Committee backs special-use district to legalize long‑standing office uses at 600 Townsend

The Land Use and Transportation Committee voted 3-0 on April 7, 2025, to send to the full Board of Supervisors an ordinance to establish the 600 Townsend Street West Special Use District, legalize long-standing office uses at the site, and waive or reduce certain development requirements.

Supervisor Matt Dorsey, sponsor of the legislation, described 600 Townsend as a “94% occupied, high performing commercial building” that has anchored jobs in Showplace Square for more than three decades and said the legislation aims to recognize existing uses and provide clarity to tenants. Rebecca Salgado of the Planning Department told the committee that the ordinance, introduced on Feb. 12, 2025, would establish the special use district under Planning Code section 249.10 and would waive or reduce bicycle parking, open space, streetscape, transportation demand management and impact fee requirements for the property. Salgado said the Planning Commission on March 27, 2025, recommended approval by a 6-0 vote and approved an office development authorization allocating up to 213,400 square feet of net new office space to the project.

At the Planning Commission’s request, Salgado said the final motion was amended to require additional Class 1 bicycle parking spaces at the property in lieu of Class 2 spaces. In public comment, land-use attorney Cecily Barclay, representing Toda America Inc., thanked Supervisor Dorsey, Planning staff and city attorneys and said the applicant moved quickly to file and respond to questions and revised the ordinance as needed.

Chair Supervisor Mirna Melgar moved to recommend the ordinance to the full Board as a committee report; Vice Chair Supervisor Cheyenne Chen and Supervisor Bilal Mahmood voted aye. The clerk recorded three ayes and the motion passed.

The ordinance would amend the planning code and zoning map to designate assessor’s parcel block number 3783, lot 008 as the 600 Townsend Street West Special Use District, principally permitting office uses on all floors and waiving or reducing certain development requirements as described in the ordinance. The Planning Commission’s related office development authorization represents an allocation of approximately 213,400 square feet of office space to the project, which the Planning Department described as about 8% of the city’s large-cap office space allocation referenced at the hearing.

The committee did not take additional public comment opposing the measure at the hearing. The item will be transmitted to the full Board for consideration as a committee report.