Land Use and Transportation Committee Regular Meeting – June 15, 2026
Land Use and Transportation Committee Regular Meeting – June 15, 2026
The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met on June 15, 2026, at 9:45 AM. Chair Mirna Melgar presided, joined by Vice Chair Cheyenne Chen and Supervisor Bilal Mahmud. The committee considered two agenda items: a commemorative street naming resolution for retired Fire Captain Tony Stefani, and an ordinance to amend institutional master plan (IMP) requirements for post-secondary educational institutions in certain districts.
Public Comments & Testimony
Item 1 – Tony Stefani Way
- Fire Chief: Spoke in strong support, describing Tony Stefani’s career and his Cancer Prevention Foundation, which has saved “thousands” of firefighters’ lives and sparked a national movement.
- Mr. Gabler (likely a firefighter representative): Emphasized Stefani’s integrity and his role in starting the foundation against initial opposition, calling him “the linchpin of progress for firefighters across the whole country.”
- Commissioner Steve Nakajo (30-year Fire Commissioner): Supported the naming, noting Stefani’s leadership and the national model of the cancer prevention effort.
Item 2 – IMP Exemption Ordinance
- David Wu (Soma Pilipinas): Urged removal of the C3 district exemption, citing potential negative impacts on SOMA neighborhoods and the example of Academy of Art University illegally converting housing. Supported the housing declaration requirement but asked for additional protections against displacing neighborhood-serving retail and legacy businesses.
- Calvin Welch (Haight-Ashbury Neighborhood Council): Supported amendments requiring institutions to certify under penalty of perjury they will not demolish or convert residential units or rent-controlled units. Agreed with Soma Pilipinas that the exemption should not apply to C3 districts and argued for similar protections for neighborhood-serving retail.
Discussion Items
Item 1: Commemorative Street Name – Tony Stefani Way
- Resolution to add “Tony Stefani Way” to Falmouth Street between Folsom and Shipley Streets.
- Supervisor Chen expressed strong support, emphasizing honoring hometown heroes and Stefani’s fight against cancer among firefighters. Supervisor Mahmud added co-sponsorship.
- No committee members raised concerns.
Item 2: Ordinance Amending Institutional Master Plan Requirements
- Introduced by Madison Tam (Supervisor Dorsey’s office): The ordinance would exempt post-secondary educational institutions in the C3 (downtown commercial) district or the Art and Design Educational Special Use District (SUD) from filing institutional master plans. Institutions elsewhere remain subject to IMPs. The ordinance includes guardrails: institutions must declare under penalty of perjury that they will not demolish or convert housing, including rent-controlled units.
- Veronica Flores (Planning Department) reported the Planning Commission approved the ordinance on April 16 with anticipated amendments (expanding accreditation definitions and updating the SUD reference), incorporated into the substitute ordinance introduced June 2.
- Supervisor Melgar noted the Planning Commission vote was not unanimous. She expressed concerns about the broad C3 exemption, referencing the city’s past litigation with the Academy of Art University, which disregarded housing and demolition laws. She suggested limiting the exemption to the Art and Design SUD or adding a time limit to evaluate success before permanent exemption. Supervisor Melgar offered a motion to continue the item to allow further stakeholder discussions.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1 (Resolution): Motion to recommend to the full Board of Supervisors passed unanimously (3-0: Chen, Mahmud, Melgar).
- Item 2 (Ordinance): Motion to continue the item to the committee’s June 29, 2026 meeting passed unanimously (3-0: Chen, Mahmud, Melgar). The continuation is intended to allow Supervisor Dorsey’s office and stakeholders to address concerns raised in public comment and by the chair.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone. This meeting will come to order. Welcome to the June 15th, 2026 regular meeting of the Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. I am Supervisor Mirna Melgar, chair of the committee, joined by Vice Chair, Supervisor Cheyenne Chen, and Supervisor Bilal Mahmud. The committee clerk is John Carroll. And uh I would also like to thank uh Hiche Veget today at SF Cup TV for staffing us. Mr. Clerk, would you uh like to make your 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. 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 sign up to speak along that 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 SFGOV.org. Or you may send your written comments on U.S. Postal Service to our office in City Hall. Address your message to one Dr. Carlton B. Goodlit, place from 244 San Francisco, California, 94102. If you submit public comment in writing, it will be forwarded 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 June 23rd, 2026, unless otherwise stated. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Please call item number one. Agenda item number one is a resolution adding the commemorative street name Tony Stephanie Way to Falmouth Street between Folsom and Shipley Streets in recognition of retired San Francisco Fire Department Captain Tony Stephanie. Thank you. Welcome, Chief. Thank you. Good afternoon, Madam Chair, members of the committee. Tony Stefani has committed his life to keeping firefighters and their families and their friends and their loved ones safe. We often concentrate on the 400 members that we've lost from this horrible disease over the last 10 years. But I think we in this context need to talk about the lives that have been saved. And it's been thousands. And the members of the Cancer Prevention Foundation, with the leadership of Tony Stefani, have done immeasurable work to keep our members alive and keep them supported during the process of this horrible disease. And it's really been heartwarming and a big lift to our department. I think one thing that uh goes unmentioned is Tony's incredible career in the San Francisco Fire Department. He rose to the level of captain, was actually my training officer when I entered the fire department in 1990. And even before his retirement, he was focused on the health and safety of our members. He taught me the value of training, the value of fitness, the value of diet. In fact, when I went to station one with him, uh a lot of senior members worked there. A fantastic uh firefighter and an incredible leader, and we're really honored to have this name right next to the third iteration of station one on uh Fowl Month Alley, uh station one being at 935 Folsom Street. So thank you very much, madam chair and members of the committee. Thank you, Chief. Uh Mr. Gabler. Good afternoon, supervisors. Uh thank you for taking the time to hear this uh very important street naming for Tony Stefani. Uh he has done more to protect and help the lives of firefighters than at least in San Francisco than any single person alive. Uh after beating cancer himself, a very rare and deadly form of cancer that he was able to overcome.
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