Better Market Street - CEQA, NEPA, and Section 106

The Better Market Street project in downtown San Francisco includes transportation and streetscape improvements within a 2.2-mile-long section of Market Street. The project would result in a complete redesign of the corridor, and cultural resources became a key issue in the environmental review process for the project. Gretchen Hilyard Boyce of Groundwork Planning & Preservation worked for nearly a decade on the project, first as a preservation planner for the City of San Francisco and then as a consultant. Through consultation, documentation, and inventory, the cultural resources team identified more than 1,100 cultural resources, including archeological sites, buildings and monuments, historic districts, utility systems, designed landscapes, and transportation features. The project was found to have adverse effects on historic properties under CEQA, NEPA, and Section 106, and an incredibly rare “Use Finding” under Section 4f of the Department of Transportation Act.

Gretchen’s work on the project is a great example of her long-standing working relationship with a multi-agency project sponsor and her ability to lead that client through a complex environmental review process with local, state, and federal reviewing agencies. Project deliverable received high accolades for their thoroughness, clarity, and technical accuracy, and Gretchen’s long-term leadership and commitment to the project facilitated its success.

Image courtesy of Stephen Schafer Photography