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.

Land use and transportation.

We'll now hear public comment related to agenda item number one.

If you have public comment for this item, please come forward to the lectern.

Madam Chair, please, we have no speakers.

Okay, public comment uh on this item is now closed.

Um, I would like to make a motion that we adopt the clerical amendments as read into the record by uh staff, and then that we uh send the entire thing to the full board with a positive recommendation.

The second that the resolution be recommended as amended to the board of supervisors on those motions, Vice Chair Chen.

Chen I, member Machman.

Machmudai, Chair Melgar.

Aye.

Melgar, Madam Chair, there are three eyes on those two motions.

Thank you.

Uh that passes.

Um, okay.

Let's go to item number two, please, Mr.

Clerk.

Agenda item number two is a resolution declaring the intention of the Board of Supervisors to renew and expand the property-based business improvement district known as the downtown community benefit district, and to levy a multi-year assessment on all parcels in the district, approving the management district plan and engineers report and proposed boundaries map for the district, ordering and setting a time and place for a public hearing of the board of supervisors sitting as a committee of the whole, approving the form of the notice of public hearing and assessment ballot proceeding and assessment ballot, directing environmental findings, and directing the clerk of the board of supervisors to give notice of the public hearing and balloting is required by law.

Thank you so much.

Before I uh turn it over uh to Miss Hazelwood for a presentation, I uh will acknowledge Supervisor Sauter.

The floor is yours.

Thank you, Chair.

Um, and thank you to the members of the committee for having me today.

Um, I just want to briefly speak to this before we hear our presentation.

Um, the item before you today is a resolution of intention to renew and expand the downtown community benefit district.

Uh, and I introduced this at the April 28th uh Board of Supervisors meeting.

Um, and in that introduction, I spoke to my confidence in this organization.

And so I want to use my time today more so to speak to some of the uh the technical steps that are before you here today.

Uh first, you know, you may hear uh the downtown community benefit district uh and downtown SF partnership used somewhat interchangeably.

Um the CBD is managed by the downtown SF partnership.

Uh and that was first established in 2019.

Uh, and they have made now the decision to renew early in order to update their budget to meet the needs of the district, expand boundaries, uh, uh gain support from property owners within and deliver enhanced services for the district.

Um, I really appreciate how clearly they've um laid out those enhanced services.

If you go to their website, there's a really nice uh page that speaks to what exists today and what um this early expansion would would gain, and I think it uh puts it out in stark terms the benefits to to downtown and to the uh to the small businesses and property owners within.

Um, and it is as I shared earlier, you know, um uh it is uh allowable but somewhat unusual for the early renewal.

I think it speaks to the confidence and the momentum of this organization and of downtown.

Um this part of the legislative process is required by state law to consider authorizing a special balloting procedure so that ballots will be mailed to all property owners.

That uh mailing is tentative for June 6, 2026, opening a 45-day ballot window.

And the action before you today would authorize that special balloting procedure.

It is not a vote on the CBD renewal itself.

The public hearing itself will also provide a additional opportunity for questions, public comment, follow-up discussion before the board ultimately considers the renewal of the district.

I appreciate Robbie Silver, the leadership of the downtown SF Partnership, its board, many property owners and stakeholders who shape it.

And those are my remarks.

So I know we have Jackie Hazelwood, who is uh a partner in all this work uh here for a presentation from OEWD.

Thank you.

Thank you, Supervisor Sauter.

Welcome, Ms.

Hazelwood.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair Melgar, Vice Chair Chen, Supervisor Makmood and Supervisor Soder.

Um my name is Jackie Hazelwood, and I'm the community benefit district program director here at OEWD.

Uh before I begin, I do want to just express thanks to Casey O'Hollock, who's here with me from our CBD team at OEWD for her efforts on this item and beyond.

I'm here to present on the resolution of intention to renew and expand the downtown community benefit district, which is managed by the nonprofit association known as the downtown SF Partnership, as Supervisor Sauter stated.

This item will authorize a special assessment ballot procedure to renew and expand the downtown CBD for a 10-year term.

So though I know there's familiarity from the committee around the CBD process given Ocean Avenue Association's renewal last year with Supervisor Malgar and Supervisor Chen supporting that, I'd like to provide an overview for context on this item.

So every 10 to 15 years, a CBD is mandated by state law to renew their district by re-engaging property owners demonstrating community support and seeking city approval.

Today marks the start of the legislative process needed to move renewal forward for the downtown SF partnership.

So the legislative process centers on three steps.

The first, which is where we are today, is the meeting of a petition threshold in which petitions representing 30% of the total proposed assessment for the district are received.

The second is a Department of Elections administered ballot process, and the third is a final public hearing before the Board of Supervisors sitting as a committee of the whole.

Stating the district term would end on June 30th, 2035 rather than June 30th, 2036.

It was noted correctly in all the parts of the petition packet.

This error was flagged to the city attorney's office for review and guidance.

Following that review, the city attorney advised that corrective notices identifying and clarifying the error be distributed to all affected property owners via both email and mail.

The CBD distributed the clarification notice via email on Friday, April 24th, and mailed hard copy notices to all property owners on Monday, April 27th.

Aside from the responses thanking the district for the clarification, the CBD has not received additional follow-up or concerns from property owners regarding the correct correction notice.

Beyond this, I'd like to highlight that today's action, again, as Supervisor Sauter stated, authorizes the special balloting procedure.

This is not a vote to renew the CBD itself.

Upon approval of today's items, preparations will be made to mail ballots to all property owners with ballots going out tentatively June 6, 2026, opening a 45-day ballot period.

The ballot period closes at the committee of the whole on July 21st, 2026, where ballots are tabulated that very same day.

If more than 50% of the votes received are in support, the board may renew the CBD.

If approved, services for the renewed CBD will commence on January 1st, 2027.

So that's the process.

Now to focus on the CBD itself.

The downtown SF Partnership is a community benefit district that serves the financial district and surrounding downtown neighborhoods.

Formed in 2019, the organization funds enhanced services from street level ambassadors to public space activation through assessments on property owners within the district boundary.

Some notable initiatives since their establishment include the launch of their clean and safe program in December 2020, where it did dedicated ambassador teams, support cleanliness, safety and hospitality, the establishment of Let's Glow SF in December 2021, which is now an San Francisco holiday tradition with hundreds of thousands of attendees and over 26 million dollars in economic impact since its inception in 2021.

They completed their public realm action plan in July of 2022, a comprehensive vision for transforming downtown streets and public spaces.

They opened the landing at Leitesdorf July 2023, which was an activated public plaza with seating events and community programming.

They launched the California's first entertainment zone along Front Street in September of 2024.

And they opened the downtown gateway in August of 2025, which is that new entry point with seating landscaping and iconic Hart SF sign on Market Street.

So why renew early for this district?

Building on the momentum and in response to property owner and stakeholder support, the district is now pursuing this early renewal.

They're renewing before their current term expires in 2035, which will allow the district to update its budget, expand its boundaries, and deliver enhanced services.

They're not able to make these changes without this formal renewal process.

Okay, so as noted earlier, the renewed term runs 10 years, January 2027 through December 31st, 2036.

With this renewal, the district expands significantly from roughly 43 to 70 blocks.

Following direct engagement with the port, the district adds port side frontage along the market arrow represented by that red zone on the map there.

The expanded district encompasses 840 parcels across three different zones representing different levels of service.

The financial district in Jackson Square in purple on the map, then Barcadero in green on the map, and the port in that red orange area.

So the initial assessment budget is around 11 million dollars, and the total budget for the district is around 11.3 million dollars.

Examples of services provided under each category include the following: so clean, safe, and placemaking, they're expanding some of their services in that category with additional sidewalk sweeping, pressure washing, district identity and economic development services for economic development.

This is newly funded for through assessment dollars with business attraction and retention services, ground floor recruitment, and then newly there's going to be a park overlay that's proposed here, which I'll talk about a little bit more in this next slide, and it's contingent upon embarkadero parks renovation.

So the park overlay.

So the city is considering a substantial redesign of embarkado park, as you all are aware, which is this five-acre site at the eastern edge of the CBD.

So if completed, the downtown CBD would provide supplemental services above city baseline, security maintenance activation, and special events through a park overlay assessment.

The overlay itself will not be enacted until the park is significantly constructed, and an agreement is reached with Reckon Park on the services to be provided.

That can happen no sooner than fiscal year 28-29.

Creating the overlay now as a part of this renewal gives the district the structure and funding mechanism ready to activate when the park is complete and upon these other factors.

The total park overlay budget is 2.5 million dollars.

The budget is grounded in economic impact assessment of successful urban parks across major US cities, which consistently showed increases in property values, leasing and foot traffic.

Assessment rates will be structured by proximity to the park.

And with that, I just want to thank the committee.

So thank you to Chair Melgar and the rest of the committee.

Thank you to Robbie Silver and the rest of the downtown SF partnership.

Thank you to their steering committee.

Thank you to Dan Kingsley and Chris Frees who are here today in the audience.

Thank you to Supervisor Sauter and particularly to your chief of staff, Tita Bell, who's been supportive of this process, and to the Department of Elections, who's going to continue to be involved in the rest of this process.

So at this point, OEWD recommends the approval of the resolution of intention and is happy to answer any questions.

Supervisor Slaughter.

Thank you, Chair.

Just real quick, before any of those questions, I did want to mention two small amendments that'll ask for your support to move forward today and adopt.

Hard copies are before you, and they were emailed this morning as well.

Very simple, we're just putting in uh the date of the intended committee of the whole hearing for this renewal.

And so you'll see that date being July 21st, 2026, inserted in two places as the amendments call out.

Those are on page 5, line 13 and page 7, lines 20 to 21.

Again, just inserting committee of the whole date for July 21st, 2026.

Thanks.

Thank you so much.

And thank you for doing this.

Before I go to you, Supervisor Chen Rice Chair Chan, I just wanted to ask a question.

So I was really interested in the configuration of the arrangement of the CBD with at Rec Park over the park, because on Ocean Avenue, we also have this open space at Unity Plaza that is cleaned by the CBD, owned by MTA, but it's you know, like these arrangements seem to be like one-offs every time there is one.

And we kind of reinvent, you know, the MOU, what happens, and so I wondered if you think that it would behoove us to like standardize how that happens going forward between CBDs and the different departments that own real estate where there's open space or recreation space that is within the CBD boundaries.

Yeah, certainly.

I think that there's definitely an opportunity to do so.

It's something that we've started talking about with Wreck and Park as a part of this process.

Um, I think in this particular area, it's also dependent on space itself, right?

Like, you know, looking at embargado plaza, where that is now, it's a little bit more accessible than areas in which things might be bounded by grass or by sidewalk, but certainly there's an opportunity to standardize that moving forward.

And we continue to be in talks with Wreck and Park throughout the rest of this process, particularly around the park overlay piece.

Okay, thank you.

As it pertains to this, I understand, but I I do think that maybe we should think about standardizing how these relationships go.

Um, Supervisor Chen.

Thank you, Chair Malga.

Um, you know, we also have our CBDs in District 11, and CBD has become an essential tool for our commercial corridors from cleaning to greening to activation to make our streets more welcoming.

Uh they also enable property owners and residents to have direct hands in shaping our business our commercial areas.

So giving the support, I'm a majority of the property owners in downtown San Francisco partnership.

I would also like to extend my support for renewal of the CBD.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

So with that, let's go to public comment on this item, please.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Land use and transportation will now hear public comment related to agenda item number two.

If you have public comment for this item, you can line up to speak along that wall and come forward to lecture and you may begin.

Great.

Good afternoon, supervisors of this committee, and thank you again, Supervisor Sauter for sponsoring this and for the opportunity to speak today.

My name is Ravi Silver.

I'm the president and CEO of the downtown asset partnership, and obvious support of seeking our early renewal and expansion of the community benefit district.

Going for an early renewal is very significant and not easy, not been done before, but it is necessary.

This effort fundamentally about is fundamentally about ensuring downtown San Francisco remains competitive, resilient, and positioned for long-term recovery and growth.

Over the past several years, our downtown has faced unprecedented challenges from the impacts of the pandemic, shifts in office utilization to increasing pressure on public round maintenance, safety, and economic vitality.

At the same time, expectations for clean streets, safe environments, and vibrant public spaces have only increased.

The reality is that property owners, businesses, residents and visitors are asking for more services, more activation, economic development, and stronger coordination than ever before.

And early renewal allows us to proactively respond to those needs rather than waiting for those challenges to intensify.

Renewal is not simply around continuing existing services, it is about evolving the district to meet the needs of now and the future of downtown.

Expansion allows us to bring together the embarcadero, which includes the new park and the port into a unified strategy focused on clean and safe services, economic development, public space activation, and advocacy.

Thank you for your consideration today.

Thank you for comments.

Next speaker, please.

Good afternoon, Chair Melgar, Vice Chair, Chen, Supervisor Mahmoud and Supervisor Souter.

My name is Dan Kingsley.

I'm a board member of the downtown SF partnership.

As the mayor stated in the state of the city in January, our recovery is underway, but there's still work to do.

The foot traffic downtown is at only 50% of the pre-pandemic levels, and the sales tax revenue is only at two-thirds of the pre-pandemic levels.

In addition to that, the mayor's office of economic and workforce development budgets have been reduced because of the deficit, which has meant a loss of funding for the community benefit districts.

But this the property owners in the district understand it's our obligation to take up a lot of this work and not rely on the city government to do it for us.

And some examples of this renewal uh will expand services such as the two ambassadors that we have right now from 6 a.m.

to 8 p.m.

We will have four ambassadors from 5 a.m.

to 10 p.m.

Instead of cleaning the streets twice a day, they'll be cleaned four times a day.

And this and the power washing will take place every four weeks, including every week on Market Street.

So we believe that the work that our organization has done has been instrumental in the recovery for San Francisco.

But as I said earlier, we no longer live in an era where we can expect City Hall to take care of everything for us.

And we're prepared to do that ourselves.

And in order to do that, we need an early renewal.

Thank you for your support.

Thank you for your comments.

Do we have anyone else who has public comment for this item?

And after this speaker, if we have anyone else who wants to give public comment, you can line up to speak along that wall.

Good afternoon.

Chris Freeze, Redco Development.

Um I chair the renewal committee with Dan and uh board member on the downtown SF Partnership Board.

Um I speak from the unique experience of also chairing a similar uh bid down in downtown San Jose.

I've been on that bid for nine years.

I can speak to the my experiences here.

I have been a continual investor both in the properties downtown as a result of that, and we own Harrington's, which is a small business operating business.

So I can speak to the success of this organization to the impacts of what I see day to day on the street level, both from an investment standpoint and a small business operating standpoint.

I believe in this organization.

I wholeheartedly believe in an early renewal and expansion.

I think expanding the boundaries as proposed really allow the organization to set up for the next 10 years of success and make um some of the uh the the examples that Dan just referenced, some of those kind of instances where we wish we had more horsepower and giving this team the horsepower it can to really drive the recovery we all know is possible.

So thank you for your time.

Very supportive of what's on being proposed and thank you.

Thank you for comments.

Do we have any further speakers for agenda item number two?

Madam Chair.

Okay.

Uh public comment on this item is now closed.

Um I would like to make a motion that we adopt the amendments that were read into the record by Supervisor Sauter, please.

Um, and then that we send the amended uh uh legislation to the full board with a positive recommendation as amended.

Two motions both offered by the chair.

The first to amend the resolution to schedule the committee of the whole hearing date for July 21st, 2026, and the second to send the resolution as amended to the Board of Supervisors.

With the recommendation of the land use and transportation committee on those motions, Vice Chair Chen.

Chen I, Member Machmood.

Makmoudai, Chair Melgar.

Aye.

Madam Chair, there are three ayes on those two motions.

Okay, that motion passes.

Congratulations.

Uh, do we have anything else on our agenda, Mr.

Clerk?

There is no further business.

We are adjourned.