San Francisco Planning Commission Meeting - July 25, 2024
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
San Francisco Planning Commission Meeting - July 25, 2024
The San Francisco Planning Commission met on July 25, 2024, to discuss several items including updates to the Inclusionary Affordable Housing Program manual, informational presentations on proposed housing developments under SB 423, an office conversion inventory, the Freedom West redevelopment project, and a request to remove a child care center condition. Votes were taken on two items.
Public Comments & Testimony
- General Public Comment: A representative from Save Our Neighborhoods (SAN) expressed concerns about toxic soil contamination at the proposed 3601 Lawton project, urging that public health not be skirted for housing production.
- Item 5 – Inclusionary Housing Manual: Over 20 speakers testified, including real estate agents, housing case managers, current BMR renters and homeowners, and community advocates. Key concerns included inadequate language access in lease-up processes (Arabic, Spanish, Tagalog, Filipino), dual agency restrictions for realtors, resale pricing formulas causing hardship for sellers (e.g., a family unable to sell their BMR unit for two years), lack of notification about rental subsidies, credit score and deposit barriers, and criminal history checks. Several speakers noted that while the manual improves some processes, more work is needed to ensure equitable access.
- Item 6 – 263 Lee Avenue: One speaker supported the project as much-needed housing.
- Item 7 – 1965 Market Street: One speaker supported the project and urged approval.
- Item 8 – Office Conversion Inventory: One speaker supported office-to-residential conversions and criticized regulatory processes.
- Item 9 – Freedom West: Multiple speakers, including Freedom West Board President Matty Scott, a representative from Bethel AME Church, and a union bartender from Local 2, expressed strong support for the community-driven redevelopment plan, emphasizing the importance of preserving affordable co-op housing and creating good union jobs.
- Item 10 – 199 Fremont Street Childcare: One speaker supported the removal of the child care center, noting the burdensome evidence-gathering process required.
Discussion Items
- Item 5 – Inclusionary Affordable Housing Program Manual Updates: Commissioner Imperial recused. Staff from Planning and MOHCD presented updates to the manual, which governs 18% of San Francisco's affordable housing units (about 6,000 of 33,000 total affordable units). The manual aims to modernize policies, streamline processes, and center equity. Key changes include allowing income eligibility transfer between projects, reducing documentation requirements, adjusting resale pricing formulas for homeownership units, and lower down payment requirements. The Commission discussed language access, enforcement of new requirements, rental subsidies, credit scoring, and criminal history policies. Commissioners expressed satisfaction with responses but requested follow-up on language access solutions and a memo on child care brokerage services.
- Item 6 – 263 Lee Avenue (Informational): Project sponsor presented plans for a two-unit, three-bedroom residential building on a church site. The project is using SB 423 streamlined approval. Staff explained the concurrent tribal consultation process. Commissioners asked about the process and timeline for ministerial approval. No action taken.
- Item 7 – 1965 Market Street (Informational): Project sponsor presented a 200-unit building on a transit corridor, with 28 affordable units (14% of total). The design includes a historic building rehabilitation and a new tower set back 12 feet. Commissioners praised the location and design. No action taken.
- Item 8 – Draft Office Conversion and Demolition Inventory (Informational): Staff presented the draft inventory under Proposition C, which adds back converted/demolished office square footage to the office allocation cap. The inventory includes 29 sites totaling over 2.5 million square feet. Public comment period open until August 19, 2024. Commissioners asked about the 1986 start date and conversion uses. No action taken.
- Item 9 – Freedom West (Informational): Staff and project sponsors presented a master plan to redevelop the 382-unit limited equity co-op into up to 2,400 units, including replacement units, a senior affordable housing building (115 units), retail, a hotel, a performing arts center, and a STEM innovation center. The project is guided by four principles: keep co-op intact, replace all units without raising housing costs, create long-term economic self-sustainability, and involve residents in design. Commissioners commended the community engagement, economic sustainability model (including co-op ownership of retail and profit-sharing), and the plan to restitch Octavia Street as a pedestrian-friendly corridor. No action taken.
- Item 10 – 199 Fremont Street / 342 Howard Street – Childcare Condition Removal: Staff recommended approval to rescind a condition requiring on-site childcare, as the facility operated for 21 years and closed in 2021. The project sponsor marketed the space for eight months with no interest. The Department of Early Childhood supported removal. Commissioners noted the shift in childcare demand from downtown to residential areas and supported the potential for a new retail use. A motion to approve with conditions was made and seconded.
Key Outcomes
- Item 5 – Inclusionary Housing Manual: Motion to adopt the amended manual passed 5-0 (Commissioner Imperial recused). Commissioners requested staff to explore technology solutions for language access and to provide a memo on how the child care brokerage requirement (Section 165) will be fulfilled.
- Item 10 – Childcare Condition Removal: Motion to approve the rescission of Condition 2H with conditions passed 5-0. Conditions include requiring the project sponsor to continue providing child care brokerage services and staff to report back to the commission on how that requirement will be implemented.
- All other items were informational only; no votes were taken.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, good afternoon and welcome to the San Francisco Planning Commission hearing for Thursday, July 25th, 2024. When we reach the item you're interested in speaking to, we ask that you line up on the screen side of the room or to your right. Each speaker will be allowed up to three minutes. And when you have 30 seconds remaining, you will hear a chime indicating your time is almost up. When your time is when your allotted time is reached. I will announce that your time is up and take the next person cued to speak. Please speak clearly and slowly, and if you care to state your name for the record. Also, I ask that we silence any mobile devices that may sound off during these proceedings. And at this time, I would like to take roll. Commission chair more. Commissioner Braun. Here. Commissioner Imperial. Here. Commissioner Sour Williams. Here. Thank you, Commissioners. Sorry, my computer locked up here. First, on your agenda is consideration of items proposed for continuance at the time of issuance. And at this time, there are no items proposed for continuance. So we can move right into commission matters. Item one, the land acknowledgement. Today Commissioner Brown will raise the land acknowledgement for us. I will remind members of the public to please silence your mobile devices that may sound off during these proceedings. Thank you. The commission acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramatush Aloney, who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula. As the indigenous stewards of this land and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramatushalone have never seated, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside in their traditional territory. As guests, we recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland. We wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the ancestors, elders, and relatives of the Ramatushalone community, and by affirming their sovereign rights as First Peoples. Thank you. Item two, Commission comments and questions. I'd like to make a brief comment. We are for today. We are a quorum. We miss Commissioner President Diamond today. She will be be with us next week. We are coming to our semester to our semester break, yes, to our commission break throughout the month of August, but we will be as fully staffed next week as we can. Thank you. Okay, seeing no other request to speak from members of the commission, department matters. Item three, director's announcements. No announcements today. Thanks, Jonas. Okay, item four, review of past events at the Board of Supervisors, Board of Appeals, and the Historic Preservation Commission. No one is here from the legislative team and requested that I give you a brief update that no planning items were at land use. However, the zoning, the excuse me, the Stonestown General Plan, Planning Code, and Zoning Map Amendment were passed on the second read. I have no report from the Board of Appeals and the Historic Preservation Commission did not meet yesterday. With that, Commissioners, we can move on to general public comment. At this time, members of the public may address the commission on items of interest to the public that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the commission, except agenda items. With respect to agenda items, your opportunity to address the commission will be afforded when the item is reached in the meeting. Each member of the public may address the commission for up to three minutes.
openpublica.com