Planning Commission backs rezoning to enable Kensington Way land swap and preserve Edge Hill open space

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Planning Commission on Oct. 9 voted 6–0 to recommend approval of a rezoning ordinance tied to a proposed land swap that Supervisor Mirna Melgar said would permanently preserve unstable hillside lots on Edge Hill Mountain while enabling modest residential development on more suitable, city‑owned parcels.

Supervisor Mirna Melgar (D7), who sponsored the swap, told the commission, “This item before you is a land swap and an ensuing rezoning of the land that we are swapping.” The commission’s action was limited to the rezoning; the land‑swap agreement and any future building proposals will require separate approvals by the Board of Supervisors, state reviewers and project‑level permits.

Commission staff said the ordinance would remove portions of two paper (unbuilt) streets from the zoning map, rezone a city parcel identified in the staff packet (assessor’s parcel noted in the record as 2042039 To 041) from public open space to RH‑2/40X, and in other places rezone parcels to public open space. The Department of Real Estate said appraisals were prepared to support a fair‑market exchange and that state procedures governing disposition of public…