Cow Hollow Association eNewsletter

The Cow Hollow Association was established many years ago to protect and preserve the residential character of one of San Francisco's distinctive neighborhoods.

The loosely affiliated Save Our Neighborhoods (SON) group is proposing to appeal the Planning Commission's Negative Declaration finding for the Housing Element which exempts it from an Environmental Impact Study. "We feel an EIS is absolutely necessary to expose the Housing Element for what it is...an attempt to gut the mandate laid out in Proposition M approved by the voters and an attempt to solve the City's housing "crisis" by building story upon story without any provision for parking." Click here to learn more details about the housing element.

The philosophical chasm between the pro and anti forces is so wide that an environmental impact study is absolutely necessary to define the issues and what impacts they will have on a variety of subjects including but not limited to parking, schools, zoning, neighborhood commercial, transportation (or the lack of it), traffic flow (or grid lock), infrastructure, utilities, shadow ordinances, etc. There is a lot of rhetoric, but few hard facts. An EIS would allow an empirical process to develop qualified and quantified answers.

The challenge to the Negative Declaration will not be cheap. The projected cost is $10,000 and this may be just the first bite at the apple.

SON asked the Cow Hollow Association to join Pacific Heights and several other neighborhood associations in raising money to stage the appeal which is scheduled to be heard at the Planning Commission meeting on April 1. The Cow Hollow Association approved a financial contribution to the cause.

It is our understanding that the appeal will be considered by the Planning Commission staff with legal input from the City Attorney's office who will be advising the Planning Commission on its findings favoring a Negative Declaration. We do not know whether the appeal is subject to a public hearing, but staff will eventually make a recommendation to the Planning Commission on whether to accept the appeal or reject it. At this time, we are unaware of what time frames for action are required.

The appellants are seeking a sit-down with the Mayor on the Housing Element and the appeal, and Patricia Vaughey is arranging a "getting-to-know-you" meeting with Michela Alioto-Pier on February 9 at the theater in the Palace of Fine Arts at which time this issue will be a front burner item.

A flyer explaining the situation as it stands and the objective of the appeal that is on the Save Our Neighborhoods (SON) website at saveourneighborhoods.org site.

Click here for a copy of the information leaflet for the Appeal of the Negative Declaration of the Housing Element. Please e-mail it to friends and neighbors and distribute it in your neighborhood. Time is short and we need to get the word out as fast as possible. We will contact you with new information as it arises. (When and to whom to write letters, attend hearings, etc.). We must show a strong cross city united concern for this.

Thank you to all the neighbors and CHA board members who attended the Jan. 7th public meeting at the Pacific Motor Inn regarding the Verizon Cellular Base Station. For those unable to attend, there were approximately 30 neighbors who strongly and articulately spoke against this Verizon project. It opened Verizon's eyes as to what sort of battle they will have on their hands if they try to proceed.

As a result of the meeting, Verizon has requested another postponement of the cell phone hearing. They wanted to push it back to February 19th to give them time to try to partner with Lucas (installing the antennas on the new Lucas campus away from residential properties). The February 19th date was a problem for several of us (it's Winter Break for the schools), so Verizon has agreed to push it back to March 18th.

Meanwhile, we are trying to work with Verizon to help them partner with Lucas. Apparently, Verizon has tried several times to contact Lucas, but Lucas has not been interested in installing equipment on their buildings at this time. Attempts will continue to contact Lucas and the Presidio to discuss this option.

The Planning Commission Hearing is currently schedule for March 18, 2004 at 1:30pm. Since this topic has already been postponed a few times, we recommend you confirm that our case will be heard that morning with either call Geoffrey Nelson, the City Planner on this case at 415-558-6257 or visit the Planning Commission website and review the agenda for the meeting, case number 2003.0080C http://sfgov.org/site/planning_meeting.asp?id=15840.

Back to Top

PG&E has now completed the trenching and installation of the conduit for the Lucas Powerline along North Point-Bay-Fillmore-Filbert-Lyon, but Concerned Neighbors on Fillmore, Filbert, and Lyon Streets and the Cow Hollow Association will continue to advocate for the residents and small business owners in Cow Hollow, no matter how long it takes.

The ill-conceived electric distribution project through a densely populated neighborhood to serve an industry located inside the federal Presidio national park, Lucasfilm Ltd.'s Letterman Digital Arts Center (LDAC), is a result of PG&E's poor planning, the Presidio Trust's passive disengagement, and the past unwillingness or inability of City agencies to exercise effective oversight. We continue our written and personal contact with the California Public Utility Commission, PG&E, Lucasfilm Ltd., the Presidio Trust, Department of Public Works, Mayor Gavin Newsom, San Francisco Supervisors, and the Media.

The Concerned Neighbors on Fillmore, Filbert, and Lyon Streets are requesting the following:

CPUC
1. Conduct a one-day hearing before a PUC examiner to review and discuss the Powerline and alternatives to the route.

2. Conduct an audit to insure that the most advanced and protective shielding and wire configuration techniques will be utilized along the right of way for the Lucas Powerline.

3. Stop work on the Lucas Powerline Project before any wire is installed in the conduits on the grounds that PG&E has failed to coordinate with the City and County of San Francisco as called for in Board Resolution 817-03 (We have made a formal written request to the CPUC on February 20, 2004).

PG&E
1. Stop replying to our requests for specific, technical information with vague, uninformative
and/or evasive answers.

2. Hold a public meeting, along with Lucasfilm Ltd. to allow for open review and public participation in the planning of the selected route and consideration of alternatives, the study of public health and safety issues, and the mitigation of such risks. Given the proximity of the Project's powerlines to homes (many of which are occupied by young children), shops and a school, and the lack of any public information regarding alternatives or mitigation measures, we feel we have raised legitimate concerns as to public safety. PG&E has ignored our repeated requests and the City and County of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors Resolution 817-03 (Unanimously adopted by the Board on December 16, 2003, approved and signed by Mayor Brown on December 19, 2003, and supported by the Cow Hollow Association) for:

3. Coordinate an audit by the CPUC to insure that the most advanced and protective shielding and wire configuration techniques will be utilized along the right of way for the Lucas Powerline. At the 1/15/04 Safety Meeting with DPW, PG&E, UCC, SFPD, and neighbors, PG&E's Project Manager Gary Tognozzi offered to have PG&E coordinate the CPUC audit after we asked questions about what is actually going to be placed in the street.

4. Re-locate the "splice box" on Filbert Street at Broderick from the sidewalk onto the street, as all the other boxes were installed.

Lucasfilm Ltd.
1. Hold a public meeting, along with PG&E.

2. Explain why Lucasfilm Ltd. hired PG&E to provide all of its electricity, instead of pursuing "greener" alternatives.

3. Explain why Lucasfilm Ltd., when made aware of the community's concern with the powerline, took no steps to put the Project on hold so that alternatives could be considered.

Presidio Trust
1. Create an Energy Master Plan for the Presidio that is in keeping with the national park's "green" principles of new construction, including in-house and alternative sources of power, limiting traditional energy sources, and energy conversation.

2. Disclose why the Environmental Impact Statement prepared for the Park and the Lucasfilm Ltd. Center (LDAC) did not include the Centers electrical requirements.

3. Construct the needed electrical capacitor(s) in the Presidio vs. San Francisco, as has been indicated would occur.

DPW
1. Re-write the Public Works Code to address new feeder line construction (vs. upgrading/rehabilitating existing wiring) through existing densely populated neighborhoods - public notice, participation, disclosure of facts, and mitigation of health and safety risks.

2. Insure that construction projects of this magnitude are conducted safely, eliminating the need for citizens to request inspections and safety meetings.

Mayor Newsom
Continue the good work he started by sponsoring the Resolution 817-03 to bring PG&E and Lucasfilm Ltd. to the table and meet with the impacted residents and small business owners.

SF Supervisors
Pressure PG&E and Lucasfilm Ltd. to follow the adopted Resolution 817-03 and participate in a public meeting to discuss with the residents and small business owners in Cow Hollow the planning and future impacts of the Lucas Powerline.

Media
Encourage them to investigate and cover the Lucas Powerline story.

Our basic questions still remain, which include:
· How was the selected route chosen over other potential routes, noting that the substation is one block from the northern waterfront and open space that connects directly with the Presidio?
· Why did the Presidio Trust EIS exclude the Letterman Digital Arts Complex electrical requirements?
· Where is the Presidio Trust's short and long term Energy Master Plan?
· Why are the City of SF and its residents bearing the brunt of the energy project serving the federal government's national park?

For those in Cow Hollow on the Lucas Powerline (Lyon, Filbert, Fillmore):
Please contact PG&E's Bill Gray at 925.866.5386 and have the EMFs (Electric and Magnetic Fields) measured in and around your residence, considering these locations only:
· the street facing rooms of your house
· the front yard measured at the front building wall
· at the edge of any planter
· at the curb
Please email your results to: brookesampson@yahoo.com

To learn more about the Lucas Powerline, check our website at http://www.cowhollowassociation.org/Lucasnewsletter.shtml and send an email to stoppge@yahoogroups.com

A group of neighbors along Greenwich Street and several of the cross streets have been working hard to have the utility wires placed underground. On September 19, 2003, Gavin's office introduced legislation to become an Underground District (see details of legislation below). By becoming an Underground District, we fall into the queue to be undergrounded as funding becomes available from the CPUC. The next step is for our legislation to go before the Land Use Committee (McGoldrick, Maxwell and Ammiano). All Land Use Committee hearing are on Mondays at 1pm (City Hall rm. 263). The date of our hearing is still to be determined.

Since 1958, Greenwich Street and other cross street residents have made several separate attempts to have the wires undergrounded.

1958 - Muni line discontinued and residents requested undergrounded - denied, promised later
1968 - Petitioned again and request denied, promised later
1976 - Most of area undergrounded, except streets in our legislation - residents ignored
1986 - Residents attempted petition process, but was not completed
1997 - Our most recent attempt to have the wires undergrounded during the open petition process for all of San Francisco. Criteria for the selection process were:

· A minimum of four contiguous blocks had to be in need and request undergrounding
· An upgrade of another utility (water main, gas line) had to be planned for that area
· Area had to be close to or part of a main traffic thoroughfare
· 65% of signatures from property owners had to be obtained to show support for the effort since each household had to contribute a portion of funds to the undergrounding.

While Greenwich Street qualified on all of the criteria above, our application was lost. This resulted in the non-consideration of Greenwich Street from the selection process in 1997.

In July 2002, we received notification that PG&E was planning to "upgrade the underground wiring" along Greenwich Street. Further exploration into this notice revealed that in fact it was not an upgrade of underground wiring (since all of Greenwich Street's wiring was above ground) but rather a new power line for the Lucas Digital Arts Center. Several strong attempts were made by the Greenwich Street residents to incorporate our desire to have the wiring undergrounded in conjunction with the Lucas Power Line project. All of our attempts were rebuffed due largely to the time needed to co-engineer such a project. In the end it was determined, that a permit for the Lucas Power Line should not have been issued for Greenwich Street as the street had been dug up the maximum allowable times in a certain time period (please note that in past three years both the gas line and the water main have been replaced along Greenwich Street).

Working with Gavin Newsom (our then District 2 Supervisor) and Mike Farrah, it was determined that the next best course of action to have the wiring undergrounded would be to draft legislation for consideration by the Board of Supervisors. This legislation was submitted to the Board of Supervisors on September 16, 2003 and was subsequently assigned to the Land Use Committee for consideration.

As residents of Greenwich Street, we strongly feel that we should be included as part of the city's undergrounding efforts for the following reasons:

· Finish off an area of the city that was undergrounded long ago. With the exception of Greenwich Street and parts of several cross streets, all other streets in Marina, Cow Hollow and Pacific Heights are already undergrounded.

· As indicated above, we were overlooked during the petition process in 1997. We already have signatures to support high level of interest and had met all other selection criteria.

· We have a $2 million bond offered by a private company - investigating whether this can we use in the interim until more CPUC money is available to pay it off.

· Safety concerns - the poles along Greenwich Street are becoming overburdened with wires and this raises major safety concerns. Most recently Comcast has strung massive equipment on the Greenwich Street poles to accommodate the addition of Broadband Internet and High Definition Cable. They also plan to add Video on Demand which would add even more wires to the already overburdened poles. The continued addition of wires raises serious safety concerns in terms of a possible earthquake, EMF emissions as utilities continue to increase the amount of overhead wires to accommodate new product offerings and the presence of a fire station on Greenwich (and their ability to safely maneuver equipment and respond to emergencies in a timely manner).

· Help with San Francisco Tourism -- For the last 3 years, the premier US cycling event, the SF Grand Prix (now called the T-Mobile International) runs down Greenwich between Lyon and Fillmore. This event is televised globally and seen by fans worldwide. What better way to attract visitors to San Francisco than to make the entire race course as attractive as possible by cleaning up the overhead wires along the racetrack to create a more visually attractive race route?

· Help Make SF Green -- As a good faith initiative, many home owners of the Greenwich Street Corridor have planted trees as their part for a "Trees for Wires" offering through Friends of the Urban Forest. Many neighbors would like to take part in this program but are prohibited from doing so because of the interference of the wires in the growth of the trees.

· Power Outages - There have been power outages in our area, which, too, are dangerous. State-of-the-art undergrounding should eliminate these services interruptions, the cost to PG&E of responding to these interruptions, and the risk of danger resulting when power is out.

· Increased Tax Revenue for the City -- One model of home prices includes a 10% increase when overhead lines are undergrounded, and when homes are bought, this leads to 10% more property tax that goes to the city. As the Greenwich Street Corridor may have some of the most expensive homes where overhead wires still exist, it makes the most financial sense to city budgets to try and capture some of this tax potential.

In short, we believe there are many strong reasons why the legislation to support undergrounding wires on Greenwich Street should be adopted. We ask for your support as this legislation is presented in the Land Use Committee and before the Board of Supervisors. Please check the Cow Hollow Association website for updates on the hearing date. The more people there, the better.

Next Cow Hollow Association Meeting

Tuesday, March 30, 2004 at 5:30pm

The CHA board and advisory members’ meet the first Tuesday of each month at 5:30pm (the April meeting is a week earlier due to School Spring Vacation conflicts). The location rotates among board member’s homes. We are always looking for new board members who want share their talents and passion for the preservation and improvement of our neighborhood. You are welcome to attend a meeting to listen to the issues or bring up a topic of concern to you. To attend a meeting, please contact the CHA President, Tony Imhof at 415-921-4657 for the location.

If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please click here to respond. We will unsubscribe you immediately.