San Francisco Land Use and Transportation Committee Regular Meeting - April 7, 2025
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San Francisco Land Use and Transportation Committee Regular Meeting - April 7, 2025
The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met on April 7, 2025, at 9:45 AM (afternoon in transcript). Chair Mirna Melgar, Vice Chair Cheyenne Chen, and Member Bilal Mahmood were present. Supervisor Matt Dorsey attended for items he sponsored. The committee considered several ordinances and resolutions related to land use, zoning, and public infrastructure, primarily in Districts 6 and 8. All agenda items were approved unanimously except for one that was continued.
Agenda Item 1: Planning Code – Production, Distribution, and Repair Districts (File 241196)
- Discussion: The ordinance seeks to expand criteria for self-storage uses in PDR-2 districts and extend the sunset date. The item was continued from the previous meeting due to substantive amendments. No public comment was offered.
- Key Outcome: The committee voted 3-0 to recommend approval to the full Board of Supervisors.
Agenda Item 2: 600 Townsend Street West Special Use District (File 250125)
- Discussion: Supervisor Dorsey presented the ordinance to create a Special Use District at 600 Townsend Street to legalize long-standing office uses. The building is 94% occupied. The Planning Commission recommended approval 6-0. The ordinance waives or reduces certain requirements (bicycle parking, open space, etc.) and sets a fee structure consistent with the Eastern Neighborhoods program. A waiver from Class 2 bicycle parking was discussed; an amendment provided additional Class 1 spaces. Cecily Barclay, attorney for the property owner, expressed gratitude and support for the speedy process.
- Key Outcome: The committee voted 3-0 to send the ordinance as a committee report to the full Board for consideration on April 8, 2025.
Agenda Item 8: Official Naming of Streets – Transbay Redevelopment Plan (File 250295)
- Discussion: Supervisor Dorsey introduced a resolution to reserve street names East Clementina and East Tahama for new street extensions in the Transbay area. Cathal Hennessey from Public Works presented the need for addresses for planned child care and retail. The names add a cardinal direction to existing street names. Supervisor Mahmood humorously suggested more creative naming in the future. No public comment.
- Key Outcome: The committee voted 3-0 to recommend the resolution to the full Board.
Agenda Items 3-6: Mission Rock Phase 1A Infrastructure and Permits (Files 250186, 250187, 250188, 250285)
- Discussion: These four items were considered together. Shauna Gates from Public Works presented:
- Item 3: Accept public infrastructure (streets, sidewalks) and amend Public Works Code for excavation permits in the Mission Rock Special Use District.
- Item 4: Designate the Port of San Francisco as responsible for permitting minor sidewalk encroachments (tables, seating) in Mission Rock, Pier 70, and Potrero Power Station projects.
- Item 5: Grant a master encroachment permit to Mission Rock Utilities Inc. for district utility systems (non-potable water, sewer, heating/cooling, fiber optic).
- Item 6: Two encroachment permits: an interdepartmental master permit for the Port for non-standard improvements (public art, street furnishings), and a major encroachment permit for monitoring equipment for lightweight cellular concrete (LCC) fill used to mitigate settlement and raise the site five feet for sea level rise. The LCC monitors measure ground movement and groundwater.
- Key Outcome: No public comment. Committee voted 3-0 to recommend all four items to the full Board.
Agenda Item 7: Housing Plan Amendments – Mission Rock Project (File 250264)
- Discussion: Chair Melgar requested continuation to allow further community conversations. The proposed amendment would reduce the per-phase inclusionary housing requirement from 30% to 20% for Phase 1 (but keep overall project requirement at 40%, per voter-approved ballot measure). The change would eliminate 150% Area Median Income (AMI) units and add 90% AMI units, described as deepening affordability. Supervisor Chen asked clarifying questions about impacts. Cynthia Gomez, a resident, requested more time for public engagement, noting the original ballot measure had extensive community input and this change had not received comparable attention. She supported the continuation.
- Key Outcome: The committee voted 3-0 to continue the item to the call of the chair.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned after completing all business.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone. This meeting will come to order. Welcome to the April 7th, 2025 regular meeting of the Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. I'm Supervisor Mirna Melgar, uh joined by Vice Chair, Supervisor Cheyenne Chen, and Supervisor Bilal Mahmood. The committee clerk today is John Carroll, and I would also like to thank Jeanette Engelau from AzevGov TV for supporting us in broadcasting this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. Please ensure that you've silenced your cell phones and other electronic devices you've brought with you into the chamber today. If you have any documents to include as any as part of any of today's files, you can submit them to me. 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 your right hand side of this room. Alternatively, you may submit your written public comment in either of the following ways. First, you may send your written public comment to me at J-O-H-N period C A R R O L L at SFGOV.org. Or you may send your written public comments by U.S. Postal Service to our office in City Hall. The address is one Dr. Carlton B. Goodlit Place, room 244, San Francisco, California 94102. If you submit public comment in writing, I will forward your comment to the members of the land use and transportation committee and also include your comments as part of the official file on which you are commenting. Items on today's agenda are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda of April 15th, 2025, unless otherwise stated. Okay. Thank you so much. Agenda item number one is an ordinance amending the planning code to expand criteria for certain self-storage units uh uses in the PDR 2 zoning district and extending the sunset date for such uses. It affirms the planning department's secret determination and makes findings of consistent consistency with the general plan and the eight priority policies of planning code section one and one point one and planning code section three zero two. Thank you so much. Uh colleagues, you will remember that we continued this from our last meeting because there were substantive amendments. So let's go to public comment unless anybody has any questions or concerns. Which doesn't look like we do. Thank you, Madam Chair. Land use and transportation will now hear public comment for agenda item number one. If you have comments for this item, please come forward to the lecture at this time. And Madam Chair, it appears we have no speakers. Okay, it sounds like uh there is our nonsense of public comment on this item is now closed. Um I would like to make a motion that we uh pass this out of committee with a positive recommendation to the full board. On the motion offered by the chair that the ordinance be recommended to the board of supervisors, Vice Chair Chen. Chen I, Member Mockwood. Chair Melgar. Aye. Melgar, aye. Madam Chair, there are three ayes. Thank you. That motion passes. Let's go to item number two, please, Mr. Clerk. Agenda item number two is an ordinance amending the planning code and zoning map to establish the 600 Townsend Street West Special Use District, encompassing the real property consisting of assessors parcel block number 3783, lot number 008, to allow the legalization of the long-standing office uses at the site by principally permitting office uses on all floors and waiving or reducing the bicycle parking, open space, streetscape, transportation demand management, and impact fee requirements. The ordinance affirms the planning department secret determination and makes findings of consistency with the general plan and planning code section 302. And Madam Chair, I am in receipt of a memo from your desk requesting this matter be agendized as a committee report for potential consideration by the Board of Supervisors tomorrow, April 8th, 2025. Thank you so much, Mr. Clerk.
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