Path Forward Partners provides environmental consulting in San Francisco for developers, property owners, attorneys, and lenders. From Maher Ordinance compliance and Phase I and II environmental site assessments to vapor intrusion mitigation and regulatory closure, we help projects move through San Francisco’s environmental review and permitting process.
San Francisco is an old city with a long industrial history, and much of its waterfront and South of Market area is built on fill. Sites in neighborhoods such as Dogpatch, Mission Bay, and Bayview-Hunters Point, along with former gas stations, auto shops, and industrial properties elsewhere in the city, often carry soil, groundwater, or soil vapor impacts. Redevelopment on many of these sites triggers the Maher Ordinance (San Francisco Health Code Article 22A), which requires site assessment and, where needed, mitigation under San Francisco Department of Public Health oversight. Dust control and asbestos requirements often apply at the same time.
We support San Francisco projects from the first site history review through closure:
We work with the San Francisco Department of Public Health (Maher program), the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Principal Greg Noblet has worked on some of the largest redevelopment and remedial projects in the Bay Area, including Mission Bay and Hunters Point.
Path Forward Partners was founded in 2018 and is led by licensed Professional Geologists and Professional Engineers who stay directly involved in projects. We are a Certified Small Business Enterprise and hold California contractor license #1060404. Our headquarters are at 1970 Broadway in downtown Oakland, and we work with developers, property owners, attorneys, lenders, and public agencies on San Francisco projects.
It depends on the site. The ordinance applies in areas the Department of Public Health considers to have known or suspected contamination, such as former industrial sites, filled bay, marsh, or creek areas, sites near elevated highways, and sites near underground storage tanks. Projects that disturb 50 cubic yards of soil or change to a sensitive use in a Maher area may be required to complete site assessment and mitigation. We can review your address and tell you where you stand.
A typical project starts with a site history report (a Phase I environmental site assessment), then a subsurface investigation work plan and report. If contamination is found, a site mitigation plan and closure documentation follow, all reviewed by the Department of Public Health.
As early as possible. Maher findings can affect foundation design, excavation and soil handling plans, and vapor mitigation, so they are best understood before design is final.
Please contact us to discuss your San Francisco project, or call 510-756-0740.
Also serving: Oakland, San Jose, Berkeley, Redwood City, Sacramento. See all the areas we serve on our Project Locations page.
