COMMUNITY MEETING NOTES UCSF Mission Bay Phase 2 Study Meeting Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Genentech Hall Mission Bay campus Subject: Community Meeting 1 Attendees: Neighbors UCSF staff San Francisco Redevelopment Agency staff Mission Bay Development Group staff BMS Design Group, UCSF Consultant Fehr + Peers, UCSF Consultant Welcome Barbara Bagot-López, UCSF Community & Government Relations, welcomed the community to the meeting and thanked them for attending. [PowerPoint presentation here] Context Kevin Beauchamp, UCSF Campus Planning, provided a brief history of the planning, development and construction of the Mission Bay campus site and explained that UCSF is taking the opportunity to pause in the development of the site to evaluate the status of the plan, the quality of implemented program and physical spaces and think about future work. UCSF recently completed the Physical Design Framework [adopted by the UC Regents in September] which outlines planning and design principles for all UCSF campus sites with more specific guidelines for the Parnassus and Mission Bay campuses. The alternatives that will be developed in this Mission Bay Phase 2 Study will inform the next Long Range Development Plan (LRDP), which is currently underway and will be a three year process. Purpose, Schedule, UCSF Mission Bay Today Barbara Maloney, BMS Design Group, described the purpose of the study, which is to develop three alternatives to the existing Mission Bay Campus Master Plan that: Enhance the campus pedestrian environment and outdoor recreation; Evaluate options for additional campus housing; Reassess parking supply, demand and locations; Evaluate land use locations, building footprints, massing and design; and Consider the potential for increasing development beyond the currently approved 2.65 million gross square feet. The study is anticipated to be completed by the end of the year with at least three community meetings throughout the process. 414 Jackson Street, Suite 404, San Francisco, CA 94111 T: 415.249.0130 F: 415.249.0132 www.bmsdesigngroup.com urban design campus planning land planning landscape architecture
An overview of the campus site, its location within Mission Bay, and the status of the campus today (which includes the additional land acquired for the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay) were provided. The development status and building opportunity sites were discussed. A development summary was presented describing current and planned building square footages and parking demand and supply. Planning, Design Issues and Alternatives Issues that community and campus members have asked UCSF to address as part of this study were summarized. Areas of concern and planning principles established in March 2008 by the UCSF Mission Bay Community Task Force were also briefly presented. It was explained that some of the topics to be explored and evaluated during this study include: various land uses, building massing, open space, circulation and parking, campus character and development entitlement. Discussion The following questions and comments were raised, and answers were provided as appropriate. Answers in [brackets] are in addition to information supplied at the June 17 th meeting. Structures and Footprints Q/C: Why is the campus nearing its full square footage entitlement for facilities built at the site? A: The 1999 Mission Bay Master Plan established a range in size for all building footprints. In nearly all cases, facilities that have been built to date were developed to the upper end of those ranges. Also, on Block 20, housing was built instead of parking, which affects entitlement because housing counts towards building space whereas parking does not. Q/C: What is the anticipated form of future development? A: The study will explore potential development on the remaining undeveloped areas of the campus site and will consider various building locations, floor plate configurations, heights and square footages. Q/C: The structures and equipment on the roofs do not count towards the height limit and they are large and unsightly. A: This study will review and evaluate the design guidelines outlined in the 1999 Master Plan document and recommend changes to improve the quality of building design, including rooftops. The Physical Design Framework also addresses building design and provides a framework for future development. Q/C: The relocation of the Block 14 school site further east away from I-280 and the CalTrain tracks should be considered. Also, a site more internal to the campus would provide an opportunity to mentor young students in the sciences. A: The location for the school site was negotiated between UCSF and the City in 1998. Changing the location of the school site might require reopening various agreements. Block 14 is already in close proximity to existing and planned UCSF research buildings, so moving the site would not be likely to create stronger mentorship opportunities. UCSF Mission Bay Phase 2 Study June 17, 2010 Community Meeting Notes 2
Q/C: Campus building footprints are too large. Denser and taller buildings with pedestrian-scaled alleys would help break down this massing and allow public cut-throughs. Q/C: Wind is a big issue here and the large, rectangular buildings and the large spaces between them, like Koret Quad, make this worse by channeling the wind. The Master Plan shows the quad and the proposed recreation fields and courts adjoining each other; this much contiguous open space could further exacerbate the issue. A: [Wind effects were analyzed for the campus master plan, and it will be studied again if there is a plan to construct buildings higher than 100 feet.] Q/C: Consider wind turbines on campus. Q/C: People should spend time in Mission Creek Park along the northern edge of Mission Creek because it is very popular and the design of the space mitigates the wind. You should study why this park is so successful. Q/C: At street level, the buildings are blank and lack any visual interest or activity. This makes the campus a very unattractive place to walk. Transportation Q/C: Are all the streets complete? Is there flexibility for changing the street layout? A: The street locations and dimensions were determined during planning for the overall Mission Bay Redevelopment Plan based on the San Francisco Vara Block easements that are designed to establish and protect view corridors, and these street locations and dimensions are reflected in UCSF s Mission Bay Master Plan. No campus streets will change, with the possible exception of the southern portion of Sixth Street between Nelson Rising Lane and Gene Friend Way, which is planned as a campus street in the 1999 Master Plan but is technically not a Vara Block easement. Options for the future configuration of this area will be studied during this process. Q/C: How will traffic issues be addressed? Will slowing of the economy and resultant decreases in traffic be taken into account? A: Traffic and parking issues will be evaluated during this study by the transportation consultant, Fehr & Peers, but a thorough technical analysis will be conducted when the LRDP and its Environmental Impact Report (EIR) are underway. Q/C: Connectivity between Mission Bay and the rest of San Francisco will be compromised if emerging plans for high-speed rail causes 16 th Street to be moved underground at 7 th Street. It is recommended that UCSF take a position on this issue by submitting a comment letter to the California High Speed Rail Authority. A: UCSF is in the process of preparing a comment letter to the California High-Speed Rail Authority regarding this concern. [On June 21 st, 2010, UCSF s Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications and University Relations, Barbara French, wrote a letter to the California High Speed Rail Authority opposing the current plan of undergrounding 16 th street.] UCSF Mission Bay Phase 2 Study June 17, 2010 Community Meeting Notes 3
Q/C: Will the study evaluate and mitigate Giants game day parking and traffic through the neighborhoods? If the Giants get an arena, traffic impacts will increase. A: The focus of the parking analysis will be on demand and supply for the UCSF campus community, although it is recognized that Giants game days do affect traffic and parking in the area. Q/C: Can you study where the existing campus population is parking? A: UCSF is collecting this information based on observation estimates (not driver surveys); it will be considered in this study and will inform the LRDP EIR. Q/C: Connectivity is a big issue and it was recommended UCSF provide shuttle service for Mission Bay neighbors. A: There is a public shuttle program run by the Mission Bay Transportation Management Association that serves Mission Bay and China Basin. Q/C: How much does it cost to park at UCSF? A: Public parking is $3/hour and staff permit parking is $127/month. Q/C: Parking should be evaluated by population and occupancy and not just by square feet. A: We are evaluating actual parking usage and are using that information to inform planning of future parking needs. Process Q/C: Will this plan be flexible? A: Yes, this study will yield three alternatives which will be evaluated in more depth during the LRDP process. Q/C: What is the process for approving future development at UCSF Mission Bay that does not conform to the current Master Plan? A: This study will explore alternative strategies for the full development of the Mission Bay campus and will inform the next Long Range Development Plan (LRDP). An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will be prepared on the LRDP. The LRDP and EIR would be submitted to The Regents for approval. Any increase in entitlement will require discussions with the Redevelopment Agency and the Mission Bay master developer, FOCIL. The specific steps needed are being confirmed. At this time it is not expected that additional entitlement will require the reopening of the Mission Bay Redevelopment Plan. Q/C: Will the City s Mission Bay Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) on the overall Mission Bay Redevelopment Plan area have to be amended? A: This issue will be reviewed by the City. It will likely be a function of how much growth UCSF proposes to pursue and the extent to which projected traffic volumes, planned infrastructure capacity, and other Mission Bay entitlements may be affected because of additional development not anticipated at the time that the SEIR was prepared. Q/C: Take overage (of existing entitlement) out of the picture until the process of approval is better defined. UCSF Mission Bay Phase 2 Study June 17, 2010 Community Meeting Notes 4
Q/C: Is UCSF going through this process with its other campus sites? Does UCSF want to expand other sites? A: The future of all UCSF campus sites will be studied during the LRDP process, beginning later this year. Currently, UCSF is not planning to expand other campus sites, but no decisions have been made yet. Q/C: How will impacts be evaluated? A: When a specific proposal for the build-out of the Mission Bay campus is identified for inclusion in the next LRDP, the impacts of that proposal will be analyzed in the LRDP EIR. Housing Q/C: Will Block 7 be included in the housing evaluation and assumptions for the Phase 2 Study? A: This study will focus on assessing opportunities for additional housing only on the UCSF Mission Bay campus site. This does not include Block 7 to the north of the campus, property that UCSF has purchased to build housing for UCSF staff with low and moderate incomes. Block 7 will be considered in the larger context of overall UCSF demand for housing and its appropriate location a topic that will be addressed in the LRDP and EIR. [In September 2010, UCSF notified the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (SFRA) that UCSF is unable to construct the proposed 160 units of affordable staff housing on Mission Bay s Block 7 East. UCSF paid the SFRA $5 million for the land and will now pay an additional $5 million in lieu of building the housing for a total of $10 million. SFRA also retains title to the land. It is UCSF s intention to build the proposed 77 units of affordable housing on Block 7 West, which is part of a separate agreement with the SFRA. That project is not triggered until Phase 2 of the hospital, so we remain hopeful that it will be economically feasible when we are ready to proceed.] Q/C: As Mission Bay grows, the campus will eventually be surrounded on the north by residential neighborhoods. Providing housing on campus would help UCSF avoid being a dark and inhospitable zone, especially at night. Q/C: What type of housing will be considered in phase two? A: Additional campus housing would likely include apartments, not dormitories, mostly for students, postdoctoral scholars and Medical Center residents, at rental rates slightly below market rate. Q/C: What is the occupancy rate of existing housing on the Mission Bay campus site? A: Existing housing on the Mission Bay campus is fully occupied. Population Density A/C: Will UCSF s historical growth rate of 3% continue? A: It is uncertain, but this will be assessed as part of the LRDP. Q/C: The experience at Parnassus is that the density of building occupancy increases over time. UCSF Mission Bay Phase 2 Study June 17, 2010 Community Meeting Notes 5
Q/C: What is the density of employee population on site? A: There is a lower overall employee population on the campus than originally anticipated. Also, some buildings are not completely occupied yet. [Campus employee population as of June 2010 is approximately 2,000 persons]. Sustainability Q/C: What is UCSF s energy policy for Mission Bay and will this be part of the study? UCSF does not appear to have much of a sustainability policy. A: UCSF has been implementing many sustainable measures and will present those to the community in the near future. [UCSF has a robust sustainability program, and is aiming to be the UC leader in green design standards. The new UCSF Mission Bay Medical Center integrates cutting-edge sustainable and eco-effective design. In addition, UCSF has certified Rock Hall as a LEED (Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design) Silver building. Since 1998, UCSF s diversion rate (the percentage of solid waste that does not go to landfill) increased from 7 percent to 51 percent. UCSF s Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program conforms to the city s Transit First Policy to encourage the use of alternative transportation. For more information see http://sustainability.ucsf.edu/ ]. Other Q/C: I urge you to continue the planned pedestrian friendly and vibrant retail character of Fourth Street north of the campus into areas along Fourth Street within the campus site. Q/C: Where is the nearest fire station? A: A combined fire and police station is expected to be located on Mission Bay Block 8 (along Third Street slightly north of the UCSF campus near the old brick firehouse) within the next few years. Recently approved bond money has made the planning and design of the facility more of a reality. The old firehouse will be retained as part of the facility and is planned to contain training and community rooms. [The nearest existing fire station is located at 16 th and Vermont Streets, to the west of Mission Bay.] UCSF Mission Bay Phase 2 Study June 17, 2010 Community Meeting Notes 6