Published: No CEQA Exemption For Stadium Lights
- William Fulton
- Nov 20, 2022
- 2 min read
Apparently there are limits to exemptions under the California Environmental Quality Act – at least in San Francisco.
When St. Ignatius High School in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset District proposed erecting stadium lighting on 90-foot poles, the Board of Supervisors exempted the project from CEQA, based both on the Class 1 categorical exemption (existing facilities) and the Class 3 categorical exemption (minor structures).
Neighbors sued, claiming the lighting project didn’t qualify for the exemptions. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Rochelle East ruled in favor of the city – but in a ruling on November 18, the First District Court of Appeal reversed Judge East’s ruling. Though it was originally unpublished, the ruling was published by the First District on December 6, meaning it can be used as precedent.
Temporary lights already exist at St. Ignatius. The permanent lights would be mounted on four 90-foot light poles. In approving the project, the Board of Supervisors placed significant restrictions on the use of the lights, including requiring that they be turned off at 8:30 p.m. except for 15 nights a year, when they could stay on until 10 p.m.