Board approves lease finding that 1200 Van Ness provides up to 20,000 sq. ft. for city law library; 10–1 vote

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 10–1 on April 2 to adopt a resolution finding that a lease at 1200 Van Ness, for no greater than 20,000 net rentable square feet, is "suitable and sufficient" to meet the city’s obligation to provide quarters for the San Francisco Law Library and delegated authority to the Director of Real Estate to negotiate and finalize the lease.

The finding matters because the city faces pending litigation in which the Law Library has challenged whether the proposed space satisfies the City Charter requirement to provide "suitable and sufficient" quarters. Deputy City Attorney John Givner told the board that the department’s consultants and outside experts concluded the proposed space meets the city’s charter and state-law obligations, and recommended the board act before a court hearing later in the week. "The space offered to the Law Library under the proposed lease is sufficient and meets all the City's obligations under the Charter, and state law," Givner said.

Supporters said the proposed location increases publicly accessible volumes and seating, and will provide more terminals and seminar space than the library currently offers. Supervisor Malia Cohen and others cited the need to keep the library functioning while the War Memorial Building undergoes seismic work; the War Memorial’s tenants must vacate by July for retrofit work that could otherwise delay relocation.

Opponents argued the square footage is too small and questioned the timing. Supervisor David Campos and Supervisor Jane Kim expressed concerns that the city was acting very close to the court hearing and that some advocates had requested 30,000–35,000 square feet to accommodate rare books and archival collections. Supervisor Kim said many current users rely on computer terminals more than stacks, and urged the board to consider alternative collocations and to ensure the city is not overpaying for new space.

City staff said other site-sharing options had been explored, including discussions with the San Francisco Public Library and local law schools, but those efforts did not produce a feasible location. John Updike, Director of Real Estate, said the lease opportunity emerged from the library’s broker and that the site is transit-served with adjacent parking; city estimates indicate the new space would make 50,000–70,000 volumes directly accessible to the public and add seating and computer terminals.

The resolution passed on a roll-call vote with Supervisors Weiner, Yi, Avalos, Breed, Chu, Cohen, Farrell, Kim, Mar and Tang voting aye and Supervisor Campos voting no. The board record shows the vote was 10 ayes, 1 no. The item’s staff report and the city’s outside consultant were cited repeatedly during debate; the board’s action authorizes the department to enter the lease and includes the city’s finding for use in the pending litigation.

The Director of Real Estate will negotiate lease terms and return to the board or the Budget Committee for release of tenant-improvement reserves, which staff said would be requested after the lease is executed.

Speakers listed in the meeting transcript who addressed this item included Supervisor Scott Farrell (sponsor/introducer of the item), Supervisor David Campos, John Updike (Director of Real Estate), Deputy City Attorney John Givner, Supervisor Jane Kim, John Alpek (Director of Real Estate representative), Supervisor Malia Breed, Supervisor David Chiu (presiding), and Supervisor Scott Wiener.

The court hearing on the library’s challenge was scheduled for the week following the board meeting; city attorneys characterized the board’s finding as part of the city’s position in that litigation.

Votes at a glance: Resolution (Item 13) — approved, 10 ayes, 1 no.