S.F. delays big development on Van Ness for equity study
The scope of a longpercolating plan to allow for taller and denser housing around the intersection of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue was cut back after members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously called for a pause to complete a race and equity study of how the rezoning would impact communities of color and other marginalized groups.
The new, narrowed version of the area rezoning — planners call it the Hub — allows three big developments in the plan area to go forward: 960 units at 10 South Van Ness Ave., 335 units at 30 Van Ness Ave., and 345 units and a new French American International School at 98 Franklin St.
But 15 other sites in the 84acre area — properties for which no development plans have been filed — will be delayed as the city explores how the rezoning might impact existing residents and organizations susceptible to displacement and gentrification.
The scaledback plan was approved at the Board of Supervisors Land Use and Transporta
tion Committee on Monday.
At Monday’s committee meeting, Supervisor Dean Preston, whose district includes a portion of the plan area, said that the three projects that will go forward all offer significant community benefits that have been agreed to through several years of negotiations. The remaining 15 properties, he said, do not have any active proposed developments and therefore would not immediately be adversely impacted by more scrutiny.
“We would be fasttracking changes for those three sites while taking the time we need before moving forward with the rezoning of the remaining properties,” Preston said of the approved projects.
The 320foot 98 Franklin St. tower will include 25% deeply affordable housing as well as a new French American International School. The 520foot 30 Van Ness project will be 25% affordable and contribute $10 million in affordable housing fees to the city. The developer of the third parcel, the 55story tower at 10 South Van Ness, has offered to buy the infamous Monster in the Mission site above the 16th and Mission BART Station and donate it to the city for lowincome housing.
Preston said that further study of the remaining Hub land should include more input from the historically African American Western Addition neighborhood northwest of the Hub area.
“We simply can’t allow major rezoning bordering the Western Addition without engaging the Western Addition community,” he said. “If we are serious in this city about racial equity, and I believe we are, we need to take a closer look at this proposal.”
The majority of the properties not being upzoned are smaller than the three going forward. Exceptions include 33 Gough St., which is owned by City College of San Francisco, and 170 Otis St., which is owned by the city. Both would see height limits increased from 85 feet to 300 feet under the current Hub plan.
Preston spelled out the community benefits of each of the three parcels being rezoned, and said he was especially excited for the agreement that the 10 South Van Ness tower would enable a lowincome project at the 16th and Mission BART Station, which has been the subject of an eightyear development fight.
Securing the property for lowincome housing “would be an incredible win and testimony to the power of community organizing for the Mission District and the housing justice movement in the city at large,” he said.
At Monday’s meeting, some housing advocates criticized the decision to delay part of the rezoning, arguing that putting off a big piece of the plan could delay about 1,200 potential housing units, including 400 affordable units. Todd David, executive director of the Housing Action Coalition, called it “a fully baked plan that had it all — millions in fees, labor protections and desperately needed housing.”
Tim Paulson, secretarytreasurer of the San Francisco Building and Trades Council, said his labor group had supported the entire plan, which he said would provide good union jobs, workforce standards and would generate more than $50 million in fees for affordable housing.
“We do have very big concern because we did not want this to be slowed down,” he said. “We are still on record as saying we want this to move forward.”
But Erick Arguello, president of the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District, said the Hub plan must avoid the pitfalls of the 2010 Eastern Neighborhoods rezoning, which he said helped fuel the displacement of Latino families and bluecollar jobs from the Mission District.
“This moment is an opportunity for the city to be held accountable for correcting the planning policies of the past,” he said.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin emphasized that the remainder of the plan, while delayed for more study, was not dead.
“Let’s be clear: We are going to deal with this in the next six months,” he said.