State court OKs Muni streetcar loop on SF central waterfront

People mill about while waiting for the Muni train at the West Portal train station Sept. 14, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif. People mill about while waiting for the Muni train at the West Portal train station Sept. 14, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif. Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close State court OKs Muni streetcar loop on SF central waterfront 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A state appeals court has given the go-ahead to a long-planned Muni streetcar loop in San Francisco’s central waterfront area, over the objections of a neighborhood group that wants the line rerouted.

The turnaround on the T-Third Street line in the city’s Dogpatch neighborhood would run along 18th, 19th and Illinois streets just south of Mission Bay and provide a link to the planned Central Subway, due to open in 2019.

City officials say the loop would make more light-rail service available for peak traffic periods and special events, including basketball games at the Warriors’ planned arena at Third and 16th streets.

In a ruling that was certified Friday as a precedent for future cases, the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco said the city had adequately analyzed the project in an environmental report in 1998, when it was first planned, and did not have to prepare a new study, as opponents contended.

The loop was part of a light-rail project that city transportation officials approved more than 15 years ago, but construction was first authorized in September 2014 after the city obtained a $10 million federal grant.

A lawsuit by a group of residents and business owners contended the 1998 study was obsolete because of an influx of apartments, condominiums and stores in the neighborhood. They said the loop would cause noise and traffic congestion and would be less disruptive if it were rerouted about six blocks south to an existing Muni yard.

After the appeals court blocked construction last year, Superior Court Judge Garrett Wong held a non-jury trial and ruled that no further environmental review was needed. The appeals court agreed.

The loop the city approved in 2014 “is the same loop that was described” in the 1998 study, Justice Carol Miller said in the 3-0 ruling. That study “addressed the environmental effects of which the (lawsuit) complains: noise and vibration, dust, air qualify, parking, and roadway capacity,” and found no significant impacts, Miller said.

She also noted that the Federal Transit Administration had conducted its own assessment in 2013, related to the $10 million federal grant, and found no harmful impact on air quality, safety, parking or existing land uses in the area.

The ruling was initially issued Nov. 29 and was approved by the court Friday as a precedent to be cited in future cases.

A lawyer for opponents of the project could not be reached for comment. They could ask the state Supreme Court to review and overturn the ruling.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko