Recirculated draft EIR for 469 Stephenson finds mitigable historic and geotechnical impacts and limited indirect displacement risk

Planning Department staff presented the partially recirculated draft environmental impact report for the 469 Stephenson Street project on Dec. 8, updating analyses directed by the Board of Supervisors about historic resources, geotechnical feasibility and potential gentrification/displacement effects.

Jenny DiLumo, the department's environmental coordinator, said the recirculated draft EIR supplements prior work with consultant studies that identified additional historic resources associated with the SOMA Filipino community, updated construction-vibration and geotechnical reports, and a peer review assessing whether the Millennium Tower-type settlement risks could occur at the site. The recirculated analysis concludes that, with mitigation measures such as vibration monitoring and a vibration mitigation plan, "all project level and cumulative impacts to historic resources would be less than significant or less than significant with mitigation." The geotechnical report and third-party review concluded that a mat foundation on dense sand is feasible and that the extreme settlements observed at Millennium Tower are not expected if construction follows the recommended engineering measures.

On displacement and gentrification, the department's additional analysis estimated that the proposed project could indirectly contribute to displacement pressures affecting between about 10 and 41 households and indicated some cultural assets are vulnerable to cultural displacement, but concluded that the project site itself (a surface parking lot) would not directly displace occupants. The report lists voluntary and required anti-displacement measures associated with the proposal, including 73 on-site affordable units, roughly $8 million in affordable housing fees, donation of a parcel for community use and designated below-market ground-floor space for community-serving tenants.

Public comments were divided. Supporters, including the Mid Market Coalition and neighborhood groups, said the project includes a community benefits agreement and neighborhood-serving resources. Critics, including some members of the SOMA Filipino community and tenant advocates, argued the gentrification analysis was inadequate and that new market-rate housing can accelerate displacement in vulnerable neighborhoods.

The Planning Department requested written comments limited to the recirculated chapters; the public comment period for the recirculated draft EIR closes Dec. 19, 2022. Staff will respond to comments in writing and revise the recirculated document as appropriate before the commission's final action.