San Francisco Land Use & Transportation Committee Meeting: April 3, 2023
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San Francisco Land Use and Transportation Committee Meeting - April 3, 2023
The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met on April 3, 2023, at 1:45 PM (UTC) under Chair Mirna Melgar, Vice Chair Dean Preston, and Board President Aaron Peskin. The committee considered seven items, including tenant protections, street naming, shared spaces, drug disposal, security gates, commercial-to-residential conversion, and the Castro Theatre landmark designation. Extensive public comment was heard on multiple items.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 1 (COVID Tenant Protections): A speaker expressed full support for extending protections, noting that COVID is not over and many tenants remain at risk.
- Item 3 (Safe Drug Disposal): A speaker raised concerns about using police stations for drug drop-offs and suggested recycling unused medicines instead of incineration.
- Item 4 (Gates & Railings): Multiple small business owners and cannabis retailers spoke in support of allowing solid roll-down gates, citing repeated break-ins and security needs. Some emphasized requiring artwork on gates.
- Item 5 (Commercial-to-Residential Conversion): Extensive public comment included calls for a comprehensive downtown vision, affordable housing, inclusion of artists and ground-floor uses, and frustration with slow pipeline projects.
- Item 6 (Castro Theatre): Over 50 public commenters spoke. Supporters of the landmark amendment argued that fixed theatrical seating (movie palace style) is a character-defining feature and must be preserved. Opponents (including many business owners and residents) supported flexible seating to allow diverse programming and argued the theater is in decline without renovation. Former Supervisor Tom Ammiano urged decisive action.
Discussion Items
- Item 1 – COVID-19 Tenant Protections (File 230311): Supervisor Preston moved to amend the ordinance to include city-regulated housing units (e.g., MOHCD and HSH portfolios) that were inadvertently omitted. The amendments were substantive, requiring a continuance. The committee voted unanimously to amend and continue to April 17, 2023.
- Item 7 – Emperor Norton Commemorative Street Naming (File 230230): Supervisor Peskin presented the resolution to add “Emperor Norton Place” to the 600 block of Commercial Street. The emperor impersonator, Joseph Amster, spoke in support. Public comment was unanimously in favor. The committee voted 3-0 to send to the full board with a positive recommendation.
- Item 2 – Shared Spaces Program Extension (File 230124): The committee voted unanimously to send the ordinance (extending the grace period for pandemic shared spaces permits by 120 days) to the full board without further discussion.
- Item 3 – Safe Drug Disposal (File 230156): Staff from the Department of the Environment presented technical changes to require disposal at permitted facilities and annual reporting. Supervisor Preston raised equity concerns about drop-off locations in low-income areas. The committee voted 3-0 to approve and forward to the full board.
- Item 4 – Gates, Railings, and Grillwork Exceptions (File 220971): Supervisor Safai introduced amendments to reduce transparency requirements from 75% to 20%, exempt cannabis retail uses, and legalize existing non-compliant gates. The Planning Department noted the Planning Commission’s recommendations. The committee voted 3-0 to adopt the amendments and continue to April 17, 2023.
- Item 5 – Repurposing Commercial Real Estate for Residential Use (File 230147): A hearing was held with presentations from the Budget and Legislative Analyst, SPUR, Gensler, ULI, and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. Discussions focused on vacancy rates (24.1% downtown, 20.7 million sq ft vacant), conversion feasibility (Class B/C buildings could yield up to 4,200 units), regulatory barriers, and needed financial incentives (e.g., property tax abatements). Supervisor Preston questioned the lack of affordable housing analysis. The committee voted to continue the hearing to the call of the chair.
- Item 6 – Landmark Designation Amendment for Castro Theatre (File 230192): Supervisor Mandelman recommended updating the landmark designation to include interior features. The Historic Preservation Commission’s fact sheet identifies two periods of significance (1922–1937 and 1976–2004). Public comment strongly urged replacing “presence of seating” with “fixed theatrical seating configured in movie palace style” to protect the orchestra seating. Supervisor Preston indicated support for that amendment. Supervisor Peskin urged Another Planet Entertainment (APE) to negotiate with the community. The committee voted 3-0 to continue to April 17, 2023, to allow the city attorney to draft the amendment and for further talks.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1: Amended and continued to April 17, 2023 (3-0).
- Item 7: Approved and forwarded to full board (3-0).
- Item 2: Approved and forwarded to full board (3-0).
- Item 3: Approved and forwarded to full board (3-0).
- Item 4: Amended and continued to April 17, 2023 (3-0).
- Item 5: Continued to the call of the chair (3-0).
- Item 6: Continued to April 17, 2023 (3-0); city attorney to draft amendment regarding fixed theatrical seating.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone. This meeting will come to order. Welcome to the April 3rd, 2023 regular meeting of the Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. I am supervisor Mirna Melgar, chair of the committee, joined by Vice Chair Supervisor Dean Preston and Board President Aaron Peskin. The committee clerk today is Erica Major, and I would like to acknowledge Jaime Echeverie and Kalina Mendoza at SFCup TV for staffing this meeting. Madam Clerk, do you have any announcements? Yes, the Board of Supervisors and its committees are now convening hybrid meetings that allow in-person attendance and public comment while still providing remote access and public comment via telephone. The board recognizes that equitable public access is essential and will be taking public comment as follows. Public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda. Those attending in person will be allowed to speak first, and then we will move to our remote call in line. For those watching either Channel 26, 28, 78, 99, and SFGov TV, you can see the public call in number streaming across the screen. The number to call in is 415 65501. Again, that number is 415 65501. And you enter the meeting ID to 497 282 9041, then pound and pound again. When connected, you will hear the meeting discussions, but you will be muted and in listening mode only. When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, those joining us in person should line up to their right. And those on the telephone line should press star three to be added to the queue. If you're on your telephone, please remember to turn down your television and all listening devices. As already indicated, we will be taking public comment from those attending in person first, and then we will uh go to our public call-in line. You may also send uh written comments to myself. My email address is ERICA dot MAJOR at SFGOV.org. And if you submit public comment via email, it will be forwarded to the supervisors and made part of the official file. You may also send your written comments via U.S. Postal Service at one Dr. Carlton B. Goodlit Place, room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102. Finally, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors' agenda of April 11th, unless otherwise stated. Madam Chair. Thank you very much, Madam Clerk. Uh just a couple of announcements. Uh as we expect item number six to have uh lots of public comment from the community. We're gonna take item number seven, uh, right after item number two, uh, especially since uh, you know, uh Emperor Norton is in the house. So we will get that uh done. Thank you. Please call item number one. Item number one is an ordinance amending the administrative code to extend by 60 days the restrictions on evicting or imposing late fees or residential tenants who could not pay rent that came due during COVID-19 emergency. Members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this item should call the number on the screen. Again, that's 415-65501. The meeting ID today is 2497-282-9041, then press pound and pound again. And if you have not and would like to speak, you just need to press star three. Madam Chair. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Uh Supervisor Preston, thank you so much for your leadership on this issue. I understand that we have some cleanup language uh on the duplicated file. So the floor is yours. Thank you, Chair Melgar. Um, and uh colleagues at the most uh recent um meeting of this committee we considered and voted to move forward um an ordinance to extend by 60 days the eviction protections currently in place during the COVID-19 uh citywide emergency declaration. Uh we were made uh made aware shortly before that meeting that as drafted uh the ordinance did not cover units where the rent is controlled or regulated uh by the city. So, in order to um to keep the original file on track, we elected to duplicate that file, pass the original the full board as a committee report, and retain the duplicate in committee to to address this uh drafting error. Um today I I'm uh gonna move amendments to align the legislation with our original intent, which is to extend protections uh for both private uh rent control housing stock as well as that which uh is regulated by the city, such as housing units in MOCD uh and or uh HSH's uh portfolio.
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