Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The San Francisco Planning Commission convened on Thursday, October 1, 2026, for a full agenda. Actions included the election of a new Vice President, an informational presentation on the Flower Mart Development Agreement Amendment, and unanimous votes on two planning code amendments aimed at reducing costs and regulatory conflicts for housing.
Item 5 - Flower Mart DA Amendment
Item 6 - Development Impact Fees
5. Flower Mart Development Agreement Amendment (Informational)
Project sponsors Kilroy Realty, along with the Planning Department and OEWD, presented a major amendment to the 2019 Development Agreement. The amendment provides significant flexibility for the 6.5-acre site, allowing up to 3,532 residential units or 2.6 million sq ft of commercial space, with residential height limits up to 600 feet. New design standards were introduced for streets, open space, and above-grade parking screening. The new Flower Mart at 901 6th Street was cited as a completed major public benefit.
Commissioners expressed strong support. Commissioner McDonald asked detailed questions about POPO fencing activation, parking screening standards, ground floor residential typologies, and the details of the inclusionary housing requirements. Commissioner So praised the public realm design but expressed a strong preference for height diversity and higher-quality parking screening typologies (Options A and B) over the basic screening. Commissioner Chavez inquired about continued community engagement with the Soma Filipinas cultural district. Commissioner Chen raised concerns about potential street gates and requested a dual-sided sidewalk on West Street. No formal action was taken.
6. Planning Code Amendment: Exempting Housing Choice SF Parcels from Development Impact Fees
Supervisor Stephen Sherrill presented legislation to eliminate non-inclusionary impact fees for corner lot projects under the Housing Choice SF program, stating these fees add "an extra $27,000 per unit in some cases." Staff recommended approval with two modifications: expanding the exemption to all HCSF parcels, and adding a 2032 sunset clause.
Commissioners debated the sunset clause extensively. Commissioner So motioned to approve with only the first modification (no sunset), arguing the market needs long-term certainty and that a sunset would add administrative burden and undermine developer confidence. Commissioner McGarry, who initially favored the sunset for future fiscal reassessment, withdrew his motion after discussion. Commissioner Chavez expressed support for the sunset as a learning opportunity but ultimately voted with the majority. The motion to approve without the sunset passed unanimously (7-0).
7. Planning Code Amendment: Height Limit Exemption for Required Rooftop Restrooms
Supervisor Mahmood's office presented a code amendment to exempt the height of required rooftop restrooms from height limits, resolving a conflict with the California Plumbing Code. Staff recommended approval. Commissioner So requested a comprehensive, proactive review of building and planning code alignments to avoid future conflicts. The Commission unanimously approved the amendment (7-0).
This webinar is being transcribed and summarized. Okay, good afternoon and welcome to the San Francisco Planning Commission hearing for Thursday, October 1st, 2026, as we enter our the final quarter of the year. 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 cued 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 would like to take roll, but before we do, Commissioners, uh as you can see, we've got an audio upgrade to the room, and we've got these little fancy uh new microphone pads. So you can um unmute by pressing the bar on the pad itself or still on the screen as we did before. I know fancy. Um president Campbell. Here. Commissioner Chavez. Here. Commissioner Chen. Present. Commissioner Coppel. Here. Commissioner McDonald and Commissioner So. Present. Excuse me, Commissioner McGarry. Present. Thank you. Uh first on your agenda, Commissioners, is consideration of items proposed for continuance at the time of issuance and to date. There are no items proposed for continuance, placing us under commission matters for item one, Commission comments and questions. Seeing none. Okay, seeing no requests to speak, Commissioners, we can move right on to item two, election of officers. Commissioners, you have a vacancy in your um officers, and so you should take uh uh nominations and then um take a vote. But before we do, as this is an action item, we should take public comment. Members of the public, this is your opportunity to address the commission uh on item two, election of officers. You need to come forward. Last call, seeing none, public comment is closed, and this matter is now before you, Commissioners. Perhaps it would be helpful for, especially our new commissioners, uh, to explain the bylaws, how that works. Um there's two officer positions. Um is held by a mayoral appointee, and then that means the other would be held by a board of president appointee. So I am a mayoral appointee, so um ideally we're keeping the conversations to board um president nominees. Okay. Commissioner Sounds, thank you. Um I'm really happy to see that we have like a fullly seated um full commission. Welcome all my commissioners. And I really appreciate the culture of our commissions have been more collaborative than ever before. And I'm also really delighted to see my Falmore colleague now rejoining us, Commissioner Joel Copeland and I like to uh nominate him to be our vice president, given that his breadth of knowledge and history of our commission and also his vision that is also always consistent with all of us.