San Francisco Planning Commission Meeting - November 7, 2024

The San Francisco Planning Commission met on Thursday, November 7, 2024, to consider a variety of land use items including continuances, consent calendar approvals, commission and department matters, and several major legislative and project-specific items. The meeting featured extensive public comment and discussion on proposals to reduce commercial development requirements in Central Soma, modify the 30 Van Ness project's affordable housing and office allocations, and legalize a residential unit merger on Cumberland Street.

Consent Calendar

• Items 6 & 7 – Unanimously approved: Conditional Use Authorization for a Formula Retail Financial Service bank at 1699 Van Ness Avenue and a wealth management office at 3533 California Street.

Commission Matters

• The Commission adopted draft minutes for October 17 and October 24, 2024, as amended.
• Commissioner Braun highlighted that the California Department of Housing and Community Development granted San Francisco a Pro Housing Designation, qualifying the city for state grant funding and priority processing.

Department Matters

• Director’s announcements included a reflection on community resilience post-election and reports on recent Board of Supervisors actions, including the passage of ordinances to increase affordable price/income limits for certain BMR units and creation of the Asia Senior Housing Special Use District.
• The Historic Preservation Commission recommended approval of Legacy Business Registry applications for Leier’s German Specialties and The Gary Print Shop.

General Public Comment

• A resident presented a video advocating for flat preservation and expressed concerns about the city’s enforcement of the flat policy.
• A remote caller asked the Commission to hold a public presentation on its rules and adopt a hearing calendar for 2025.

Discussion Items

Items 13a & 13b: Central Soma & Transit Center District Commercial Development Requirements

• Proposal: Amend the General Plan, Planning Code, and Zoning Map to remove the requirement that large sites in these districts provide two-thirds non-residential square footage, allowing more housing.
• Staff Recommendation: Approve with a modification to exempt projects under 600 feet in height (only in Central Soma) from the office allocation requirement, and clarify eligibility for state/local bonus programs.
• Public Comment: Multiple community groups (Soma Filipinas, SomCAN) opposed the legislation, citing lack of public process, potential loss of promised community benefits (33% affordable housing, parks, pool, childcare), and risk of gentrification. They urged preserving site-specific benefits and requiring additional affordable housing. The project sponsor (Strata Investment Group) and Housing Action Coalition supported the change, arguing it would unlock stalled projects and generate impact fees for community benefits.
• Commission Discussion: Commissioners expressed concern about retaining original community benefits, affordable housing targets, and need for a complete neighborhood plan for Central Soma. Commissioners agreed on the importance of preserving site-specific benefits for key sites.
• Vote: Motion to approve with modifications (600-foot height cap limited to Central Soma, exploration of site-specific benefits, prioritization of the SOMA Chess (Cultural Heritage) Implementation Plan, and encouragement of a complete neighborhood plan). Passed 7-0.

Item 14: 10 South Van Ness Avenue – Informational Presentation

• Proposal: SB 423 preliminary application to re-entitle the site for a 755-foot, 952-unit tower (including 73 on-site BMR units) using state density bonus and ministerial approvals, replacing a previously approved 590-foot, 1,012-unit project.
• Public Comment: A speaker requested better notification for SB 423 projects and raised concerns about cumulative infrastructure impacts, fire service, and segregation of affordable units. The Housing Action Coalition expressed support.
• Commission Comments: Commissioner Moore noted the project reduces unit count while increasing height, and criticized the loss of public realm improvements (wider sidewalks, BART entrance) from the prior approval. Other commissioners encouraged the sponsor to be a good neighbor and incorporate community feedback. No vote taken.

Items 15a, 15b, & 15c: 30 Van Ness Avenue – Special Use District, Conditions Amendment, Office Allocation

• Proposal: Create a Special Use District to waive the inclusionary affordable housing requirement for the project, and approve a large-cap office allocation (additional ~18,000 sq ft of office) to improve feasibility after the project paid $41 million in impact fees (including $14.4M for affordable housing) but stalled due to market conditions.
• Staff/OEWD Support: The legislation provides parity with pipeline projects that received fee reductions; the $41M paid is already being used by the city.
• Public Comment: Multiple speakers (Housing Action Coalition, Building Trades, local businesses, arts organization) supported the amendments to restart construction and bring 330 homes and jobs.
• Commission Discussion: Commissioners recognized the need to restart construction at a key intersection, though Commissioner Imperial expressed regret over losing on-site affordable housing. Others noted the paid fees support nearby affordable housing.
• Vote: Motion to approve all three items (SUD, Downtown Project Authorization amendments, Office Development Authorization). Passed 5-1 (Commissioner Imperial dissenting).

Item 16: 250-252 Cumberland Street – Conditional Use Authorization

• Proposal: Legalize an unpermitted merger of two flats into a single-family home by re-establishing a smaller unit on the first floor, reducing garage space, and restoring the front facade to correct prior violations. The current owners inherited the illegal merger from a previous developer.
• Public Comment: Neighbors supported the project, noting the homeowners were not responsible for the prior work. A housing advocate requested that the findings not characterize the re-created unit as “overly large” and urged codification of the flat policy.
• Commission Discussion: Commissioners sympathized with the owners, who face substantial costs. Commissioner Williams inquired about legal recourse against prior developers. The motion was amended to approve “as-built” conditions, removing the requirement to alter the front facade.
• Vote: Motion to approve with the “as-built” amendment. Passed 7-0.

Key Outcomes

• Continued Items: Items 1–4 continued to future dates; Item 5 withdrawn.
• Consent Calendar Approved: Items 6 and 7 passed unanimously.
• Central Soma Amendments: Approved with modifications (7-0) – sends recommendation to Board of Supervisors to reduce commercial requirements, cap height at 600 ft in Central Soma only, preserve site-specific benefits, prioritize SOMA Chess Plan, and encourage complete neighborhood planning.
• 30 Van Ness SUD & Office Authorization: Approved 5-1, enabling project restart with modified affordable housing obligations and expanded office space.
• Cumberland Street Unit Merger: Approved 7-0 as-built, legalizing re-establishment of a second unit without requiring facade changes.