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

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. 

Muni Art: Call for Artists

From SF Beautiful. Last year local artist Christine Weibel won in this competition. 

HEY, CALLING ALL ARTISTS!

The MUNI Art Deadline is Friday, June 29th at 6:00 PM

START SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATIONS NOW! Application here.
Winners will be announced on Friday, August, 30, 2019

The Theme for this Year: “Hidden Gems in San Francisco”

San Francisco Beautiful proudly announces its fifth year featuring local Bay Area Artists & Poets on MUNI buses throughout San Francisco

MUNI ART APPLICATION

FOR MORE INFORMATION: darcy@sfbeautiful.org  andy@sfbeautiful.org

June 10: Balboa Reservoir community meeting — EIR and City College plans

The next meeting of the Balboa Reservoir Community Advisory Committee (BRCAC) is Monday June 10, 6-8pm, Room 140, Multi-Use Building, City College of San Francisco, 50 Frida Kahlo Way. The agenda will include discussion of the draft Environmental Impact Review for the project, and an update from City College about plans for adjacent development. Everyone is welcome and there is always a public comment period.

View full agenda here. More about the housing project and the BRCAC here or click tab at top of this page.

Below are a selection of slides from the March 11 BRCAC meeting, showing the current developer plans. View the entire presentation here.  

SF Streetsblog: Improvements at Balboa Park Station

Read details of the improvements at Balboa Park Station, recently unveiled, in this SF Streetsblog piece: https://sf.streetsblog.org/2018/11/30/eyes-on-the-station-balboa-park-bart-improvements/

“This sheltered crossing on the Ocean side of the station lets riders transfer more easily from Muni to BART” Photo: SF Streetsblog

 

Nov 30: Opening of renovated Balboa Park Station entrance

Work has finished at the Balboa Park BART Station on the renovated east-side entrance, used by many in Sunnyside, in order to increase safety, passenger convenience and accessibility. Come to the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday Nov 30, 11 AM.

Complete guide to the Twin Peaks Tunnel closure on Jun 25

From SFMTA: Twin Peaks Tunnel will close next week for two months. Information and links for everything you need to know.

As you may already be aware, construction on the Twin Peaks Tunnel is expected to start on June 25 with a continuous closure of the tunnel for approximately two months.  Work will be 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. During the closure:

• Forest Hill and West Portal stations will be closed,
• The K Ingleside will travel on a shortened route
• Bus service will run for the L Taraval and M Ocean View lines.
• Nx buses will not operate during the closure, but additional N Judah trains will be in service.

See below for map of changes.

With 100 years of service under its belt, Twin Peaks Tunnel needs extensive work to its interior to continue to operate safety and reliably for years to come. This vital part of our transit rail system connects Castro Station to West Portal Station and serves over 80,000 K Ingleside, L Taraval and M Ocean View customers every day.

The tunnel’s infrastructure, including the tracks, walls and drainage systems, must be maintained in a timely manner to keep up with the demands of the Muni system. Twin Peaks Tunnel is currently under a speed restriction, which slows down trains as they travel through. Replacing the tracks will lift the tunnel’s speed restriction and keep trains running reliably through the system. Seismic reinforcements will better protect the tunnel’s overall structure and stability.

To help Muni customers get around during the closure, a video with map animations highlighting temporary stops, transfer points and alternative routes can be found online. In addition, a comprehensive rider guide in English, Chinese, Spanish and Filipino is available to view or print on our website.