Yosemite Slough Neighborhood Adaptation Plan
The City faces urgent seismic and flood risks. The Yosemite Slough neighborhood is one of the last gaps in San Francisco’s coastal adaptation plans for sea level rise. The Yosemite Slough Neighborhood Adaptation Plan (“the Plan”) aims to eliminate that disparity. The Plan will recommend strategies to protect the neighborhood – residents, local businesses, and community assets – from 3.5 to 7 feet of projected sea level rise by 2100. The Plan will supplement efforts along the City’s coast led by numerous partners, such as the Ocean Beach Climate Change Adaptation Project (SFPUC), the Waterfront Resilience Program (Port of San Francisco), and the Sea Level Rise Adaptation Strategy (California State Parks). The Plan is anticipated by the end of 2025 and is a critical path for the Yosemite Slough neighborhood to become eligible for federal adaptation funding.
What is the Yosemite Slough Neighborhood Adaptation Plan?
The Yosemite Slough Neighborhood Adaptation Plan (“the Plan”) aims to address the disparity in climate adaptation planning between Bayview Hunters Point and the rest of San Francisco’s urban waterfront. The Plan will advance environmental justice in Bayview Hunters Point through:
- Building upon existing community assets & capacity with robust public outreach and engagement;
- Developing adaptation strategies with the latest climate science, modeling, and technical analysis; and,
- Positioning Yosemite Slough for broad investment into local climate adaptation.
The Yosemite Slough Neighborhood Adaptation Plan is supported by the Adaptation Planning Grant Program at the Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI). The Adaptation Planning Grant Program is an initiative of LCI’s Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP). ICARP advances climate adaptation and resilience in California by coordinating investments, partnerships, and climate science to ensure people, natural systems, and the built environment are protected, prepared, and thrive in the face of climate change.
Why does this project matter?
The Yosemite Slough Neighborhood Adaptation Plan is an opportunity to accelerate:
- Racial Equity – The Plan aims to address environmental justice in the Bayview by increasing community capacity, adaptation planning, and funding related to sea level rise.
- Climate Resilience – The Plan aims to increase climate resilience in the Bayview through nature-based (and other) adaptation strategies to sea level rise and flooding, seismic, and other climate risks.
- Remediation & Restoration – The Plan aims to accelerate the remediation efforts and ecological restoration of the waterfront for renewed public access.
- Community Capacity – The Plan aims to engage youth and build neighborhood capacity in planning and designing for sea level rise in the Bayview.
- Replicability – The Plan aims to create a replicable approach for climate adaptation in industrial communities vulnerable to climate risks.
Without a Plan, climate adaptation measures would be deferred, exacerbating environmental injustice and diminishing funding opportunities for Yosemite Slough.
Who is the project team?
The project team is composed of:
- San Francisco Planning Department (Lead) – City’s lead for planning, design, and outreach
- San Francisco Estuary Institute – technical advisors on ecological restoration and nature-based strategies to climate change
- En2Action – Bayview-based partner for community outreach, engagement, and facilitation
- BAYCAT – Bayview-based partner for storytelling, media production, and youth workforce development
The project team is also supported by other City agencies as technical advisors, such as the Port of San Francisco, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco Public Works, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the Office of Resilience and Capital Planning, the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure, and more.
Where is the project area?
Below is a map of the project area for the Yosemite Slough Neighborhood Adaptation Plan:
Click on image to view detailed map.
The project timeline is subject to change.
Timeline Synopsis
- Outreach and Engagement: Winter 2024 through Summer 2025
- Technical Analysis: Winter 2024 through Winter 2025
- Plan Development: Fall 2024 through Fall 2025
| Winter 2024 | Spring 2024 | Summer 2024 | Fall 2024 | Winter 2025 | Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 | Fall 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outreach and Engagement | ||||||||
| Technical Analysis | ||||||||
| Plan Development | ||||||||
Other Efforts
- African American Arts & Cultural District, Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development
- Candlestick Point and Hunters Point Shipyard Phase 2, Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure
- Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, California Department of Parks and Recreation
- Yosemite Slough Restoration and Public Access Project, California State Parks Foundation
- Yosemite Creek Sediment Site, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Outreach Strategy Overview
The Yosemite Slough Neighborhood Adaptation Plan will identify and plan to address community needs related to sea level rise at Yosemite Slough and in Bayview Hunters Point. To achieve this, the Project Team will engage with community members and local businesses to promote the community’s participation in local planning and decision-making. SF Planning is partnering with En2Action and BAYCAT to conduct engagement activities. They are trusted Bayview-based organizations dedicated to lifting community voices, particularly those of youth and black, brown, and other vulnerable populations.
Community Ambassadors
The Community Ambassadors serve as community experts on environmental justice, climate adaptation, and the Bayview Hunters Point community. They meet quarterly to advise the Project Team on the Plan’s development and contribute in a variety of ways including:
- Providing feedback on the public outreach and engagement process, adaptation alternatives and strategies, and opportunities for community input and influence;
- Coordinating with community-led efforts and offering expertise on climate adaptation, environmental justice, racial and social equity, and public health concerns; and,
- Providing stakeholder introductions, reports, data, and other resources to the Project Team.
| Ambassador Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| Kurt Grimes | A. Philip Randolf Institute San Francisco (APRISF) |
| Gregg Castro | Association of Ramaytush Ohlone (ARO) |
| Jonathan Cordero | Association of Ramaytush Ohlone (ARO) |
| Karen Pierce | Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates |
| Neal Hatten | Bayview Senior Services |
| Haley Gonzales | California State Parks Foundation |
| Bradley Angel | Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice |
| Shirletha Holmes-Boxx | Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice |
| Erika Munoz | GRID Alternatives |
| Arieann Harrison | Marie Harrison Community Foundation, Inc. |
| Tonia Randell | Marie Harrison Community Foundation, Inc. |
| David Eisenberg | Micro-Tracers, Inc. |
| Zach Eisenberg | Micro-Tracers, Inc. |
| Miguel Galarza | Yerba Buena Engineering & Construction, Inc. |
More Soon
Youth Engagement – BAYCAT will engage youth through storytelling training and video development. Bayview youth will produce a multimedia video to document the history of environmental justice in Bayview Hunters Point, including recording personal stories and highlighting community assets and needs. The video will be used as a conversation tool to discuss the future of climate resilience around Yosemite Slough.
Focus Groups – En2action will host guided discussions with small groups of community members. The focus groups will dive deeper into lived experiences with Yosemite Slough and provide input on existing conditions and assets in the community. The focus groups will contribute to the Plan by ground truthing and refining the adaptation strategies.
Public Workshops – En2action will host in-person opportunities open to all community members who want to provide feedback on the Plan. At the workshops, people can learn about the project, ask questions, and weigh in on interim progress. The workshops will contribute to the Plan by offering a space for broad discussions and input to the adaptation strategies.
Public Events – The Project Team will coordinate with existing community-led initiatives, such as neighborhood group meetings and community events. Public events will be opportunities to provide project information, answer questions, and gather feedback.
Upcoming Events
None at this time.
Past Events
| Event Information | Materials |
|---|---|
| Community Ambassador Kick-off Meeting Date: July 23, 2024 | |
| Public Workshop #1 Wednesday, November 13, 2024 |
Staff Contacts
Danielle Ngo (Project Manager)
Senior Planner
danielle.ngo@sfgov.org
Jessica Look
Senior Planner
Jessica.Look@sfgov.org
Jeremy Shaw
Principal Planner
jeremy.shaw@sfgov.org
Project Team
- San Francisco Planning Department
- BAYCAT
- En2Action
- San Francisco Estuary Institute
Project Funding
The Yosemite Slough Adaptation Plan is supported by the Adaptation Planning Grant Program implemented by the Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation.