City and County ofSan Fran&sco The Planning Department NAN 475 BRAN STREET Draft Environmental Impact Report 97.470E Draft EIR Publication Date: May 2, 1998 Draft EIR Public Hearing Date: June 4, 1998 Draft EIR Public Comment Period: May 2-June 4, 1998 Written commentsshouldbesentto: The Environmental Review Officer ThePlanning Department 1660Mission Street SanFrancisco, CA94103 v '~J* ^ ' QrnMPNTS DEPT. D MAY 0 41998 cam FRANCISCO LIBRARY PUSL1C REF 711.4097 Thisreporthasbeenprintedonpost-consumerrecycledpaper/ESA970355 F8255d PUBLIC LIBRARY REFERENCE BOOK Not to be takenfrom the Library PLANNING DEPARTMENT City and County of San Francisco 1660 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94103-2414 IJHiWIUra PLANNINGCOMMISSION ADMINISTRATION CURRENTPLANNING/ZONING LONGRANGEPLANNING ^15J FAX:558-6409 FAX:558-6426 FAX:558-6409 FAX:558-6426 DATE: May 2, 1998 TO: Distribution List forthe 475 Brannan Street ProjectDraftEIR FROM: Hillary E. Gitelman, Environmental Review Officer SUBJECT: Request forthe Final Environmental Impact Report for the 475 Brannan Street Project This is the Draft ofthe Environmental Impact Report (EIR) forthe 475 Brannan Street Project. A 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 EIR and ourresponses to those comments; it may also specify changes to this Draft EIR. Public agencies and members ofthe public who testify at the hearing on the DraftEIR will automatically receive a copy ofthe Comments and Responses document, along with notice ofthe date reserved forcertification; others may receive such copies and notice on request or by visiting our office. This DraftEIR together with the Summary ofComments and Responses document will be considered by the City Planning Commission in an advertised public meeting and certified as a Final EIR ifdeemed adequate. After certification, we will modify the Draft EIR as specified by the Comments and Responses document and print both documents in a single publication called the Final Environmental Impact Report. The Final EIR will add no new information to the combination ofthe two documents except to reproduce the certification resolution. It will simply provide the information in one rather than two documents. Therefore, ifyou receive a copy ofthe Comments and Responses document in addition to this copy of the Draft EIR, you will technically have a copy ofthe Final EIR. We are aware that many people who receive the DraftEIR and Summary ofComments and Responses have no interest in receiving virtually the same information after the EIR has been certified. To avoid expending money and paper needlessly, we would like to send copies ofthe Final EIR to private individuals only ifthey request them. Ifyou would like a copy ofthe Final EIR, therefore, please fill out and mail the postcard provided inside the back cover to the Office ofEnvironmental Review within two weeks after certification ofthe EIR. Any private party not requesting a Final EIR by that time will not be mailed a copy. Thank you foryour interest in this project. Digitized by the Internet Archive 2014 in https://archive.org/details/475brannanstreet2199sanf City and County ofSan Francisco The Planning Department BRANNAN 475 STREET Draft Environmental Impact Report 97.470E Draft EIR Publication Date: May 2, 1998 Draft EIR Public Hearing Date: June 4, 1998 Draft EIR Public Comment Period: May 2-June 4, 1998 Written commentsshouldbesentto: The Environmental ReviewOfficer The Planning Department 1660Mission Street SanFrancisco, CA94103 Thisreporthasbeenprintedonpost-consumerrecycledpaper/ESA970355 REF 711.4097 F8255d 475 Brannan Street : draft environmental 1998. 3 1223 04655 3898 S.F. PUBLIC LIBBARV 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 475 BRANNAN STREET DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT Page SUMMARY I. 1 II. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 14 A. Site Location and Project Characteristics 14 B. Project Sponsor's Objectives 22 C. Variant to the Proposed Project 23 D. Project Approval Requirements and General Plan Policies 24 III. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING AND IMPACTS 28 A. Zoning and Land Use 28 B. Historic Architectural Resources 30 C. Transportation and Circulation 43 D. Growth Inducement 5 MITIGATION MEASURES PROPOSED TO MINIMIZE THE IV. POTENTIAL ADVERSE IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT 52 V. SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS THAT CANNOT BE AVOIDED IF THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS IMPLEMENTED 57 VI. ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED PROJECT 59 VII. DRAFT EIR DISTRIBUTION LIST 67 VIII. APPENDICES 80 IX. EIRAUTHORS 97.470E ii 475Brannan StreetEIR TABLEOFCONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES 1. ProjectLocation 15 2. Ground Level Plan 17 3. Third Floor Plan (Proposed Two-Story Addition) 18 4. Proposed Building Elevations 19 5. Parking Access Routes and AdjacentLand Uses 21 6. Building Photographs 35 7. Building Photographs 36 8. Rendering ofProposed Project 39 LIST OF TABLES 1. Project Characteristics 22 2. Net New Travel Demand (Person Trip Ends) By Mode Type 46 3. P.M. Peak-Hour Intersection Levels OfService (LOS) and Average Stopped 46 Delay In Seconds Per Vehicle (S/V) (ExistingAndFuture Conditions) 97.470E iii 475BrannanStreetEIR CHAPTER I SUMMARY PROJECT DESCRIPTION A. The project would renovate, seismically strengthen, and expand an existing two-story office building at 475 Brannan Street, in the South ofMarket area ofSan Francisco, by construction ofa two-story addition that would increase the height ofthe existing building by approximately 23 feet, from approximately 35 feet to approximately 58 feet. The project would increase the gross floor area ofthe building from approximately 213,000 gross square feet (gsf) to about 243,500 gsf. Office space would increase from about 180,000 gsfto about 241,000 gsf. The ground floor would include an approximately 2,500-gsf retail storefront, which would replace one oftwo existing freight loading doors. This storefront could be occupied by a daytime specialty coffee and sandwich shop (serving food prepared off-site). The sponsor would provide an outdoor seating area ofabout 400 square feet in an adjacent private alley outside the retail storefront, intended to meet the project's Planning Code requirement forpublicly accessible open space, pursuant to Planning Code Sec. 135.3. In addition, the project would include an interior ground- floorprivate courtyard ofapproximately 7,400 square feet, which would be open to the sky as a four- story east-west trending light well in the western halfofthe building. The two-story addition would be set back about 10 feet from the north (Brannan Street) property line, and about 20 feet from the westproperty line, where the project site adjoins a site occupied by a live/work loft building at 601 Fourth Street. The proposed addition would be finished with industrial- style corrugated and galvanized sheet metal, in contrast to the yellow and red brick ofthe existing building. The principal Brannan Streetfacade ofthe addition would have horizontally oriented, aluminum sash windows, with walls alternately vertical, canted forward, and canted backward. As part ofthe project, the sponsorproposes to reduce the height ofthe parapet on the Brannan Street frontage from 6.5 feet to4 feet. The primary pedestrian entrance would remain on Brannan Street, but would be altered by replacement ofsome existing detail and by construction ofa recessed entry containing stairs and a wheelchairramp. The existing 71,100-gsfbasement would be converted to a parking garage for about 160 vehicles (if independently accessible), or about 270 spaces with valet parking, which is proposed. Seven disabled- accessible spaces and eightbicycle parking spaces would be provided. Twenty-two existing parking spaces adjacent to the building would be eliminated. Access to the parking garage would be from Brannan Street, via a new driveway and ramp at the west end ofthe project's Brannan Street frontage and egress would be at the westend ofthe rear ofthe building. Departing vehicles could travel to Brannan Street via private alleys to the south and east ofthe building, or to Townsend Street via Lusk 97.470E 1 475BrannanStreetEIR SUMMARY I. Street. Two new off-street loading spaces would be provided on the east side ofthe building, accessible from Brannan Street. Seismic strengthening would be undertaken in accordance with Section 4303.2 ofthe San Francisco Building Code, and the retrofit program would exceed the requirements ofthe City's Unreinforced Masonry Building Ordinance. The existing spread footing foundation would be retained, although 22 footings would require underpinning. Approximately 960 cubic yards ofsoil would be excavated for drilled piers, to a depth ofabout 60 feet, including foundation work; excavation would total about 3,240 cubic yards. No pile driving is proposed. The project would require a rezoning ofthe existing 50-foot height limit to 65 feet to permit construction ofthe 58-foot-tall project. The rezoning must be approved by the Planning Commission and the Board ofSupervisors. B. AREAS OF CONTROVERSY AND ISSUES TO BE RESOLVED This environmental impact report, for a proposed office project at 475 Brannan Street, focuses on the issues ofhistoric architectural resources and traffic, circulation and parking. All other potential environmental effects were found to be at a less-than-significant level or to be mitigated to a level of less-than-significance with mitigation measures agreed to by the project sponsor. Please see the Initial Study, included in this document as Appendix A, for analysis ofissues other than transportation, historic architectural resources, and growth inducement. The principal issue addressed in this environmental impact report concerns the effect ofa proposed two- story addition to the existing building at 475 Brannan Street on that building. Specifically, the EIR examines the historic architectural importance ofthe building, and analyzes whether the proposed addition would constitute a substantial adverse change to the historic architectural "significance" ofthe building.1 This EIR also evaluates the proposed project's potential effects on traffic and parking. Nearby residents and occupants oflive-work loft units have expressed concern about the potential for loss ofviews and/or irterior light as aresult ofconstruction ofthe proposed two-story addition. As stated in the Initial Study (see Appendix A), the project would partially obstruct views from some live/work units at the adjacent building at 601 Fourth Street and from some live/work units to the south, on Lusk Street. However, obstruction ofviews fromprivate interior spaces is not generally considered a significant effect under CEQA. As stated in the Initial Study, while the project would reduce the amount ofnatural light available to live/work units at 601 Fourth Street, the project's proposed 20-foot setback from 601 Fourth Street and the proposed new courtyard in the project's west-facing facade would reduce the magnitude oflight-related impacts. Effects on live/work units on Lusk Street would be limited 1 This use ofthe word "significance" isplaced in quotation marks to differentiate the word as it is commonly used under CEQA where a "significant"effect constitutes a substantial adverse change in theenvironment. In reference to historic architectural resources, the word "significant" denotes aresource's importance. 97.470E 2 475BrannanStreetEIR