OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

San Francisco Planning Commission Hears Balboa Reservoir Modifications and Farewells Commissioner Imperial on May 7, 2026

Planning Commission — Thursday, May 7, 2026
BodySan Francisco, California
SessionPlanning Commission
DateThursday, May 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:05:00

Transcript — Verbatim
0:17

I thought it was that funny.

0:18

I doubt it was that funny.

0:21

Okay.

0:21

Good afternoon and welcome to the San Francisco Planning Commission hearing for Thursday, May 7th, 2026.

0:28

When an item is called that you would like to submit testimony for, we ask that you line up on the screen side of the room or to your right.

0:35

Each speaker will be allowed up to three minutes.

0:37

And when you have 30 seconds remaining, you will hear a chime indicating your time is almost up.

0:42

When your allotted time is reached, there is a second chime, and I will announce that your time is up and take the next person cute to speak.

0:48

There is a very convenient timer on the podium where you can see how much time you have left and watch your time tick down.

0:55

Please speak clearly and slowly.

0:57

And if you care to state your name for the record, I ask that we silence any mobile devices that may sound off during these proceedings.

1:04

And finally, I will remind members of the public that the commission does not tolerate any disruption or outbursts of any kind.

1:10

At this time, I'd like to take roll.

1:12

Commissioner President Campbell.

1:15

Commission Vice President Moore.

1:17

Commissioner Braun.

1:18

Commissioner Imperial.

1:20

Commissioner McGarry.

1:22

And Commissioner Williams.

1:23

Thank you, Commissioners.

1:24

We expect Commissioner Seo to be absent today.

1:27

First, on your agenda, Commissioners is consideration of items proposed for continuance, the time of issuance and to date.

1:33

There are no items proposed for continuance, placing us under your consent calendar.

1:40

And the matter listed here under constitutes a consent calendar, is considered to be routine by the planning commission and may be acted upon by a single roll call vote.

1:48

There will be no separate discussion of this item unless a member of the commission, the public or staff so requests.

1:55

In which event the matter shall be removed from the consent calendar and considered as a separate item at this or a future hearing.

2:01

Item one.

2:24

Seeing none, public comment is closed and your consent calendar is now before you, Commissioners.

2:30

Commissioner Braun.

2:32

Move to approve item one as proposed.

2:34

Second.

2:35

Thank you, Commissioners.

2:36

On that motion to approve item one with conditions.

2:39

Commissioner McGarry.

2:40

Commissioner Williams.

2:41

Aye.

2:42

Commissioner Braun.

2:43

Aye.

2:43

Commissioner Imperial.

2:44

Aye.

2:45

Commissioner Moore.

2:46

Aye.

2:46

And Commissioner President Campbell.

2:48

Aye.

2:48

So move Commissioners.

2:49

That motion passes unanimously six to zero, placing us under commission matters for item two, the land acknowledgement.

3:00

The Commission acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramatushalone, who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula.

3:08

As the indigenous stewards of this land and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramatushaloni have never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside in their traditional territory.

3:24

As guests, we recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland.

3:29

We wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the ancestors, elders, and relatives of the Ramatush Aloney community and by affirming their sovereign rights as first peoples.

3:39

Thank you.

3:40

Item three, consideration of adoption draft minutes for April 16th and April 23rd, 2026.

3:45

Members of the public, this is your opportunity to address the commission on their minutes.

3:52

I have a couple questions about the minutes on the 23rd.

4:03

That's not a question about the minutes.

4:06

Yes, it is.

4:20

Anyway, that's my question.

4:23

My other question is uh I just discovered this morning that um the building eye has a new name.

4:29

I signed up for building eye for Noe Valley.

4:32

It's called uh agency counter.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████50%
Personnel Matters████████████13%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████13%
Procedural█████████10%
Historic Preservation█████6%
Community Engagement█████5%
Budget and Finance███3%
Summary of Proceedings

San Francisco Planning Commission Hears Balboa Reservoir Modifications and Farewells Commissioner Imperial on May 7, 2026

The San Francisco Planning Commission convened on Thursday, May 7, 2026, to consider a major modification of the Balboa Reservoir development and a related planning code amendment. The meeting also featured a farewell tribute to departing Commissioner Theresa Imperial, who served since February 2020, and comments from Commissioner Shamann Walton regarding construction impacts on neighboring schools. The commission unanimously approved the Balboa Reservoir items.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 1: The Commission unanimously voted (6-0) to approve the consent calendar item as proposed with conditions.

Commission Comments & Testimony

  • Farewell to Commissioner Imperial: Commissioner Theresa Imperial announced her departure from the commission after six years of service. She noted the BLA published recommendations on impact fees and inclusionary housing. Every commissioner and Director Dan Sider offered tributes, praising her preparedness, community advocacy, depth of knowledge, and dedication to equity and affordable housing. Director Sider remarked that her "inquisitiveness, thoughtfulness, and listening" were highly valued by the department staff.
  • Commissioner Walton on Construction Impacts: Commissioner Shamann Walton reported on visits to two school sites adjacent to active construction. At St. Thomas More School near the SF Golf Course project, he observed heavy machinery operating ten feet from classrooms, 92-decibel noise levels, and significant dust with no adequate mitigation. He noted similar complaints from Marshall Elementary near a 16th Street affordable housing development. Commissioner Walton stated the existing controls are failing these schools and pledged to work with the City Attorney to explore changes to the building code or enforcement mechanisms.
  • Public Comment: One public speaker addressed the commission regarding demolition calculation definitions and enforcement. The speaker argued the recently revised definition was an improvement but should have been set at 40% removal of elements to better preserve existing housing, citing three project examples and an SF Standard article. The speaker urged rigorous scrutiny and preemptive enforcement of preservation rules.

Department Matters & Director's Announcements

  • Director Dan Sider announced a Fillmore Community Action Plan workshop on housing and a significant budget update. The Mayor's proposed budget is approximately $20 million larger than projected in February, primarily due to the ongoing merger with DBI, bringing 40-50 additional staff into the Planning Department from DBI's administration, legislation, communications, and disaster oversight groups. He also addressed a public question regarding the 'Building Eye' name change.

Discussion Items (Items 7A & 7B): Balboa Reservoir Modifications

  • Project Summary: The Commission considered a Planning Code Amendment and Major Modifications for Blocks C and D of the Balboa Reservoir development, a 17.6-acre site near Ocean Avenue and City College. The overall project includes 1,100 residential units, of which 50% are designated affordable. Site infrastructure work began in late 2025, and vertical construction is underway on the first two 100% affordable buildings (E and A).
  • Supervisor Melgar: District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar spoke in strong support, noting the project's positive impact on Ocean Avenue businesses and the community engagement process. She highlighted the significant achievement of building the affordable units first and the inclusion of much-needed educator housing.
  • Project Sponsor Presentation (Avalon Bay / Pyatak Architects): Nora Collins (Avalon Bay) and Peter Waller (Pyatak) presented the proposal for a combined 243-unit building across Blocks C and D (18.5% studios, 35% one-bedroom, 44% two-bedroom, 2% three-bedroom). The building is scaled down to 5 and 6 stories from the maximum allowed. Key modifications requested include: a bridge connecting the blocks over a public paseo for circulation and additional units; relocation of parking to Block G; removal of stoops replaced with private porches; and a shift in materiality (brick base, shingles, mansard roof). The design aims to frame a new publicly accessible 2-acre central park.
  • Public Testimony: No members of the public provided testimony on this item.
  • Commission Deliberation: Commissioners universally praised the project. Vice President Moore called the design "remarkable" and "better than it was before," highlighting the thoughtful scaling and material choices. Commissioner Braun questioned whether the passageway under the bridge would read as private; the architect confirmed it is over 40 feet wide with no fencing, ensuring it functions as an inviting public throughway. Commissioners McGarry, Williams, and Imperial commended the community process and the prioritization of affordable housing. Commissioner Seo (absent) sent comments praising the provision of larger family-sized units.

Key Outcomes

  • Vote on Items 7A & 7B: The Commission unanimously voted (6-0) to adopt a recommendation of approval for the Balboa Reservoir Planning Code Amendment (Item 7A) and to approve the Major Modification request for Blocks C and D (Item 7B).
  • Project Next Steps: The development team plans to continue construction on affordable buildings E and A and begin construction on Blocks C, D, G, and the central park in the next year.

Meeting Transcript

I thought it was that funny. I doubt it was that funny. Okay. Good afternoon and welcome to the San Francisco Planning Commission hearing for Thursday, May 7th, 2026. When an item is called that you would like to submit testimony for, 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 allotted time is reached, there is a second chime, and I will announce that your time is up and take the next person cute to speak. There is a very convenient timer on the podium where you can see how much time you have left and watch your time tick down. Please speak clearly and slowly. And if you care to state your name for the record, I ask that we silence any mobile devices that may sound off during these proceedings. And finally, I will remind members of the public that the commission does not tolerate any disruption or outbursts of any kind. At this time, I'd like to take roll. Commissioner President Campbell. Commission Vice President Moore. Commissioner Braun. Commissioner Imperial. Commissioner McGarry. And Commissioner Williams. Thank you, Commissioners. We expect Commissioner Seo to be absent today. First, on your agenda, Commissioners is consideration of items proposed for continuance, the time of issuance and to date. There are no items proposed for continuance, placing us under your consent calendar. And the matter listed here under constitutes a consent calendar, is considered to be routine by the planning commission and may be acted upon by a single roll call vote. There will be no separate discussion of this item unless a member of the commission, the public or staff so requests. In which event the matter shall be removed from the consent calendar and considered as a separate item at this or a future hearing. Item one. Seeing none, public comment is closed and your consent calendar is now before you, Commissioners. Commissioner Braun. Move to approve item one as proposed. Second. Thank you, Commissioners. On that motion to approve item one with conditions. Commissioner McGarry. Commissioner Williams. Aye. Commissioner Braun. Aye. Commissioner Imperial. Aye. Commissioner Moore. Aye. And Commissioner President Campbell. Aye. So move Commissioners. That motion passes unanimously six to zero, placing us under commission matters for item two, the land acknowledgement. The Commission acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramatushalone, who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula. As the indigenous stewards of this land and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramatushaloni have never ceded, 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 Ramatush Aloney community and by affirming their sovereign rights as first peoples.

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