, 1997, the San FranciscoPlanning Commission certified aFinal EIR, Portof
San Francisco WaterfrontLand Use PlanEIR (CaseNo. 94.155E; State Clearinghouse No. 94123007),
forthe adoption by the Port ofSanFrancisco ofaplangoverning future uses and development within the
Port's approximately 7.5 miles ofjurisdiction, covering the SanFrancisco waterfront generally from the
Hyde Street PiertoIndiaBasin. ThatFEIR is referredto herein as the "Waterfront Plan FEIR."
Subsequent to completion ofthe WaterfrontPlanFEIR, the SanFrancisco Port Commission in June 1997
adopted the WaterfrontLand Use Plan ("theWaterfrontPlan"), which specifies acceptable and
unacceptable land uses forall properties underPortjurisdiction, and is intended to guide future
development ofPortproperties and to satisfy requirements ofProposition H, passed in November 1990.
The Waterfront Plan allows fornew development on Portproperty, with amixture ofmaritime and
commercial uses anticipated generally north ofChinaBasin and predominantly maritime expansion from
Pier70 south, in the subarea known as the Southern Waterfront. Short-term, "interim" uses are also
allowed that do notprecludetheultimatereuse ofland on the Southern Waterfront for maritime
purposes. TheWaterfrontPlan identified anumber of"mixed-use opportunity areas" that were
anticipated to be the location offuture developments including maritime uses, open space, public access,
and certain commercial andrecreational uses, potentially in close proximity to othernearby uses on non-
Portproperty. Three ofthese opportunity areas are located within the Southern Waterfront- at Pier 70;
atthe formerWestern Pacific rail yard between 25th and Cesar Chavez (Army) Streets, east ofIllinois
Street; andnortheast ofCargoWay in the "backlands" west (inland) ofthe South Container Terminal at
Piers 94-96.
Sincepublication ofthe Waterfront Plan EIR, thePort has received inquiries from a number ofpotential
maritime-industrial and general industrial users seeking to lease land within Portjurisdiction in the
Southern Waterfront. Upon preliminary review ofthe lease applications, Port staff, in consultation with
Planning Department staff, determined that, while the proposed uses would be consistent with the
WaterfrontPlan direction forthe Southern Waterfront, the Waterfront Plan FEIR did not analyze such
uses. Beyond these projects, collectively described in this SEIR as the Industry Group project
components, the Port itselfhas proposed construction ofa rail and truck bridge over Islais Creek at
Illinois Sfreet to provide access to and between the North and South Container Terminals at Pier 80 and
Piers 94-96, respectively. Additionally, the Port anticipates future growth in cargo shipping activity at
Pier 80 andPiers 94-96, as well as potential future development ofmaritime and non-maritime activities
on the three opportunity areas noted above.
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INTRODUCTION
In addition, since certification ofthe Waterfront PlanEIR, there havebeen changes in the regulatory
environment with respect to airquality, in that the San Francisco Bay Area AirBasin first achieved, and
then lost, "attainment" status for the national ozone standard, and achieved attainment status forthe state
and national carbon monoxide standards; the Bay Area remains in "non-attainment" status for the state
ozone and PM-10 standards, meaning that the Bay Area violates these state standards with some
regularity. In addition, in 1998, the California AirResources Board designated particulate emissions
from diesel-fueled engines as a toxic air contaminant, resulting in increased concern regarding diesel
emissions.
In light ofthe above, this Supplemental EIR (SEIR) has been prepared to analyze potential transportation
and air quality effects related to the Industry Group project components, the proposed Illinois Street
Intermodal Bridge, and potential future increases in cargo shipping and development in the mixed-use
opportunity areas. Note, however, that no changes are proposed in the WaterfrontPlan to accommodate
the Industry Group components or the Illinois Street bridge.
In additionto transportation and air quality, this SEIR includes a discussion ofland use, plans, and
policies, and analyzes effects related to runoffand waterquality that could result fromdevelopment of
the Industry Group and opportunity area sites, and effects on biological resources that could resultfrom
construction ofthe Islais Creek bridge. Finally, this SEIR reviews and updates the WaterfrontPlan
FEIR's analysis ofpotential effects related to hazardous materials and site contamination. Effects for
topics otherthan those iterated above would not be expected to differ substantively fromthose analyzed
in the Waterfront PlanFEIR, and no new analysis is required.
Case No. 1999.377E V Southern WaterfrontSEIR
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