Neighbors Angered Over Plan to Develop Coronet Theater

By Carol Dimmick

An angry group of Richmond District neighbors say a large senior health facility and housing complex planned as a replacement for the Coronet Theater will have a devastating impact on the neighborhood.

"This is an oversized project that towers over our small houses, compromises our safety and will cause a parking nightmare for our community," said Rocky Papale, who lives nearby.

The controversial project, proposed by the Bridge Housing Corporation, would develop a senior health services facility, 30 group transitional senior housing units and 120 affordable senior units at the Geary Boulevard site. Neighbors say the six-story, 177,600-square-foot building will loom over nearby homes, obstructing their views and diminish their quality of life.

Opponents of the project voiced their concerns at a Nov. 15 meeting arranged at the request of Supervisor Jake McGoldrick after his office received complaints from dozens of neighbors.

City planner Bill Wycko told attendees the purpose of the meeting was for the community to comment on environmental issues they would like the department to address in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

However, the evening got off to a prickly start when a large number of neighbors complained that they failed to receive written notification of the meeting and expressed doubts their concerns would be taken seriously.

Neighbors were also upset with the department's initial findings that the project would not have a significant adverse impact on the neighborhood's noise level and air quality.

The most vocal complaints came from neighbors living on Almaden Court, a small street of residential homes that abuts the south side of the project.

Libby Benedict, an 18-year Almaden Court resident, requested that the EIR study focus on the impact of the project on the entire street.

Benedict, and her neighbors, told city planners that the project will dwarf their small homes, blocking out views and light, and would cause an unbearable amount of noise during the construction process.

Wendy Miller, a member of the Francisco Heights Civic Association, said that air pollution during the construction phase was also a major concern.

Many attendees asked that the department deny an exemption by the project sponsor which would allow them to provide only 67 parking spaces.

Rick Warner, president of the Jordan Park Improvement Association, challenged the validity of the project sponsor's parking study that found a 23 percent parking vacancy rate and suggested the survey was taken too early in the day to be accurate.

"Bridge must redo their parking studies," Warner said.

Tom Early, project manager for the Bridge Housing Corporation, said the design has already been modified as a result of the input from numerous community meetings held during the past four years. He added that his company does not anticipate making further changes to the design at this point.

Early said Bridge already increased the number of parking spaces from 56 to 67 and that the average height at the rear of the building was reduced by five feet in response to complaints from residents of Almaden Court.

"We have made extensive changes to the design and we feel comfortable with the changes we have made," Early said.

Ron Miguel, president of the Planning Association of the Richmond (PAR) and Peter Winkelstein, a member of the SF Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR), told city planners they were satisfied with the conclusions in the department's initial study.

Before the SF Planning Department can reach a final decision on the project the EIR must be completed.

The project, if approved by the planning department, will go to the SF Planning Commission for a public hearing on a Conditional Use Permit application for numerous exemptions, including height, bulk and off-street parking requirements.

If approved by the commission, construction could begin in 2005 and is expected to take 18 months to complete.