Board committee recommends Bayview African American Arts and Cultural District CHESS report to full board

The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 on Sept. 29 to send the San Francisco African American Arts and Cultural District's Cultural History, Housing and Economic Sustainability Strategies report (CHESS) to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation.

Supervisor Shimon Walton, who introduced the item, described the CHESS document as the community's roadmap and said the planning process began in 2021. "I urge your support and committee approval so that we can continue to build on the work of the African American Arts and Cultural District," Walton said.

The mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) and the San Francisco Arts Commission, Planning Department and Office of Economic and Workforce Development participated in the presentation. Emani Pardue Bishop of MOHCD described the CHESS report as a required planning and legacy document that covers six policy areas: cultural preservation, tenant protections, arts and culture, economic and workforce development, land use, and culturally competent services. Bishop noted CHESS reports are developed through community engagement and city coordination.

April Spears Mays, executive director of the San Francisco African American Arts and Cultural District, outlined the report's priorities for Bayview Hunters Point: preserving cultural assets, supporting black-owned businesses and artists, tenant protections and improved health and environmental conditions. "Bayview isn't just a neighborhood. This is our history, our heart, our home," Spears Mays said.

CHESS contains 23 community-rooted strategies and supporting actions. Presenters highlighted proposals including establishing a Bayview Heritage Museum with a faith-focused exhibit, creating a tenant ambassador position to connect residents to tenant-protection resources, a design toolkit and wayfinding so visitors know they are entering the Bayview cultural district, an artist collective, block-by-block revitalization of commercial corridors and increased access to culturally responsive health and wellness services.

Public comment featured multiple Bayview residents, neighborhood business leaders, community organizations and faith leaders who voiced support for the CHESS report and emphasized needs for housing, food security and locally controlled economic development. Pastor Aurelius Walker and representatives of True Hope Evangelical Ministry described plans for affordable housing on church-owned land and urged continued city support. Several cultural-district peer organizations submitted letters of support, and community-based groups described decades-long organizing that led to the report.

Chair Mirna Melgar moved to send the resolution to the full board with a positive recommendation; the clerk recorded votes by Vice Chair Jeanette Chen, Member Mahmood, and Chair Melgar. The motion passed with three ayes.

The committee record indicates the resolution will appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda on Oct. 7, 2025, unless otherwise noted. The CHESS report's implementation will require ongoing coordination among city departments and the district's community leadership; presenters emphasized the strategies include specific actions and that funding and staffing are needed to carry them out.

The committee action recorded on Sept. 29 was procedural: the committee recommended approval to the full board. No city funding appropriation or code changes were adopted at this meeting; those implementation steps will come later and will require follow-up legislation or departmental action.