Support the Whole Foods Project!
11/19/2008: The appeal of the EIR was withdrawn and the project will move forward as planned.
11/ 13/2008: From Ted Loewenberg – HAIA (Haight Ashbury Improvement Association)
The appeal claims the EIR incorrectly estimated the traffic to the grocery store. It claims that more people will walk to the store, and fewer vehicles will visit the site than are projected in the EIR. In addition, fewer delivery vehicles will visit the store than projected in the EIR. In total, the environmental impact of the project will be lower than has been documented. The most consistent response from HAIA members would be to reject the appeal and support the EIR as it was approved. Not requiring additional CEQA work will help keep the project on track, and that’s of great importance.
Now is the time to write the entire membership of the Board, and the Mayor (email addresses below), with your thoughts on why the appeals should be rejected. To do so simply, you can resend the emails that you addressed to Jonas Ionin to the Supervisors. A couple of minor changes in the greeting and references to Commissioners altered to Supervisors, and you have an email that makes the same point.
Or, you can create a new email, to the Supervisors, that asks them to reject the appeal. Tell them that the Planning Commission exercised the subject of this EIR, and the project’s Conditional Use Permit for four hours. In all that time, opponents failed to make a convincing case that the EIR is fundamentally flawed and needed to be re-done. Their 6 - 0 vote demonstrates that thinking. The 120 or so neighbors who came to the hearing to show their support for getting a supermarket and more rental housing demonstrate the wide acceptance of the project "as is" for our neighborhood. Explain that the EIR correctly indicates that the design of parking and access by car or by foot will not dramatically effect the area’s environment. After all, the project replaces a grocery store. Urge them to dismiss the appeal.
You are also asked to attend the hearing at the Board of Supervisors next Tuesday, if you can make it. We do not have to inundate the Chamber with another 120 people, but rather more like 20 people. We can readily reference the overwhelming turnout on Oct. 23rd as ample evidence of the community’s support for the project. By Monday afternoon, we will know the details of how the appeal will be handled by the Board, and I will send another email to let you know definitively about showing up at City Hall Tuesday at 3:30 PM.
Remember, this appeal will deal with the EIR only. It is possible that an additional appeal on the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) may be filed within the next ten days. If that happens, you will be informed about the issues, and the HAIA response. Like the EIR appeal, the Board of Supervisors has a deadline for hearing a CUP appeal: 30 days. Schedules and other rules about hearing a CUP appeal make the target for hearing the matter more ambiguous. Stay tuned for definitive information on the CUP.
Most importantly, thank you for your continued support and action to get this project approved. It is because of you, because of your taking the time to act, to write and attend meetings, that we have gotten this far. While we are almost finished with the process, your continued support and help will result in a showcase project at Haight and Stanyan that will benefit everyone. In the spirit of Sen. Obama, "yes, we can."
Michela Alioto-Pier
District 2
(415) 554-7752 - Voice
Michela.Alioto-Pier@sfgov.org
Tom Ammiano
District 9
(415) 554-5144 - Voice
Tom.Ammiano@sfgov.org
Carmen Chu
District 4
(415) 554-7460 - Voice
Carmen.Chu@sfgov.org
Chris Daly
District 6
(415) 554-7970 - Voice
Chris.Daly@sfgov.org
Bevan Dufty
District 8
(415) 554-6968 - Voice
Bevan.Dufty@sfgov.org
Sean Elsbernd
District 7
(415) 554-6516 - Voice
Sean.Elsbernd@sfgov.org
Sophie Maxwell
District 10
(415) 554-7670 - Voice
Sophie.Maxwell@sfgov.org
Jake McGoldrick
District 1
(415) 554-7410 - Voice
Jake.McGoldrick@sfgov.org
Ross Mirkarimi
District 5
(415) 554-7630 - Voice
Ross.Mirkarimi@sfgov.org
Aaron Peskin - Board President
District 3
(415) 554-7450 - Voice
Aaron.Peskin@sfgov.org
Gerardo Sandoval
District 11
(415) 554-6975 - Voice
Gerardo .Sandoval@sfgov.org
Gavin .Newsom@sfgov.org
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10/23/2008 Victory at the Planning Commission: Both the EIR and the Conditional Use Permit were UNANIMOUSLY approved. The turnout in support of the project was fantastic.
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After much delay, the time has arrived to speak out in support of the
SF Planning Department
1650 Mission Street, Suite 400
San Francisco, CA 94103 – refer to Case No. 2006.0460C
(helpful talking points are available below)
(Thanks to Ted Loewenberg of Haight Ashbury Improvement Association for passing these along)
1. If you are Sierra Club members, to say or write, "I’m a member of the Sierra Club, and I support this project." in their comments. Or members of other organizations, let that be known, to show the broad diversity of people who support the project. Speakers will be encouraged to keep their comments focused, simple and to the point.
2. This project will:
- bring a full service, quality grocery store where it is desperately needed
- deliver 62 units of housing helps everyone, as more housing is needed
- supply the required percentage of affordable housing units
- create a new community space for neighbors to come together and interact with its mezzanine cafe
- The full service store in the neighborhood is especially valuable for families with children whose grocery needs are naturally multiplied and will greatly reduce the need for trips out of the area
- The store will bring families to the Haight and massively improve the friendliness of this critical entryway to the park which is the ideal route to the newly rebuilt childrens’ playground
-The housing units within the building contain a significant number of multi bedroom units
4. The project will greatly benefit every neighborhood demographic groups. Personal anecdotes about the impact of this project are HIGHLY encouraged, especially for:
- seniors
- families
- other ways that Whole Foods / the site improve life (ie., opening up Haight as a path to GGP facilities)
5. The project will help draw back local residents to Haight St. by providing a valuable neighborhood serving business and community amenities like the café all in a high quality environment.
6. Traffic will not be substantially different since as many as half of the customers will walk to the site. Three other Whole Foods Markets and other quality grocers in the city (Bryan’s, Molly Stones, Andronicos) will help to keep 690 Stanyan from being swamped with customers from outside the neighborhood.
7. The project site is ideally located for public transport. The site is well served by several transit lines, making it easy to utilize public transit for customers, employees and residents.
8. The façade and overall design was developed in collaboration with neighborhood groups. The developer has actively solicited community input and the resulting façade is appropriate / fine / terrific for the site, and will set the standard for subsequent projects in the area. The developer, the key tenant and Planning have worked on the project together for more than a year and half, and have agreed together on the package as presented, and supported by HAIA and CVIA.
9. There is a sense of urgency in moving forward on this, as there are no other options for a quality, full service grocer for the location. Any delays or substantial changes to this project will guarantee a blighted lot for years to come on what should be a landmark corner.
10. D5 Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi has stated his support for the project, recognizing it fills a much needed demand in the community. The Supervisor also was actively involved in seeking other potential grocers for the sites and has confirmed on many occasions that Whole Foods was the only party expressing readiness to make this investment in our neighborhood.
11. Whole Foods is known nationally for the quality of products, produce and prepared foods. They are highly respected for their excellent employee relations and working conditions. Their wide array of products and services is an excellent match for the area, one of the most diverse communities in San Francisco. The previous grocer tenant on the site, with less space and lower quality produce and goods, was not profitable in a very competitive market (known for profit margins in the range of 1.5%). They will bring good jobs to the community.
12. The project is supported by most neighborhood groups in the vicinity of the project. The following groups have all voiced their strong support of the project:
BVNA, Buena Vista Neighborhood Association
CVIA, Cole Valley Improvement Association
HAIA, Haight-Ashbury Improvement Association
ISPN, Inner Sunset Park Neighbors
Pro-SF, Panhandle Residents Organization – SF
If you work in a business in the area, such as a hospital, retail store, or other entity, perhaps you can also ask they voice their support for the project. Likewise, if you have an affiliation with community groups or other institutions, such as the SF Fine Arts Museums, SPUR or NPC, etc., ask them to participate in supporting the Whole Foods project.
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