1.1 PURPOSE OF THE COMMENTS AND RESPONSES DOCUMENT

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1 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 PURPOSE OF THE COMMENTS AND RESPONSES DOCUMENT The purpose of this Comments and Responses ( C&R ) document is to present comments submitted on the Draft Environmental Impact Report ( Draft EIR ) for the proposed Treasure Island / Yerba Buena Island Redevelopment Project, to respond in writing to comments on environmental issues, and to revise the Draft EIR as necessary to provide additional clarity. Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act ( CEQA ) Public Resources Code Section (d)(2)(a) and (B), the City has considered the comments received, evaluated the issues raised, and herein provides written responses that describe the disposition of each environmental issue that has been raised by the commentors. Comments were made in written form (letters, s, and facsimiles) during the public comment period from July 12 to September 10, 2010, and as oral testimony received before the Planning and the Treasure Island Development Authority ( TIDA ) Board at the public hearing on the Draft EIR held on August 12, A hearing on the Draft EIR was also held before the Historic Preservation on August 4, ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS The San Francisco Planning Department prepared the Draft EIR for the Treasure Island / Yerba Buena Island Redevelopment Project in accordance with CEQA and the CEQA Guidelines in Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations. The Draft EIR was published on July 12, A public review and comment period extended from July 12 to September 10, 2010, to solicit public comment on the adequacy and accuracy of information presented in the Draft EIR. The Draft EIR, together with this C&R document, will be presented to the Planning and the TIDA Board in a public hearing for certification as a Final Environmental Impact Report. The Planning and the TIDA Board will be asked to certify that the EIR was completed in compliance with CEQA and Chapter 31 of the SF Admin Code. The Final EIR will consist of the Draft EIR, the comments received during the public review period, responses to the comments, and any revisions to the Draft EIR that result from public agency and public comments and from staff-initiated text changes. The City decision-makers will consider the certified Final EIR, along with other information received or considered during the public process, to determine whether to approve, modify, or disapprove the Proposed Project, to adopt findings as required by CEQA (Pub. Resources Code, Section 21081), and to specify any applicable environmental conditions as part of project approvals in a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program. If the City decides to approve the Proposed Project with significant effects that are identified in the Final EIR, but which are not avoided or reduced to a less-than-significant level, the City must April 21, Treasure Island / Yerba Buena Island

2 indicate that any such unavoidable significant effects are acceptable due to overriding considerations as described in CEQA Guidelines Section This is known as a Statement of Overriding Considerations. In preparing this Statement, the City must balance the benefits of a proposed project against its unavoidable environmental risks. If the benefits of a project outweigh the unavoidable adverse environmental effects, the adverse environmental effects may be considered acceptable (CEQA Guidelines Section 15093). If an agency makes a Statement of Overriding Considerations, the statement must be included in the record of project approval. 1.3 DOCUMENT ORGANIZATION This chapter concludes with a list of the persons commenting on the Treasure Island / Yerba Buena Island Redevelopment Project EIR. s who provided written comments are listed first, followed by commentors who spoke at the public hearing. Each listing includes the corresponding written communication or transcript designation for the commentor. Chapter 2, Comments and Responses, presents verbatim excerpts of the substantive comments, organized by topic. Each comment from a comment letter is identified, at the end of the comment, with the number of the comment letter from which it is excerpted, and a comment number denoting its sequence within the letter. Each oral comment from the transcript is denoted by TR, a sequential number assigned to the speaker, and a sequential comment number. Appendix J to this Comments and Responses document presents copies of the bracketed written comment letters from which the excerpts are derived, and Appendix K presents the bracketed transcript of the oral testimony received at the public hearing on the Draft EIR from which the transcript comments are derived. Following each comment or group of comments is the Planning Department s response. Similar comments are grouped together by topic and may be addressed by a single response. The responses generally provide clarification of the Draft EIR. The responses may also include revisions or additions to the Draft EIR. Revisions to EIR text show as indented text. New or revised text is underlined, and deleted material is shown as strikethrough text. The subject matter of one topic may overlap with that of other topics, so the reader must occasionally refer to more than one group of comments and responses to review all the information on a given subject. Cross-references are provided in these instances. Chapter 3 presents text changes to the EIR reflecting both text changes made as a result of a response to comments as well as staff-initiated text changes identified by San Francisco Planning Department staff to update, correct, or clarify the EIR text. The changes have not resulted in significant new information with respect to the proposed project, do not identify any new significant unmitigated environmental impacts, and do not identify new mitigation measures that are not included as part of the Proposed Project. Therefore, recirculation of the Draft EIR pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section is not required. April 21, Treasure Island / Yerba Buena Island

3 This Comments and Responses document will be incorporated into the Final EIR as a new chapter. The changes to the EIR s text and figures called out in the responses and the staffinitiated text changes will be incorporated into the Final EIR. 1.4 LIST OF COMMENTORS WRITTEN COMMENTS The following persons submitted written comments about the EIR between July 12 and September 21, Some letters were received after the comment period expired on September 10, 2010, but were accepted for consideration. Written Comment 1 Will Travis, Executive Director, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Date of Written Comments August 4, Bernard Choden August 5, Michael Lynes, Conservation Director, Golden Gate August 12, 2010 Audubon Society 4 Jorge Garcia August 21, Christopher Pederson August 22, William R. Kirkpatrick, Manager of Water Distribution August 25, 2010 Planning, East Bay Municipal Utility District 7 Ron Miguel, President, San Francisco Planning August 27, Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island Citizens Advisory August 30, 2010 Board 9 Ron Downing, Director of Planning, Golden Gate August 30, 2010 Bridge, highway and Transportation District 10 P. M. McMillin, Captain, U. S. Coast Guard September 3, Donald Forman September 3, Todd Brennen, Secretary, YBI-Residence Association September 6, 2010 Inc., YBI Residence Mutual Benefit Corporation 13 Anthony F. Gantner, Attorney-at-Law September 8, Judy Irving, Executive Director, Pelican Media September 8, Johannes Hoffman, AIA, Contracting Officer s September 9, 2010 Technical Representative, U.S. Department of Labor 16 Lisa Carboni, District Branch Chief, Local Development Intergovernmental Review, California Department of September 9, 2010 April 21, Treasure Island / Yerba Buena Island

4 Written Comment Transportation Date of Written Comments 17 Karen Weiss, Coastal Program Analyst, San Francisco September 9, 2010 Bay Conservation and Development 18 Mike Buhler, Executive Director, San Francisco September 9, 2010 Architectural Heritage 19 Nick S. Rossi, Esq., representing Kenneth and Roseanna September 9, 2010 Masters 20 Kathrin Moore, er, San Francisco Planning September 10, Hisashi Sugaya, er, San Francisco Planning September 10, John Elberling, Director, TIDA Board September 10, Cory LaVigne, Director of Service Development and September 10, 2010 Planning, AC Transit 24 Grace Kato, Public Land Management Specialist, September 10, 2010 California State Lands 25 Maureen Gaffney, Bay Trail Planner, San Francisco Bay September 10, 2010 Trail 26 Jean Roggenkamp, Deputy Air Pollution Control September 10, 2010 Officer, Bay Area Air Quality Management District 27 William Robberson, President, San Francisco September 10, 2010 Boardsailing Association 28 Saul Bloom, Arc Ecology September 10, Michael F. McGowan, Arc Ecology September 10, Eric Brooks, Sustainability Chair, San Francisco Green September 10, 2010 Party 31 Ruth Gravanis September 10, Mike Lynes, Conservation Director, Golden Gate September 10, 2010 Audubon Society 33 Mark R. Connors, President, Good Neighbors of September 10, 2010 Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island 34 Mark R. Connors September 10, Howard Strassner, Emeritus Chair, Transportation September 10, 2010 Committee, Sierra Club, San Francisco Group 36 Tom Radulovich, Livable City and Walk San Francisco September 10, Tom Radulovich, Livable City September 10, 2010 April 21, Treasure Island / Yerba Buena Island

5 Written Comment Date of Written Comments 38 Jennifer Clary, President, San Francisco Tomorrow September 10, Vedica Puri, President, Telegraph Hill Dwellers September 10, Paul T. Currier September 10, Andy Thornley, Program Director, San Francisco September 10, 2010 Bicycle Coalition 42 Chris Stockton September 14, Dave Campbell, Program Director, East Bay Bicycle September 21, 2010 Coalition 44 Neil Malloch September 13, 2010 PUBLIC HEARING COMMENTS The following persons made oral comments about the EIR at the public hearing on August 12, 2010: Public Hearing Comment TR.1a Michael Theriault TR.1b Karen Knowles Pierce TR.1c Bernie Choden TR.2 Tim Colen, Executive Director, San Francisco Housing Action Coalition TR.3 Manny Flores, Carpenters Local 22 TR.4 Sherry Williams, Executive Director, Treasure Island Homeless Development Initiative TR.5 Nick Rossi, in co-counsel with Rupert Hanson of Cox, Wootten Griffin, Hansen and Poulos, representing Ken Masters TR.6 Paul Currier TR.7 Richard Weller, Pile Drivers, Local 34 TR.8 TR.9 TR.10 TR.11 Karen Weiss, Bay Conservation and Development Ken Masters Tony Gantner Melanie Williams April 21, Treasure Island / Yerba Buena Island

6 Public Hearing Comment TR.12 TR.13 TR.14 TR.15 TR.16 TR.17 TR.18 TR.19 TR.20 TR.21 TR.22 TR.23 TR.24 TR.25 TR.26 Mike Lynes, Conservation Director, Golden Gate Audubon Society Kate Kelley, Sierra Club Patrick Huniacke, GAA Athletic Association Joel Koppel Sal Bloom, Executive Director, Arc Ecology Rosie Masters Atta Pilram Michael Antonini, er, San Francisco Planning Kathrin Moore, er, San Francisco Planning Christina Olague, er, San Francisco Planning Claudine Cheng, Director, TIDA Board John Elberling, Director, TIDA Board William Lee, er, San Francisco Planning Ron Miguel, President, San Francisco Planning Jean-Paul Samaha, Director, TIDA Board April 21, Treasure Island / Yerba Buena Island