Board adopts consent grants and resolutions; blight assessments amended and adopted

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on May 14 approved multiple consent items and routine resolutions, including federally funded housing grants, park‑project grants, and a downtown business‑improvement district hearing date. The Board also amended and adopted a report of blight‑abatement assessment costs after resolving several property disputes.

Key actions adopted without extended debate included:

- HUD grants (Items 4–7): The Board approved resolutions to accept and expend grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for approximately $24,000,000 for FY2019–20; an Emergency Solutions Grant for approximately $1,500,000; a Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) award for approximately $7,500,000 covering FY2019–20 through 06/30/2024; and a HOME Investment Partnership grant of approximately $7,000,000 through 06/30/2024. These items were approved on the consent calendar.

- India Basin Park (Items 8–9): The Board approved a $25,000,000 grant from the John Pritzker Family Fund to the Recreation and Park Department and a separate allocation of approximately $4,900,000 from the Recreation and Park Department and the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority for environmental remediation at 900 Innes Avenue.

- Downtown Community Benefit District (Item 10): The Board declared its intention to establish a property‑based Downtown Community Benefit District, approved a management plan and engineer’s report and set a public hearing for July 16, 2019 at 3:00 p.m.

- Ordinances and plaques (Items 11–13): The Board passed on first reading an amendment to the Administrative Code revising the definition of tourist or transient use under the hotel‑conversion ordinance, approved acceptance of a Tina Modotti commemorative plaque for installation near 1952 Taylor Street, and adopted a resolution to rename Gilbert Street to Jeff Adachi Way; all actions were taken without objection.

- Appointments (Items 15–16): Two mayoral appointments to the successor‑agency commission (the Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure) were confirmed for four‑year terms ending 11/03/2022.

Blight abatement (Items 17–18)

The Board sat as a committee of the whole on a hearing of assessment costs submitted by the Department of Public Works for graffiti and blight abatement. Department staff explained the notice and abatement process and said most property owners comply; those that do not are assessed costs which are placed on the property tax bill. Public commenters raised concerns and requested individual review.

After conferring with property owners, Public Works reported six properties had paid outstanding fees and requested their removal from the assessment list. The Board amended the report to remove those six locations (including 280 Seventh Street, which had two notices) and adopted the amended report. Nineteen properties remained on the list for assessment on the tax roll.

Several other routine resolutions and first‑reading ordinances on the consent calendar were adopted unanimously. Items severed for separate discussion were addressed later on the agenda.