Date: May 3, 2017 To: Through: From: Recreation and Park Commission Capital Committee Philip A. Ginsburg, General Manager Dawn Kamalanathan, Director, Capital & Planning Division Brian Stokle, Planner, Capital & Planning Division Subject: 1850 Bryant Street, Evaluation of Shadow on Franklin Square Park Agenda Wording Discussion and possible action by the Recreation and Park Commission to adopt a resolution recommending to the Planning Commission that the net new shadow cast by the proposed project at 1850 Bryant will, or will not, have a significant adverse impact on the use of Franklin Square, as required by Planning Code Section 295 (the Sunlight Ordinance). The Recreation and Parks review of the shadow cast by this project supports the following objective in the Strategic Plan: Objective 1.2 - Strengthen the quality of existing parks and facilities. Background- Planning Code Section 295 Planning Code Section 295 was adopted in 1985 in response to voter-approved Proposition K, which required Planning Commission disapproval of any structure greater than 40 feet in height that cast a shadow on property under the jurisdiction of the Recreation and Park Department, unless the Planning Commission found the shadow would not be significant. In 1989, the Recreation and Park Commission and Planning Commission jointly adopted a memorandum (the 1989 Memo ) which identified quantitative and qualitative criteria for determinations of significant shadows in parks under the jurisdiction of the Recreation and Park Department. (Planning Commission Resolution No. 11595) See Attachment A for an overview on the quantitative and qualitative criteria in the Planning code and 1989 memo. Project Description The proposed project is a five-story, 68-foot tall building at 1850 Bryant Street in the Mission Area of the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan Area on Assessor s Block 3970, Lot 006. The site is bounded to the east by Bryant Street, the south by Mariposa Street, to the west by Florida Street, and to the north by 17th Street.
The project includes frontage along both Bryant and Florida Streets. See Attachment B for Project location map. The project at 1850 Bryant proposes to demolish the existing structures on the site and construct an approximately 226,042 gross square foot (gsf) mixed-use development containing 166,728 gsf of social service uses, 18,407 gsf of PDR (production, distribution and repair) uses, 2,281 gsf of retail uses and 92 off-street vehicle parking spaces. The current site is developed with a 2-story, 13,900 square foot building used for offices and storage by an electrical contractor. The remainder of the lot is used for parking, and outdoor storage. See Attachment C for proposed Project Images. Surrounding Properties and Neighborhood The project site is zoned PDR-1-G (Production, Distribution & Repair 1-General). The project site is adjacent to a three-story live-work building to the north and a four-story commercial office/art studio building to the south. To the west, across Florida Street is three-story art gallery/performing arts building, and to the west, across Bryant Street is a Muni bus storage yards. Other existing development in the area consists primarily of light industrial and commercial uses, with some residential uses existing a block away on Bryant Street between 16th and 17th Street. Existing land uses surrounding Franklin Square include the Potrero Shopping Center to the north, the San Francisco Muni Potrero Division facility to the south, and a mix of residential and retail/commercial uses to the east and west. The height limits surrounding Franklin Square vary from 85 feet to the north, 65 feet to the south, and 65 to 68 feet to the east, and 55 to 85 feet to the west. Franklin Square is approximately a half-block north of the project site. No other open space, community gardens or other types of outdoor community-serving facilities are in the immediate project vicinity. Park Description and Use Franklin Square is a 4.4-acre park 1 (191,664 sf) located on Assessor s Block 3963, Lot 001 in the Mission neighborhood. It is near the boundaries of South of Market Area (SOMA) and Potrero Hill neighborhoods. Franklin Square is bounded by 16th Street to the north, 17th Street to the south, Bryant Street to the west, and Hampshire Street to the east. Franklin Square includes a regulation size soccer field with synthetic turf and a playground at the southwest corner. The park includes a pedestrian pathway that circles the soccer field and provides access to the playground and open spaces. Mature trees that vary in height from approximately 10 to 30 feet tall exist along the perimeter of the park. The park hours are from 6:00 AM to midnight. The field can be used until 10:15 p.m., at which time the lights are turned off. A fence surrounds the field, but there are no gates on site restricting access to the park. All park hours are enforced by Park Patrol. See Attachment D for Park Diagram. The shadow consultant observed park activity from 2:00 to 5:00 PM on September 11, 2016. Observations found between 2 and 5 adults and between 2 and 9 children under 12 using the playground and area surrounding the playground. An additional survey of park activity during the same 1 The dimensions of Franklin Square are based on the most recent GIS data and park boundaries supplied by the City. Page 2 of 6
time of day on December 20, 2016 revealed between 2 and 3 adults and between 2 and 6 children under 12 using the playground and area surrounding the playground. Analysis of Project Impact on Franklin Square Shadows on Recreation and Park Department land are measured in square foot hours (sfh) to identify time and shape of the shadow. Existing structures in the area currently shade Franklin Square 1.34% of the year, with an existing shadow load of 9,624,699 sfh. The park, with only 1.34% of TAAS being shaded, is generally a very sunny park most of the day throughout the year. A technical memorandum, prepared by CADP and reviewed by the Planning Department, analyzed the potential shadow impacts of the 1850 Bryant Street project on Franklin Square. This memorandum concluded that the project would cast approximately 72,719 sfh of new shadow on Franklin Square, equal to approximately 0.010% of the theoretical available annual sunlight ( TAAS ) sunlight. The total shadow (new and existing) on Franklin Square would increase to 9,697,418 sfh or to 1.35 % of the TAAS. See Attachment E for CADP Shadow Analysis Largest new shadow on day of maximum shading. December 20 th, 3:54pm. The shadow analysis was based on a June 21st to December 20th solar year to provide a sample of representative sun angles throughout the solar year. In accordance with Section 295 and the 1989 Memo, the time of analysis starts one hour after sunrise and concludes one hour before sunset, referred to as the solar day. The technical memorandum made the following findings: Quantitative Summary of Shadow Findings Square Foot Hours Percentage Theoretical Annual Available Sunlight (TAAS) 719,447,098 sfh 100% Existing Shadow 9,624,699 sfh 1.34% New Shadow 72,719 sfh +0.010% Total Shadow with Proposed Project 9,697,418 sfh 1.35% Page 3 of 6
Qualitative Summary of Shadow Findings Time of Day (maximum shading) Afternoons (sunset -1 hour) No earlier than 2:45pm. All shadows gone no later than 4:00 pm Time of Year October 18 th to February 22 nd Duration of Shadow Range in size of new shadow Day of maximum new shadow Ranges from 12 minutes to approximately 1 hour 17 minutes. Average daily duration of 26 minutes Zero of 4,122 sf On the day of maximum shading (December 20 th ), the new shadow would begin at 2:45pm and last until 1 hour before sunset. Size in sf Location of Shadow The largest new shadow by area would occur on December 20th at 3:45pm. At its maximum, the new shadow area would be 4,122 sf, covering 2.15% of the park. See Attachment F for Maximum Shadow Image. In the afternoon, the new shadow would be cast on the southwest edge of Franklin Square, impacting a trail and a portion of the playground affecting the playground no more than 15 minutes at the end of the day. Zero Shadow Alternative To avoid casting any shadow on the park the building would need to be reduced by one full story along Bryant St, which would represent the loss of approximately 16,900 sq ft if the top floor were removed in its entirety. Pushing the entire top floor of the building back away from Bryant street would encroach upon the code allowed height of the building as measured from Florida Street (which is at a significantly lower elevation than Bryant Street). If the top floor of the Bryant street façade were to be set back approximately 20 feet to avoid casting a shadow this would represent the loss of approximately 3,750 sq ft, but also greatly increase the complexity of the building structure. Both options represent significant impacts to the buildings design and fiscal viability. Cumulative Shading Analysis The only nearby project already approved by the Commission, but not yet built, is the 2435-2445 16 th St project, which will add 30,624 sfh of shadow or 0.004% of the TAAS. Due to its location, east of the park, and the 1850 Bryant project located to the south, the projects shadows do not overlap. Based on the 2435-2445 16th shadow study, it concluded that the project would increase shadow on the park by 0.004%. The cumulative new shadow on Franklin Square by 103,343 sfh or 0.014% for a total shade of 9,728,042 sfh or 1.36% of the TAAS. No other proposed projects in the park s vicinity are known of that may cast shade on the park. Page 4 of 6
Public Benefits The project intends to create approximately 157,000 net square feet of commercial space for both much needed social services and production distribution and repair (PDR) businesses. It is anticipated that the project will generate $4,000,000 in City fees between the Eastern Neighborhoods Impact Fees, the Transit Sustainability Fee, and the San Francisco Unified School District Fees. The Eastern Neighborhoods Impact Fees will be used within the Eastern Neighborhoods geography to fund improvements to libraries, transit, parks, and childcare services/facilities. The project sponsor has agreed to provide support to help maintain and improve the park after a meeting with the Friends of Franklin Square Park. Specifically, the project sponsor has agreed to (1) contribute $50,000 to help fund maintenance and improvements at Franklin Square; and (2) help organize volunteers to provide over 400 hours of community service toward the clean-up and maintenance of Franklin Square Park, as a part of minimum of two (2) park clean-up days per year during construction during construction of the project. This commitment is reflected in the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), attached as Attachment G. The project could also help mitigate the displacement of nonprofits from San Francisco due to rapidly escalating rents by providing them with ownership opportunities within the building. The development of the building intends to be financed with innovative alternative financing such as tax credits and grants to put ownership within reach of the nonprofits. Public Comments on Project and Developer Outreach The project sponsor s outreach for the project is on-going. To date the project team has hosted a series of public meetings, as well as several other meetings with neighborhood groups and organizations. These meetings include the following October 13, 2016. Pre-Application Public/Community Meeting. March 21, 2017. Neighborhood Meeting. Board of 1800 Bryant Board of 1890 Bryant Friends of Franklin Square At the neighborhood meeting, two major topics were discussed. The first was collaborating with neighbors at 450 Florida Street and 1800 and 1890 Bryant Street on streetscape improvements. The second was whether palm trees could be included in the streetscape. In all, there have been more than 20 large, small, and 1-on-1 meetings, including meetings with Supervisor Malia Cohen and Supervisor Hilary Ronen. Environmental Review The project is undergoing a Community Plan Evaluation (CPE) review. Environmental Planning has confirmed receipt of the completeness of the shadow study. The final CPE is expected to be received by May 12, 2017 before the Recreation and Park Commission meeting on May 18, 2017 when this project will be presented to the full commission. Staff Recommendation Making a finding on a shadow impact on a park from a proposed development project is a policy decision for the Commission; as such, staff does not have a recommendation. Page 5 of 6
Supported By None known Opposed By None known Attachments: Attachment A: 1989 Memo Overview Attachment B: Project Location Map Attachment C: Project Images Attachment D: Park Diagram Attachment E: CADP Design Shadow Analysis Attachment F: Maximum Shadow Image Attachment G: MOU with Friends of Franklin Square Attachment H: Draft Resolution Page 6 of 6