Committee adopts amendments to remove retail size limits for health service uses in parts of MUO district, continues ordinance to June 2

The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted May 19 to amend and continue an ordinance that would remove retail use size limits and retail ratio requirements for health service uses in portions of the Mixed Use Office (MUO) district east of Seventh Street.

Committee Chair Supervisor Mirna Melgar moved to adopt the amendments circulated by Madison Tam of Supervisor Ahsha Safai's (sponsor office referenced as Supervisor Dorsey in the record) office; the motion was seconded and approved unanimously by the three-member committee and the item was continued to the committee's next meeting on June 2.

The amendments endorsed by the committee narrow the ordinance’s scope to the MUO area east of Seventh Street and add findings describing the policy rationale. They also incorporate Planning Commission recommendations to include reproductive health clinics among the exempted health service uses and to remove the MUO retail ratio requirement in the affected portion of the district. Veronica Flores of the Planning Department told the committee the Planning Commission considered the item on April 17 and recommended approval with those modifications.

Madison Tam, representing the ordinance sponsor, said the change would allow “more flexibility and diversity of uses” in a part of the MUO district adjacent to downtown, South Beach, South Park and the Embarcadero, and noted the district’s proximity to the UCSF Mission Bay campus. Tam said the sponsor circulated substantive amendments before the hearing and asked the committee to adopt them and continue the item for final action at a subsequent meeting.

There was no public comment on the item. After the committee adopted the amendments, Chair Melgar moved the ordinance be amended and continued to the Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting on June 2. The clerk stated the vote as: Vice Chair Supervisor Chayan Chen — I; Supervisor Bilal Mahmood — I; Chair Melgar — Aye. The clerk further advised items acted on at this meeting are expected to appear on the full Board of Supervisors agenda of June 3, 2025 unless otherwise stated.

Next steps: the committee’s action on May 19 inserts the sponsor and Planning Commission’s amendments into the ordinance and schedules continued consideration on June 2. The full Board of Supervisors will be the next venue for final action unless the committee indicates otherwise.