San Francisco Transportation Committee Meeting - May 11, 2026: RMRA Fund Projects and Downtown CBD Renewal
San Francisco Transportation Committee Meeting - May 11, 2026
The Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, chaired by Supervisor Mirna Melgar and joined by Vice Chair Supervisor Cheyenne Chen and Supervisor Malal Mahmood, met on May 11, 2026, to consider two agenda items. The first item was a resolution approving the list of projects to be funded by Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA) funds. The second item was a resolution of intention to renew and expand the Downtown Community Benefit District (CBD), managed by the Downtown SF Partnership. Both items were approved unanimously with amendments and forwarded to the full Board of Supervisors.
Discussion Items
Item 1: RMRA Fund Projects
- Ian Schneider, San Francisco Public Works Government Affairs, presented a resolution to certify a list of 150 street resurfacing blocks (corrected from 165 via clerical amendment) to be funded by RMRA funds from Senate Bill 1 (Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017). The projects are in the design phase and expected to be advertised for construction in 2026 or early 2027. Funding sources include general fund, certificates of participation, state local partnership program, Prop L, Prop AA, Highway Users Tax Account, and RMRA. Prioritization is based on pavement condition index, project readiness, funding availability, and alignment with Vision Zero and climate resiliency goals.
- No public comments were received.
- The committee adopted the clerical amendment (correcting block count from 165 to 150) and voted unanimously to send the resolution to the full board with a positive recommendation.
Item 2: Downtown Community Benefit District Renewal and Expansion
- Supervisor Danny Sauter (District 3) introduced the resolution, noting it is a procedural step to authorize a special assessment ballot procedure, not a vote on the renewal itself. The CBD, first established in 2019, seeks early renewal to update its budget, expand boundaries, and deliver enhanced services. The renewed term would run from January 2027 to December 2036 (with a noted error in the petition packet regarding the end date, corrected via notices to property owners on April 24 and 27, 2026).
- Jackie Hazelwood, OEWD CBD Program Director, presented details: the district expands from ~43 to ~70 blocks, encompassing 840 parcels across three zones (Financial District/Jackson Square, Embarcadero, and Port). The initial assessment budget is ~$11 million, with a total budget of ~$11.3 million. Enhanced services include additional sidewalk sweeping, pressure washing, business attraction/retention, and a proposed park overlay for Embarcadero Park (contingent on park renovation, no sooner than FY 2028-29). The park overlay budget is $2.5 million, with assessment rates structured by proximity to the park.
- Supervisor Sauter proposed two amendments to insert the date of the committee of the whole hearing (July 21, 2026) on pages 5 and 7 of the resolution.
- Public comments: Three speakers expressed strong support. Robbie Silver (President/CEO, Downtown SF Partnership) emphasized the need for early renewal to respond to increased demands for services and downtown recovery. Dan Kingsley (board member) noted foot traffic at 50% of pre-pandemic levels and sales tax revenue at two-thirds, and highlighted expanded services (ambassadors from 6am-8pm to 5am-10pm, street cleaning from twice to four times daily, power washing every four weeks). Chris Freeze (Redco Development, board member) spoke from experience with similar BIDs in San Jose and supported the expansion for long-term success.
- The committee adopted the amendments and voted unanimously to send the resolution as amended to the full board with a positive recommendation.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1: Resolution approving RMRA fund project list (150 blocks) passed unanimously (3-0) with clerical amendment. Forwarded to Board of Supervisors for May 19, 2026 agenda.
- Item 2: Resolution of intention to renew and expand the Downtown CBD passed unanimously (3-0) with amendments inserting the committee of the whole hearing date of July 21, 2026. Forwarded to Board of Supervisors. Ballots to be mailed to property owners on June 6, 2026, with a 45-day ballot period ending July 21, 2026. If more than 50% of votes support, the board may renew the CBD, with services commencing January 1, 2027.
Meeting Transcript
Transportation committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. I'm Supervisor Mirna Melgar, Chair of this committee, joined by Vice Chair, Supervisor Cheyenne Chen and Supervisor Malal Mahmood. The committee clerk today is John Carroll. I would also like to uh acknowledge Jeanette Engelauf at SFGov TV for helping us with 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 be included as part of any of today's files, you can submit them directly to me. The committee will hear public comment on each item on today's agenda. When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, please sign up to speak along your right-hand side of this room. Alternatively, you may submit your public comment in writing in either of the following ways. First, you may send your comments to me via email 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 I will 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 19th, 2026, unless otherwise stated. Thank you so much, Mr. Clerk. Please call item number one. Agenda item number one is a resolution approving the list of projects to be funded by by fiscal year 2026 to 2027 road maintenance and rehabilitation account funds for the local streets and roads program as established by California Senate Bill, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. Okay, thank you so much. I just want to also note that we are joined in this meeting by Supervisor Danny Thoder from District 3. Welcome, Ian. Floor is yours. Good afternoon, Chair Malgar, Vice Chair Chen, members Mahmoud, Supervisor Sauter as well, clerks of the board. My name is Ian Schneider with San Francisco Public Works Government Affairs Team. Today we're seeking your consideration and approval of a resolution to certify a list of street resurfacing projects that will be funded by fiscal year 2026-27 road maintenance and rehabilitation account funds, which from this point forward I'll refer to as RMRA funds. Some background, these funds, which are distributed annually on a formulaic basis to California cities and counties, are from the additional gas and diesel taxes enacted by Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. As part of their accountability and transparency provisions to implement the funds, the California Transportation Commission requires the adoption of an annual project list prior to cities and counties receiving the funds. San Francisco Public Works Street Reservicing Program has identified five projects to receive next year's RMRA funds, which includes 150 blocks throughout San Francisco. Displayed on the screen is a map of the proposed blocks to be repaved with the legend indicating which are supported by RMRA funds as well as blocks that are to be funded by other sources. Attached to the resolution is the complete project list detailing those 150 specifically identified blocks. All of these projects are currently in the design phase and are expected to be advertised for construction this calendar year or in the first half of 2027. I'll take this opportunity to note that RMRA funds are just one slice of the pie that makes up our annual road resurfacing funding. We pave our streets using a variety of sources, including general fund, certificates of participation, state local partnership program, Prop L, Prop AA, Highway Users Tax Account, and RMRA. The distribution of projects is based on a combination of factors, including the pavement condition index, project readiness, and funding availability. We prioritize multimodal corridors that align with broader vision zero and climate resiliency goals, ensuring safer and more sustainable travel options across all neighborhoods. I want to note we are requesting a clerical amendment on page two, correcting the number of blocks this funding will address from 165 to 150. Thank you for your consideration. I'm joined today by members of the street resurfacing team, and together we are happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you. Thank you. Ian, I don't see anyone on the roster with uh questions. Um, no questions, no comments. Uh let's um go to public comment on this item, please. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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