Draft EIR says Islais Creek Bridge replacement will cause "significant and unavoidable" harm to historic bridge

The San Francisco Planning Department presented the draft environmental impact report for the Islais Creek Bridge project on Dec. 20, 2023, warning that replacing the 1950 bascule bridge would "have a significant and unavoidable" effect on the structure as a historic resource.

"Because the proposed project would demolish most components of the bridge, the impact to the historic bridge will be significant and unavoidable," department planner Liz White told the Historic Preservation Commission during the presentation. Staff said project objectives include raising the bridge roughly 5.2 feet to address sea-level rise, correcting seismic deficiencies and improving Muni light-rail operations.

White said the bridge is individually listed in the California Register for its Art Moderne design and that the draft EIR analyzes the no-project alternative and a preservation alternative that would salvage or replicate key character-defining features. Under the preservation alternative the bridge would become a fixed span (drawbridge functionality would be lost) and, like the proposed project, would still cause "material impairment" to the historic resource, the presentation said.

Staff identified mitigation measures including photographic and archival documentation, a salvage plan, an interpretive plan and a community memorial event. White said those measures would reduce but not eliminate the project’s impacts.

Public commenters pressed staff to broaden outreach and to examine the bridge’s cultural history in Bayview. Woody Labounty of San Francisco Heritage said the bridge tower "has always served as a gateway to the Bayview" and recommended targeted outreach to fishing communities and other stakeholders who have used the bridge.

Commissioners asked whether alternatives—such as building a new bridge adjacent to the existing crossing—were adequately evaluated and whether economic analyses underpinning rejected alternatives are available. Staff pointed to the EIR's "alternatives considered but rejected" section (noting the alternatives analysis and where the discussion appears in the draft) and explained that any economics used to support a statement of overriding considerations would be prepared with the project sponsor at a later stage.

The draft EIR public review period began Nov. 30, 2023, and closes Jan. 22, 2024. Staff said the planning commission will hold a hearing on the draft EIR on Jan. 11, 2024, and that written comments should be sent to the Planning Department by 5 p.m. on Jan. 22.

The Historic Preservation Commission recorded comments for the administrative record and asked staff to provide additional context about alternatives, the project's outreach program, and the cultural-history analysis for Bayview prior to the planning commission hearing.