SF Land Use Committee Meeting Summary - January 22, 2024
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Land Use and Transportation Committee Meeting Summary - January 22, 2024
The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors held a regular meeting on January 22, 2024. The committee was chaired by Supervisor Mirna Melgar and included Board President Aaron Peskin and Vice Chair Dean Preston. The agenda included items on a street encroachment permit, code corrections, state-mandated ADU regulations, housing production streamlining, fire code amendments, and a hearing on the West Side emergency firefighting water system (EFWS).
Discussion Items
12th Street Plaza Encroachment Permit (Item 1) The committee considered a resolution granting a revocable permit to Otis Property Owner LLC for the 12th Street Plaza at 90 12th Street. Madison Tamp from Supervisor Dorsey's office presented, describing the plaza as part of the "30 Otis" / "Course Apartments" project, which includes over 400 residential units. The plaza is intended to fulfill an in-kind agreement obligation for infrastructure fees and will provide public space in 'the Hub' neighborhood. No public comment was offered.
Planning and Administrative Code Corrections (Item 2) Aaron Starr from the Planning Department requested a continuance to draft amendments. The ordinance aims to fix typographical errors, outdated cross-references, and other non-substantive errors in the code. President Peskin raised a question about the interaction of the sign amendments with pending legislation on Articles 10 and 11 districts. No public comment was offered.
State-Mandated Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Controls (Item 3) Planning Department staff (Veronica Flores and Natalia Fassi) presented a comprehensive set of amendments to align local ADU regulations with state law (AB 221 and SB 897). This legislation is needed for the city to receive a pro-housing designation from HCD. President Peskin proposed several additional amendments, including aligning with the newest state laws, restoring tenant notification requirements that were removed in response to an HCD letter, expanding historic resource protections, and altering the hybrid ADU program to encourage the local discretionary path. Staff requested a two-week continuance to draft these amendments. In public comment, Ryan Patterson from Yes In My Backyard expressed concern that the proposed reduction in ADU square footage violates state law SB 330.
Housing Production Streamlining (Item 4) The committee considered an ordinance to exempt certain housing projects from Section 311 notice and review procedures outside of Priority Equity Geographies (PEGs) and to remove conditional use requirements for large lot housing developments outside the PEG special use district. President Peskin requested a clear definition of "planning entitlements" before proceeding. Chair Melgar noted the need for more time to coordinate with Chinatown stakeholders on the application of 311 noticing. Avi from the Chinatown Community Development Center spoke in public comment, requesting more due diligence to ensure the protections are properly applied and truly protect communities.
Fire Code Amendments (Item 5) Supervisor Chan, joined by Fire Marshal Ken Coughlin, presented an ordinance requiring building owners to file proof of 5-year sprinkler and annual alarm inspections with the Fire Department, mandating a cost-recovery fee, and requiring a minimum five feet of access from the public right-of-way to residential structures on newly subdivided lots. The Fire Marshal provided visuals demonstrating the difficulty of accessing rear units with current four-foot allowances allowed by state law, arguing the additional foot is critical for emergency equipment. Supervisor Chan urged the committee to move the item forward, citing the two months since introduction and the ability to amend it later. Jake Price from the Housing Action Coalition requested a continuance, stating the measure could kill numerous lot split projects.
Emergency Firefighting Water System (EFWS) Hearing (Item 6) The committee held a hearing on the funding and design of the EFWS for the West Side. Katie Miller (SFPUC) detailed the significant cost increase for the system (from $15M to $42M per mile) and proposed a $145M increase in water bond funding to make the project shovel-ready. Brian Strong (ORCP) discussed financing strategies and strongly advocated for mandating automatic gas shut-off valves as a rapid and cost-effective fire prevention measure. Deputy Chief Darius Luttropp (SFFD) highlighted investments in hose tenders and a planned demonstration to improve immediate firefighting capabilities on the West Side. Supervisor Chan and Chair Melgar stressed the need for robust infrastructure coordination to match the city's aggressive housing production targets. During public comment, Eileen Bogan raised concerns about the legal basis for using ESER funds for a potable-water EFWS, the lack of a fully executed MOU for the system transfer, and alternative funding strategies.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1 (12th Street Plaza): Passed and sent to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation (3-0).
- Item 2 (Code Corrections): Continued to the January 29, 2024 meeting (3-0) to allow for drafting of amendments.
- Item 3 (ADU Controls): Continued to the February 5, 2024 meeting (3-0) to allow for drafting of extensive amendments.
- Item 4 (Housing Production): Continued to the call of the chair (3-0) to allow for further stakeholder negotiation and definition drafting.
- Item 5 (Fire Code): Passed and sent to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation (3-0).
- Item 6 (EFWS Hearing): Continued to the call of the chair (2-0, with President Peskin noted as absent).
Meeting Transcript
Okay, good afternoon, everyone. This meeting will come to order. Welcome to the January 22nd, 2024 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 Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, and Vice Chair Dean Preston. The committee clerk today is John Carroll. I would also like to acknowledge the folks at SFGov TV, Miss Susanna Enos, for staffing us at this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. Please ensure that you silence your cell phones and other electronic devices you've brought with you into the chamber today. If you have any documents to include as part of the file, you should submit them to me during the meeting. Public comment will be taken on each item on today's agenda. When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, please line up to speak along the right-hand side of the room. I'm pointing it out right now with my left hand. Alternatively, you may submit public comment and writing in either of the following ways. You may submit your public comment via email to my email address, which is J-O-H-N, period C-A-R-R-O-L-L at SFGO V dot or G. Or you may send your written comments via U.S. Postal Service to our office in City Hall. City Hall's address is one Dr. Carlton B. Goodlit Place and the clerk's office is room 244. That's in San Francisco, California, 94102. If you submit your public comment in writing, I will forward your comment to the supervisors and I will also include your comments within the file upon which you are commenting. And finally, Madam Chair, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda of January 30th, 2024, unless otherwise stated. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Please call item number one. Agenda item number one is a resolution granting revocable permission to Otis property owner LLC to occupy and maintain the 12th Street Plaza on 12th Street at the corner of South Vaness, fronting 90 12th Street. Approving a non-exclusive public sidewalk easement for pedestrian access, passage, ingress, and egress of public sidewalk purposes, and adopting environmental findings under CEQA as well as making findings of consistency with a general plan and the eight priority priority policies of planning code section 101.1. Thank you. Mr. Clerk, we have Madison Tamp here from Supervisor Dorsey's office to present on this item. Thank you, Chair Melgar. Thank you, Chair Melgar, and good afternoon, members of the land use committee. Uh SFGov TV, can you show the slides? Great. So later in the stack, I will share more about the resolution and actions, but for some context, this plaza will be constructed at 90 12th Street as part of the 30 Otis project, also known as the Course Apartments, a very exciting and recently completed project consisting of over 400 residential units, over 2,000 square foot of ground floor retail space, and nearly 16,000 square feet of arts activities space. For some context, on this plaza, it lies in the hub, a relatively new neighborhood at the convergence of several other neighborhoods, including our district supervisor Preston. This plaza is intended to be a centerpiece of this emerging neighborhood. In addition to providing much needed high-quality public space, this plaza furthers the hub's the hub plan's goal of creating a more walkable neighborhood. As you are probably aware, this is a very busy intersection with important transit connections. So there has been coordination between the project team and MTA to ensure proper traffic flow, and the plaza is expected to be completed this year. This plaza is the result of an in-kind agreement obligation between the city and the developer in lieu of the market and Octavia Community Infrastructure and Vanessa and Market Infrastructure fees. The resolution before you today fulfills this obligation by allowing DPW to enter into an encroachment and maintenance agreement with the permittee for installation and maintenance of these public improvements. The owner is obligated to monitor and maintain the plaza and maintain liability insurance. And when you heard this item at the last December meeting, you amended the resolution to add a final approval of a sidewalk easement conditionally approved in 2021, and that necessitated a continuance. There are no further amendments, so at the conclusion of this presentation and public comment, the supervisor asks that you move this item to the full board with a positive recommendation. Here's some quick information about uh the architect who designed the space, Frida Escobedo. She has a very impressive resume and very impressive design, so we'd love to applaud her work. Thank you.
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