San Francisco Land Use and Transportation Committee Summary - March 9, 2026
San Francisco Land Use and Transportation Committee Summary - March 9, 2026
The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met on March 9, 2026, chaired by Supervisor Miranda Melgar, with Vice Chair Cheyenne Chen and Member Bilal Mahmud. The committee considered three agenda items: a commemorative street naming, a firehouse landmark designation, and a Special Use District for a Holocaust Center.
Commemorative Street Naming: James Richards Way
- Sponsor Presentation: Supervisor Walton presented a resolution to add the commemorative street name "James Richards Way" on Oakdale Avenue between Third Street and Newell Street. He described Mr. Richards as a community trailblazer who co-founded Aboriginal Black Man United (ABU), fought for housing rights, and was instrumental in achieving local mandatory hiring goals. Supervisor Walton requested an amendment to correct the spelling from "James Richard" to "James Richards".
- Public Comment: Three speakers (Ashley Rhodes, Anthony Travis representing Local 261, and Joshua RSA with the Labors Union) spoke in strong support. They described Mr. Richards' legacy of providing job opportunities in the trades, his mentorship, and his community organizing model. The speakers characterized him as the "unproclaimed mayor" of Bayview Hunters Point and noted his national impact on local hiring policies.
- Committee Action: Chair Melgar and Vice Chair Chen added themselves as co-sponsors. The committee unanimously voted to adopt the amendment and to send the resolution as a committee report to the full Board of Supervisors.
Landmark Designation: Engine Company No. 33
- Sponsor Presentation: Supervisor Chen introduced a resolution to initiate landmark designation for the Engine Company No. 33 firehouse at 117 Broad Street. The firehouse was constructed in 1896 and was the last horse-drawn unit in the San Francisco Fire Department.
- Planning Department Report: Alex Westhoff presented the recommendation for approval as part of the Family Zoning Plan Landmark Program. He noted that District 11 has not yet had the benefit of extensive historic resource surveying, and that this property retains a high degree of architectural integrity, including features such as its denticulated cornice and alarm tower.
- Public Comment: No public comment was submitted.
- Committee Action: The committee unanimously voted to recommend the resolution to the full Board of Supervisors.
Special Use District: 2245 Post Street (Holocaust Center)
- Sponsor Presentation: Supervisor Mahmud presented legislation to establish a Special Use District (SUD) at 2245-2255 Post Street to facilitate a new facility for the Jewish Family and Children's Services (JFCS) Holocaust Center. He described the need for the facility to expand educational programming, noting rising antisemitism. Technical amendments to the CEQA findings were formally requested and reviewed by the Deputy City Attorney, who confirmed they were non-substantive.
- Planning Department Report: Audrey Merloni confirmed the Planning Commission's approval of the item on January 29, 2026, and support for the amendments.
- Holocaust Center Presentation: Morgan Schneider, Director of the Holocaust Center, stated the center currently reaches about 165,000 students, teachers, and community members throughout California, but only about 20% of programs can take place within its current walls. The new 34,000-square-foot facility would provide exhibition space, classrooms, a lecture hall, and archival resources.
- Public Comment: Gia Danler Katz, a consultant to JFCS and a second-generation Holocaust survivor, expressed strong support for the project and thanked the committee for their partnership.
- Committee Action: The committee unanimously voted to adopt the amendments and to forward the ordinance to the full Board with a positive recommendation.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1 (James Richards Way): Resolution amended and recommended to the full Board as a committee report. Unanimous vote (3-0).
- Item 2 (Engine Co. 33 Landmark): Resolution recommended to the full Board. Unanimous vote (3-0).
- Item 3 (2245 Post Street SUD): Ordinance amended and recommended to the full Board with a positive recommendation. Unanimous vote (3-0).
- Upcoming Dates: The committee noted that items acted upon are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda on March 17, 2026, unless otherwise stated.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone. This meeting will come to order. Welcome to the March 9th, 2026 regular meeting of the Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. I'm Supervisor Miranda Melgar, Chair of the Committee, joined by Vice Chair, Supervisor Cheyenne Chen and Supervisor Bilal Mahmud. The committee clerk today is Mr. John Carroll. I would also like to acknowledge Jeanette Egonlauf at SFGov TV for staffing us during this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. Please ensure to please ensure that you silence your cell phones and other electronic devices you may brought with you into the chamber. Documents to be included as part of any of today's files can be submitted directly 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 public comment in writing in either follow 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 SFGOV.org. Or you may send your written comments via 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 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 March 17th, 2026, unless otherwise stated. Thank you so much. Agenda item number one is a resolution adding the commemorative street name James Richards Way on Oakdale Avenue between Third Street and Newell Street. This item is on our agenda as a potential committee report. It may be sent to the Board of Supervisors for consideration tomorrow, March 10th, 2026. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Chair Melgar, and thank you to the committee. Colleagues, James Richards is a community trailblazer that is responsible for providing jobs for hundreds of District 10 residents and people across all of San Francisco for decades. He is also an electrician by trade and has provided opportunities for entry into the trades, not just for electricians, but for trades across the board. He fought early in life with the Big Five with the likes of Eloise Westbrook, OC Ola Washington, Julia Commer, Ethel Garlington, and Bertha Freeman for housing rights and accessibility for low-income and black people in the city. And this is how his organizing began. James Richards also co-founded Aboriginal Black Man United and is responsible for community building that has led to successes never before seen. He created a legacy of ensuring that residents in their own neighborhoods have the first opportunity to work on development projects and receive the jobs benefits available through these projects. He was a key instrument of achieving local mandatory hiring goals on projects funded by the city and county of San Francisco and legislation here in San Francisco, along with Supervisor Walton, all of labor and community at the time. In recognition of the very same location of the tragic shooting of his friend and community member outside of the Bayvie Opera House as well as the longtime headquarters of ABU for many years. This resolution commemoratively renames one block of Oakdale Avenue east of third to James Richards Way. And I just want to thank the committee for hearing this this morning. I also want to say that I hope that you can move this forward with the recommendation as a committee report. And there is a slight amendment that I will be requesting that on line one, page one, we change from we we add a S to Richard. And also on page one line three, we add a S to Richard because right now it reads James Richard way, and it should say James Richards way. But thank you so much. And I know that we will have some public comment on this item. Thank you so much. And uh amendment noted. Um I don't see anyone on the roster with questions or comments. Uh please add me as a co-sponsor, Mr. Clerk. Uh, and thank you so much, uh, Supervisor Walton.
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