FIGHT THE DEVELOPMENT THAT THREATENS OUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Planning Department Project Title:
2004.0093E – Construction of 34 Residential Units on a Proposed New Road near Crestmont Drive
We are opposed to the proposed construction project and are very concerned about the following issues:
3. Stability and Erosion of Mt. Sutro
5. Fire and Emergency Vehicle Access
6. Preservation of Green and Open Space
8. Access to Public Transportation
9. Density and Quality of Life
Our neighborhood consists of one street of single family homes and duplexes constructed along the downhill side of one of the steepest hillsides in San Francisco. All of the homes in this neighborhood project out over the hillside and are supported by high concrete or steel pylons resting on the lower hillside.
The proposed construction, and the attendant heavy traffic involving construction and earthmoving equipment on the road below our homes as well as on the street at our entrance level will carry an unacceptably high risk of destabilizing the hillside on which our pylon foundations rest. This risks sufficient damage to the supporting hillside, foundation bases, and pylons (which may or may not be evident or visible under normal conditions) to destabilize our houses during a moderate to severe earthquake. Such destabilization would be catastrophic, resulting in total loss of houses in our neighborhood, most of which have more than 60-70% of their living space projected out over the hillside.
The proposed project will result in a major increase in the flow of traffic on Crestmont Drive, one of the narrower streets in the City with sharp bends and blind corners. Increased traffic would increase the likeliness of accidents on this already winding and narrow street, one of the longest cul-de-sacs in the City. (See photos)
Traffic will also increase dramatically on other streets in the Forest Knolls area, many of which are also narrow and winding.
Unlike many neighborhoods in San Francisco , the homes on Crestmont Drive have no yards, since the back of the houses project over the very steep hillsides and the land below is totally inaccessible and unusable for recreation. The neighborhood’s children, therefore, play in the street. A marked increase in traffic density would be extremely detrimental to the safety of the children and to the neighborhood’s safety and quality of life.
It should be noted that at the time the area in question as zoned, the planning for the block included continuation of the street to the southwest, connecting with Oak Park Rd. This connection was never completed and Oak Park now ends in a cul-de-sac with a house constructed on the site where the two roads were meant to join. Therefore, the original zoning did not assume that all traffic to the proposed housing area would be required to use Crestmont Drive for access.
This issue must be revisited in view of the enormous consequences of drastically increased traffic density of Crestmont Drive, a roadway so narrow beyond the uphill bulkhead that two cars are unable to pass when cars are parked, as they always are, on either side of the street.
3. Stability and Erosion of Mt. Sutro
The sedimentary rock is disintegrating and the proposed area has a long documented history of slides which continue to this day (see photos taken July 2004 and news articles of landslide, 1979). Grading on the west slope of Mt. Sutro in the 1960s sent earth spilling into the street. In June, 1979, a new home not yet occupied was pushed into the street by a massive slide of earth behind it. Four adjacent homes had to be evacuated. During El Nino and its wake, the entire lower west slope of Mt. Sutro became unstable resulting in the sliding of the steep terrain from Crestmont Drive down to Warren Drive .
Further environmental concerns envisioned for this project must also be taken into consideration. This hillside is exposed to prevailing winds from the west and north, which is the location of the proposed construction. The high exposed hillside location and steepness of the slope result in windier conditions and higher wind velocities than in many areas of the City. These conditions place our homes directly in the path of any airborne dust and fumes generated by this construction project, including the creation of a paved street. The effect on the residents of this neighborhood, including many older individuals, and families with children, is potentially serious and could result in a significant increase in respiratory problems and illness in susceptible individuals, with possibly serious chronic damage to the lungs.
5. Fire and Emergency Vehicle Access
The impact of adding 34 more dwellings to the extension of this street also raises the issue of fire protection and access for other emergency vehicles: the street ends in a cul-de-sac and is only accessible in one direction. Extending the street will involve a very sharp turn at the current street terminus which may not allow passage of larger fire engines. Any fire in a downhill dwelling would pose immediate and serious risk to the existing uphill structures, both due to the prevailing wind patterns which would carry cinders uphill and potentially ignite the all-wooden residential structures above and by setting afire the downhill brush, grass, and trees below the existing homes.
An additional issue to be addressed is the potential closure of our nearest fire station. Adding more housing to the area at a time when fire services may be seriously curtailed further reduces the safety of the entire neighborhood.
6. Preservation of Green Open Space
We want to preserve the pristine forest and green open space on this part of Mt. Sutro .
The project provides for totally inadequate parking for such a massive development. One parking space, plus 1/2 guest parking space, per 3 and 4 bedroom unit is completely unrealistic in this neighborhood where people are reliant on their cars.
8. Access to Public Transportation
The access to public transportation is poor on Crestmont Drive, one of the longest cul-de-sacs in the City, where people rely on their cars. Public transit is not only distant and infrequent, but also difficult to access given the steepness of the hillside.
9. Density and Quality of Life
We believe that the proposed project will impact dramatically on the quality of life in our neighborhood. With the addition of four large high density buildings and a total of 34 condos, the character of this neighborhood of single family homes and duplexes will change drastically, and will also have a negative impact on the value of our homes. In addition to the traffic issue mentioned above, we are also concerned with the impact of noise, not only during construction, but also in the aftermath. Given the uphill wind patterns, noise and fumes from cars, fireplaces, barbeques, etc. will impact on the homes above.
The loss of open space accessible to the existing neighborhood on one of the few pristine areas of the City, never previously built upon, further degrades the neighborhood and its quality of life, and deprives existing Mt. Sutro wildlife of natural habitat.