POTRERO BOOSTERS

NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
S E RV I N G

T H E

H I L L

S I N C E

1 9 2 6

Development Committee
Comments and Recommendations

Date: April 15, 2015

Development Address: 1301 16th Street/Wisconsin
We have reviewed the project and as a committee do not endorse or oppose it; that is up to
the full membership. All comments are preliminary and offered in the expectation of a project
that will benefit the neighborhood.
This large project, with an emphasis on small studio apartments and a total of 234 units, was
heard at a previous Potrero Boosters general membership meeting. The design of the building
and the emphasis on small studio apartments led to a substantial number of complaints about its
compatibility with the neighborhood. The developer asked to return to the Development
Committee to consider an alternate design that reduced the number of total apartments from
234 to 176, with a focus on somewhat larger units. The exterior design and scale of the building
appears to be unchanged at this point, and the original 234-unit proposal remains on file at the
Planning Department. The height is out of scale with neighboring properties and will block vistas
from Jackson Park. A more active ground level with additional commercial space would improve
the pedestrian experience on 16th street and provide neighborhood-serving amenities.
The committee appreciates the revised unit mix, but expects to see a more family friendly
design and more accessible common open space. A number of interior bedrooms dont appear
to have windows in the revised plan, and the courtyard open space (significantly more than
required by code according to the questionnaire) isnt accessible to all units, with a number of
units limited to balcony space. The addition of open space is critical, with Jackson Park unable to
serve the needs of current residents, let alone the thousands of new residents expected in the
immediate area. Developer contributions to publicly accessible open space, onsite or offsite,
would help alleviate neighborhood concerns over cumulative impacts on parks and recreational
facilities.
The Committee expressed grave concerns regarding remediation of contaminated soil at the
site. The site was previously owned by Richland Oil Company, and an earlier Department of
Public Health review of the location required no remediation "as long as the site remained
capped by the concrete foundation or land use changed." With a proposed change in land use
to residential/commercial mixed use and the proximity of sensitive receptors at Jackson Park
and nearby schools, we believe the project should undergo the scrutiny of a focused EIR, and
that contaminated soil at be excavated and removed as hazardous waste, to ensure that future
residents be protected from hazardous conditions and that any volatile materials released during

remediation are contained.

In addition to soil contamination, the sites instability makes it difficult for new construction.
The 2013 Rockridge Geotechnical investigation on file at the Planning Department states that,
the primary geotechnical concern at the project site is the presence of up to 30 feet of
loose/weak soil underlying the site. The report concludes that, with soil prone to caving, drilled
piers or driven piles are not appropriate foundations for new construction. But the current
proposal says, The foundation design being contemplated employs a relatively thin foundation
and the use of drilled piers and grade beams, in order to avoid removal of existing soil. The
developer seemed to be unaware of the geotechnical investigation recommending against this
practice or the implications for the removal of contaminated soil.
Our understanding is that the developer has withdrawn this revision. No further public
meetings are scheduled at this time.