Land Use and Transportation Committee Meeting - April 13, 2026: One Oak Height, EV Charging, SB 79
Land Use and Transportation Committee Meeting - April 13, 2026
The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met on April 13, 2026, chaired by Supervisor Mirna Melgar, with Vice Chair Cheyenne Chen and Supervisor Bilal Mahmud. The committee considered three agenda items: a zoning amendment for the One Oak Street project, a curbside electric vehicle charging program, and an ordinance implementing state Senate Bill 79 (transit-oriented development). The meeting included public comment and votes on each item.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 1 (One Oak): Multiple union representatives (Building Trades, Carpenters, Painters, Teamsters, Iron Workers, Plumbers, Electrical) spoke in strong support, emphasizing job creation, union labor, and the need to move forward with a project that has been in the pipeline for years. One resident spoke in favor, citing good transit access. Speaker Rudy Gonzalez highlighted the symbolic importance for mid-market revitalization.
- Item 2 (EV Charging): Mark Gleason (Teamsters) spoke in support of the program and the amendment to discourage commercial fleet charging.
- Item 3 (SB 79): Two speakers: Zach Weisenberger (Young Community Developers) supported the ordinance, arguing it protects industrial employment hubs and prevents inequitable development patterns. A second speaker (representing a neighborhood association) opposed the permanent exemptions for SOMA, calling them "preservation of blight" and urging removal of Section 3 to allow mixed-income housing near transit.
Discussion Items
- Item 1: One Oak Street Height Amendment – Madison Tam (Supervisor Dorsey's office) presented the project: 541 units, podium height increase from 120 to 140 feet, no change to the 400-foot tower. The planning commission recommended approval 5-1. Supervisor Melgar noted the loss of a beloved donut shop and urged relocation assistance. She expressed support for the project. The committee voted unanimously to send the ordinance to the full board with a positive recommendation.
- Item 2: Curbside EV Charging Program – Kate Torrin and Broderick Paulo (SFMTA) presented the proposed permanent program, building on a pilot. The program would allow SFMTA to issue permits for curbside chargers, waiving DPW encroachment permits. Two amendments were proposed: one from SFMTA (administrative penalties for violations) and one from President Mandelman's office (urge SFMTA to discourage commercial fleet charging). The committee voted to accept both amendments and continue the item to April 20, 2026.
- Item 3: SB 79 Transit-Oriented Development Ordinance – Sarah Richardson and Josh Switzky (Planning) presented the ordinance to adopt an alternative plan, permanently exclude industrial employment hubs, and temporarily exempt low-resource census tracts. The planning commission recommended approval with a typographical fix. Supervisor Melgar noted the prior discussion during the family zoning plan. Supervisor Mahmud raised questions about minimum compliance and industrial hub exemptions. Supervisor Chen expressed support. The committee voted to amend the ordinance (fix clerical error, update parcel tables), duplicate the file, and continue the original file to April 20, 2026, and the duplicated file to the call of the chair.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1: Motion to send to full board with positive recommendation (3-0).
- Item 2: Motion to amend (both amendments) and continue to April 20, 2026 (3-0).
- Item 3: Multiple motions:
- Amend to fix clerical error and parcel tables (3-0).
- Duplicate the file and amend duplicate to include a finding referencing HCD consultation (3-0).
- Continue duplicated file as amended to call of the chair (3-0).
- Continue original file as amended to April 20, 2026 (3-0).
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone. Uh this meeting will come to order. Uh uh welcome to the April 13th, 2026 regular meeting of the Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. I am Supervisor Mirna Melgar, Chair of this committee, uh, and I'm joined by Vice Chair, uh Supervisor Cheyenne Chen and Supervisor Bilal Mahmud. The committee clerk today is uh John Carroll, and I also would like to thank Jeanette Engelau from uh SFGup TV for staffing us during this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? Yes, thank you. 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 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 public comment in 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 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 on today's agenda are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors Agenda of April 21st, 2026, unless otherwise stated Thank you so much. Uh Mr. Clerk, please call item number one. Agenda item number one is an ordinance amending the zoning map of the planning code to change the height and bulk districts for the one oak street project to increase the allowed height for the proteum of the building from the current base height of 120 feet to 140 feet, affirming the planning department's secret determination and making findings of public necessity convenience and welfare under planning code section 302 and findings of consistency with the general plan and the eight priority policies of Planning Code Section 101.1 Thank you so much. Uh we will hear from Madison Tam from Supervisor Dorsey's office who will present on this item, followed by Joseph Sachi and Veronica Flores from our planning department. Welcome, Ms. Tam. Thank you, Chair. Uh good afternoon, Chair Chair Melgar, Vice Chair Chen, Supervisor Mahmood, Madison Tam here representing Supervisor Dorsey. Thank you for hearing this item today. Uh SFGov TV, can I get slides up? I first will walk you through the project, and then I will talk about the need for the legislative action before you today. One oak is one of the most important sites in the market in Octavia area plan, and it's a significant share of the many units long promised to this neighborhood. This amendment is a small but meaningful change that will bring even more units to this site and activate this vital corner. The project will bring additional housing into a neighborhood that is well served by transit on the edge of downtown, and the project will not displace any existing housing. Here you can see how the project has changed from its previous 2022 design. The modified project will have additional units, bringing the total count to 541, with some modest increases in parking, bike parking, and the item requiring the legislative action today is the podium height increase. There will also be construction of a new public plaza. This modified project maintains the same building envelope as previous versions, and the 400-foot tower height remains consistent. As I stated, the increased podium height from 120 to 140 is what necessitates the legislative action. This amendment will bring the podium height of the project in alignment with its neighbor at 30 Van S. This project and its corresponding legislative amendment have received broad community support, including from the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association and many partners in labor. The supervisor would like to thank planning staff for their diligent work on this project and the legislative item. Planning staff and the one oaked project team are here if you have questions best directed at them. Thank you, Chair. That concludes my presentation. Thank you, Ms. Tampa. Good afternoon, Supervisors. Joseph Sackey, Planning Department staff.
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