Supervisors approve zoning and health measures, debate housing rules and send robot-delivery proposal back to committee

San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors on Oct. 17 approved a set of ordinances and resolutions affecting zoning, public-health rules and park naming while spending much of the afternoon debating housing rules, a utilities software contract and how the city should regulate delivery robots on sidewalks.

The board amended and passed on first reading changes to the city’s inclusionary-housing rules, voted to authorize an $11.8 million software-support agreement for the Public Utilities Commission, and sent an ordinance regulating autonomous delivery devices back to committee so staff and the full board can negotiate permit limits and safety requirements.

Why it matters: The actions move forward multiple projects that affect housing production, public safety and city procurement practices. Several items also set policy direction on emerging technologies and public-health protections for consumer products.

The board opened with remarks from Mayor Edwin Lee, who urged faster housing production and noted the city’s 30,000-unit by-2020 target. “One of the ways we can support [first responders] is by building more housing in our city,” Mayor Lee said. He described an executive directive to speed permitting and said the city had produced about 17,000 units toward the 30,000 goal and was building at a current pace of roughly 5,000 homes per year.

Inclusionary housing (item 8) Supervisor Kim introduced an amendment to the Planning Code to revise off-site inclusionary-housing requirements for projects that use tax-exempt bond financing and tax credits. The amendment requires that at least 60 percent of off-site affordable units be affordable to households at 55 percent of area median income, and that the income table for such units be the one used by the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD). Kim said the change reflects negotiated compromises among nonprofit developers and the housing office and applies to an option of a small number of projects that build off-site affordable units rather than paying a fee.

Supervisor Safaie supported Kim’s explanation of the negotiations and the compromise: “we already have 60% allocated for 55% AMI,” he said, describing the change as consistent with prior agreements. The ordinance, as amended, passed its first reading unanimously.

Oracle-license contract for PUC (item 9) The board considered a resolution authorizing the general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to execute an $11,800,000 agreement with Mythix Inc. for as-needed Oracle…