Balboa Reservoir Environmental Impact Report now available for public comment

Just published, the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) for the Balboa Reservoir housing project. Public comment may be submitted until September 23. The SF Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the review on September 12 at 1:00 PM (Room 400, City Hall).

Draft SEIR is available here: https://sfplanning.org/environmental-review-documents There are 13 PDFs with all the appendices, but the second item on the list is the main report, 486 pages (46MB).

Hard copies and CDs may be obtained from the San Francisco Planning Dept Information Counter, 1660 Mission Street, First Floor, San Francisco.

Hard copies and CDs may also be obtained by contacting:
Jeanie Poling, Senior Environmental Planner, SF Planning Dept
Jeanie.Poling@sfgov.org

Public comment may submitted:

• By mail (address below)
• By email to CPC.BalboaReservoir@sfgov.org
• In person (on paper) at the public hearing before the Planning Commission on Sept 12.
• In person (by oral comments) at the Planning Commission hearing Sept 12. Check agenda of Commission meeting to see when item is being heard here (after Sept 6).

Address for mailed comments:
Jeanie Poling
Senior Planner, San Francisco Planning Department
1650 Mission Street, Suite 400
San Francisco CA 94103
(415) 575-9072

Following the public comment period, Planning Department staff will review the comments and prepare a responses to comments document. The draft SEIR and the responses to comments document will be the final SEIR. [Anticipated in Spring 2020.] 

To read more about the framework of what the EIR addresses regarding environmental effects, see this document http://sfmea.sfplanning.org/2018-10-10_NOP_Final_clean_signed.pdf

Or this slide presentation: http://default.sfplanning.org/plans-and-programs/planning-for-the-city/public-sites/balboareservoir/balboares_061019_presentation01_EIR.pdf

Get to Know Stop Crime SF

Joel Engardio, vice-president of Stop Crime SF, recently spoke at SNA’s quarterly meeting about the new SF organization.

If you care about stopping crime, you should get to know Stop Crime SF. It is a local non-profit organization to fight crime in San Francisco. “We use advocacy, court watch and legislation to address an epidemic of property crime in San Francisco and hold every part of the criminal justice system accountable,” said Joel Engardio, vice president of Stop Crime SF.

Stop Crime SF advocacy moved the Board of Supervisors to amend a recent video surveillance law to ensure police officers are still able to receive and use private security video provided by homeowners and businesses to solve crimes. The new law bans the city from using facial recognition technology and regulates the use of city-operated video cameras.

The group’s Court Watch program was featured on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle and in several articles by columnist Heather Knight.

Monday Aug 5: SNA Quarterly Meeting

You are invited: the quarterly meeting of the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association is  Monday August 5th, 7-8:30 pm. Open to all residents. Agenda below.  at St Finn Barr Hall, 415 Edna Street at Hearst Ave.

The speakers and subjects will include:

• President’s Welcome and Treasurer’s report;
• Detroit Steps update, with Rosaura Valle;
• Stop Crime SF, with guest Joel Engardio;
• Balboa Reservoir project update and community discussion, with BRCAC representative Amy O’Hair and and SNA BR Committee Chair Jennifer Heggie, including information on City College’s new campus plan;
• Also including a Q&A with an SFMTA representative about the prospect of parking permits re BR impacts;
• Undergrounding utility wires, with guest Kate Beckwith;
• The usual raffle, including fresh eggs from President Steve Martinpinto’s chickens for some lucky winner.

Time to join or renew your membership? You can pay dues at the meeting, or click ‘Donate’ button below.

Balboa Reservoir housing project news

From SF Planning Department. NOTE: Next Monday’s SNA Quarterly Meeting will focus on the Balboa Reservoir project. 7-8:30pm (415 Edna Street) including discussion of possible parking permit program.

1. Balboa Reservoir Project Draft Environmental Impact Report

The Balboa Reservoir Project draft subsequent environmental impact report (SEIR) is anticipated to be released on Wednesday, August 7th. Upon publication it will be available for public review and comment on the San Francisco Planning Department’s website at https://sfplanning.org/environmental-review-documents .

A public hearing to receive oral comments will be held at the Planning Commission on Thursday, September 12th. Written public comments on the draft SEIR will be accepted from August 8th to September 23rd at 5 p.m. Written comments may be submitted at any time during this comment period.

Written comments should be addressed to Jeanie Poling, Senior Planner, San Francisco Planning Department, 1650 Mission Street, Suite 400, San Francisco, CA 94103, or emailed to CPC.BalboaReservoir@sfgov.org. Comments received at the public hearing and in writing will be responded to in a Responses to Comment (RTC) document, which will become part of the final SEIR.

2. Balboa Reservoir CAC Meeting

The next Balboa Reservoir Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting will be held on Monday, September 30th at 6:00 pm at the City College Multi-Use Building, Room 140.

The meeting agenda will be posted online to the CAC website in advance of the meeting: https://sfplanning.org/project/balboa-reservoir#cac-and-community-meetings. Please note that public comments received at the CAC meeting will not be included or responded to in the RTC document as part of the final SEIR.

More information about the Balboa Reservoir project at the tab at the top of this page. 

Free workshops from SF Assessor at branch libraries

From the Office of San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Carmen Chu:

The Office of Assessor Carmen Chu and the SF Public Library will be presenting workshops around San Francisco in 2019.  The topic is Property Tax Savings for Families and Seniors.  We will cover how your property taxes are calculated and share tax savings that folks may be eligible for as homeowners in California.

2019 Library Workshop Series

Eureka Valley Branch Library
1 Jose Sarria Court, San Francisco, CA 94114
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
RSVP here

Merced Branch Library
155 Winston Drive, SF CA 94132
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
6:30 – 7:30 pm
RSVP here

Portola Branch Library
380 Bacon Street, San Francisco, CA 94134
Saturday, October 12, 2019
1:00 – 2:00 pm
RSVP here 

SF Assessor’s Office representative at Sunnyside Community Connectors this Wednesday

After the usual senior exercise class at Always Active on Wednesday July 24, representative Nicole J Agbayani from the SF Office of the Assessor-Recorder will speak and answer your questions at 10:30 AM about property tax savings for seniors and estate planning for families through the Sunnyside Community Connectors program.

Free and all are welcome. St Finn Barr Hall, 415 Edna Street (Hearst Ave).

SF Examiner: ‘Safe parking site for homeless who live in their vehicles proposed near Balboa Park BART’

Source: SF Examiner https://www.sfexaminer.com/the-city/safe-parking-site-for-homelesss-who-live-in-their-vehicles-proposed-near-balboa-park-bart/

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Safe parking site for homeless who live in their vehicles proposed near Balboa Park BART

Facility would offer social services, security, bathrooms for overnight parkers

A parking lot near the Balboa Park station has been identified as a possible safe parking location for people living in RVs. (Kevin N. Hume/S.F. Examiner)

JOE FITZGERALD RODRIGUEZ / Jul. 15, 2019 3:45 p.m.THE CITY

It’s been a long road, but homeless RV and car dwellers may finally be able to park and rest.

City officials have proposed a Balboa Park site for the first “triage center” site for people living in their vehicles. The site at 500 Geneva Ave. at Balboa Upper Yards, announced Supervisors Ahsha Safai and Vallie Brown Monday, would provide a safe place to park and social services.

“We’ve seen a rise in homeless people living in their cars in our neighborhood,” Safai told the San Francisco Examiner Monday. “This is an honest conversation, nothing’s been decided yet.”

A community meeting is planned at Balboa High School from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to allow residents to weigh in on the plan this Saturday, July 20. Should the community be on board, Safai said he expects the pilot to begin in November, pending new legislation to lock-in the site.

The Balboa Upper Yard property will one day host 138 units of affordable housing, with the triage center providing a temporary use for the site in the meantime.