San Francisco Land Use and Transportation Committee Regular Meeting - April 28, 2025
San Francisco Land Use and Transportation Committee Regular Meeting - April 28, 2025
The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met on April 28, 2025, chaired by Supervisor Mirna Melgar, with Vice Chair Jayan Chen and Supervisor Bilalma Mahmood. The committee considered five agenda items: amendments to the Mission Rock Housing Plan, establishment of the Alexandria Theater Special Use District, condominium conversion of accessory dwelling units, and landmark designations for two early residential historic districts in the Mission Dolores neighborhood. Public comment was heard on each item, including repeated calls for attention to the former Safeway site in the Fillmore.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 1 (Mission Rock): A speaker expressed general approval of the item but used the opportunity to lobby for community engagement on the Fillmore Safeway redevelopment.
- Item 2 (Alexandria Theater): The same speaker reiterated lobbying for the Fillmore Safeway site, demanding more community involvement.
- Item 3 (ADU Condominium Conversion): Ivy Vogen (Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods) urged the committee to accept amendments proposed by the Anti-Displacement Coalition and continue the item to June 2, 2025, noting the controversial nature of state enabling legislation AB 1033. Mitchell Omerberg (Affordable Housing Alliance and Anti-Displacement Coalition) expressed hope that continued collaboration could lead to legislation not opposed by tenant groups. The recurring speaker again raised the Fillmore Safeway issue.
- Items 4 & 5 (Historic Districts): Peter Lewis, founder and past president of the Mission Dolores Neighborhood Association (MDNA), thanked the committee and described 20 years of work to protect historic resources, emphasizing that the association is not opposed to new housing. The new president of MDNA also voiced support, noting 300,000 annual visitors to Mission Dolores.
Discussion Items
- Item 1 (250264): Mission Rock Housing Plan Amendments – Wyatt Donnelly Landold (Port Commission) presented amendments to reduce the minimum percentage of inclusionary affordable housing per phase from 30% to 20% (actual phase one percentage ~24.8%). The change responds to weak demand for 150% AMI units; at Parcel F (Verde), 77% of 90% AMI units were leased, while only 39% of 150% units were leased. The proposal increases 90% AMI units at Parcel A from 10 to 19, maintains 54 at 120% AMI, and eliminates 150% AMI units. No tenants are displaced; they will receive lower rents. Supervisor Melgar clarified that the developer’s overall 40% affordability obligation remains unchanged, and the change is revenue-neutral. Supervisor Chen noted that 150% AMI units have historically struggled to lease.
- Item 2 (241198): Alexandria Theater Special Use District – Robin Burke (Supervisor Chan’s office) presented legislation to create a Special Use District at the northwest corner of Geary and 18th Avenue, allowing up to eight stories with 75 two- to three-bedroom units, including 12% on-site affordable housing. The project requires preservation of historic elements (facade, blade sign, marquee, sunburst chandelier, murals). A non-substantive amendment was added to require two public hearings (Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Commission) for any density bonus application. The project team (architects, attorney, property owner) expressed commitment to submit a project application quickly. Supervisor Chen expressed regret that the city could not acquire the site for 100% affordable housing but deferred to the district supervisor.
- Item 3 (241069): Condominium Conversion of Accessory Dwelling Units – Supervisor Myrna Sugario, the sponsor, reported that the legislation had been amended to incorporate planning department recommendations and that stakeholder discussions were ongoing. The committee continued the item to the call of the chair to allow further negotiations on tenant protections.
- Items 4 & 5 (250297, 250298): Landmark Designations – Chula-Abbey and Alert Alley Early Residential Historic Districts – Supervisor Rafael Mandelman (Board President) introduced the resolutions to initiate the landmark process for two districts in the Mission Dolores neighborhood, comprising 53 contributing properties. The districts reflect pre-1906 and post-earthquake development eras. Rich Sucre (Deputy Director, San Francisco Planning) noted extensive community outreach, including forums in June and December 2024 and a virtual forum in January 2025. The process will continue with Historic Preservation Commission and Planning Commission reviews before returning to the Board of Supervisors.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1: Motion to recommend the resolution as a committee report to the full Board of Supervisors for April 29, 2025, passed unanimously (3-0).
- Item 2: Motion to adopt the non-substantive amendment and recommend the ordinance as amended to the Board of Supervisors passed unanimously (3-0). (Note: The item was not on the committee report agenda, so it will not go to the board on April 29.)
- Item 3: Motion to continue the ordinance to the call of the chair passed unanimously (3-0).
- Items 4 & 5: Motion to recommend both resolutions to the Board of Supervisors with positive recommendation passed unanimously (3-0).
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone. This meeting will come to order. Welcome to the April 28th, 2025 regular meeting of the land use and transportation committee of the Board of Supervisors of San Francisco. I am Sam uh Supervisor Mirna Melgar, chair of the committee, joined by Vice Chair Jayan Chen and Supervisor Bilalma Mood. The committee clerk today is Mr. John Carroll. And I would also like to acknowledge Suze Enos from SFGov TV for staffing this meeting and helping us broadcast it to people's homes. 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 be included 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 comments is called, please line up to speak along your right hand side of this room. Alternatively, you may submit public comment and writing in either of the following ways. First, you may email your comments to me at J O H N period C A R R O L L at SFGO V dot O R G. Or you may send your written comment to a U.S. Postal Service to our office in City Hall. The address is one Dr. Carlton Be Goodlet Place, room 244, San Francisco, California 94102. If you submit public comment in writing, I will forward your comments to the members of this committee and also include your comments as part of the official file on which you are commenting. Items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors' agenda of May 6th, 2025, unless otherwise stated. Thank you. Mr. Clerk, please call item number one. Agenda item number one is a resolution approving an amendment of the Mission Rock Housing Plan to reduce the minimum percentage of inclusionary affordable housing units per phase of the Mission Rock project at seawall lot 337, mounted by China Basin Channel, Third Street, Mission Rock Street, and the Bay. This item is on our agenda as a potential committee report, and it may be sent for consideration by the Board of Supervisors on the committee report agenda tomorrow, April 29th, 2025. Thank you so much, Mr. Clerk. Colleagues, you will remember that this item was continued previously. We allowed the rest of the package to move forward to the full board and wanted to have a little more stakeholder uh discussion and understanding of the implications of this when as it touches affordable housing policy. So we have uh Wyatt Donnelly Landold from the Port Commission here to present uh what has happened since we continued this. Thank you, Chair Melgar. Um Vice Chair Chen, Supervisor Mahmood, uh Wyatt Donnelly Landle. I'm one of the project managers on the development team at the port, working on Mission Rock. Um this is about housing plan amendment, which affects phase one. It's to facilitate some changes in the canyon, which was the first residential building built, and I'll explain those changes later in the presentation. That additional engagement, community engagement has occurred, and uh we believe we have agreement and are ready to move forward today and appreciate the entertainment of this item as a committee report. Thank you so much. Um let's go to public comment. Oh, I'm sorry. I can I can present if you'd like. Oh, yes, please go ahead. I thought you were dying. No, no, no. Stop talking. So, sorry, I was just going to the next slide. Apologies. Um I will be quick. Uh too long a pause there.
openpublica.com