November 6, 2023
Board of Directors
OneShoreline
1700 S. El Camino Real, Suite 502
San Mateo, CA 94402
via email: board@OneShoreline.org
Re: Request for Extension for Submission of Written Comments to the NOP for the Millbrae and Burlingame Shoreline Area Protection and Enhancement Project EIR
Dear Chair Pine and Members of the Board,
Sierra Club requests an extension of the deadline for submitting written comments in response to the Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the Millbrae and Burlingame Shoreline Area Protection and Enhancement Project released October 10th. We had the opportunity to attend the EIR Public Scoping Meeting held on November 2, 2023, and would like to express our concerns regarding the adequacy and transparency of the public process so far.
This is an unusual and massive project and raises many issues. The scoping process is therefore particularly important because it allows agencies and the public to raise issues that may have been overlooked or that need further study. During the meeting, we endorsed comments by the speaker from the Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge that there have been serious shortcomings in the initial release of the NOP, particularly the lack of timely and adequate detailed information regarding such an unusual and complex project. The October 10th NOP contained only a paragraph and one image describing the whole project in the NOP.
We appreciated the Board’s support to release project reports mentioned on the project webpage to the public. The first group of those reports were released on October 25th and additional reports including the crucial Conceptual Alternatives Feasibility Analysis were posted on the morning of the Public Scoping Hearing held November 2nd, just 13 days before the comment deadline. These documents provide critical background and collectively comprise over 500 pages of project information important to those reviewing the project.
We would like to provide useful comments on this project. To do so we need sufficient time to review and understand this newly-available information. Therefore, we respectfully request that the deadline for the submission of written scoping comments be extended by an additional two weeks.
We look forward to your response and hope that you will carefully consider this request to ensure that the process is transparent, the scoping comment period is allowed to be productive and the public's voice is heard and taken into account during the EIR process.
Respectfully,
Susan DesJardin and Gita Dev
Sierra Club Loma Prieta - Bay Alive Campaign
CC
Makena Wong, OneShoreline, Project Manager
Arthur Feinstein, Chair, Sierra Club Bay Alive Campaign
James Eggers, Exec. Dir. Sierra Club Loma Prieta
Gladwyn D’Souza, Conservation Chair, Sierra Club Loma Prieta