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Mayor Ed Lee tells supervisors he'll consider condo‑lottery bypass, pledges neighborhood commercial investment and tailored parking work for PDR areas
Summary
Mayor Ed Lee told the Board of Supervisors he is open in principle to a condo‑lottery bypass program to help tenants‑in‑common and to direct fees toward the housing trust fund. He also promised targeted investment in neighborhood commercial corridors and asked city agencies to work with PDR employers on SF Park implementation.
Mayor Ed Lee used a scheduled question‑and‑answer period with even‑district supervisors to address housing and neighborhood economic concerns, offering conditional support for several policy ideas and committing to staff follow‑up.
On condo conversions: Supervisor Farrell asked whether the mayor would support legislation allowing owners in tenancies‑in‑common (TICs) to pay a fee to bypass the condo‑conversion lottery, with fees dedicated to affordable housing. Mayor Lee said he is "open in principle" to discussing a condo‑conversion program and to considering legislation so long as it balances revenue needs, tenant protections, and homeownership principles. Lee noted the city has regulated condo conversions since 1979 and referenced a 1982 compromise that limited annual conversions and eligibility rules. He also said the loss of the redevelopment agency makes local revenue tools more important and pointed to a newly convened housing trust fund working group.
Neighborhood commercial corridors and small businesses: Supervisor Chu and Supervisor Kim raised concerns about the Outer Sunset and other neighborhood corridors losing long‑standing small businesses to rising rents. Lee committed to walking corridors with supervisors and to an "Invest in Neighborhoods" strategy through the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) that will include assessments, façade improvements, parklets and business assistance. He said OEWD already runs corridor programs, storefront improvement projects and a revolving loan fund and is planning a "job squad" to extend small business assistance into neighborhoods.
SF Park and PDR business areas: Supervisor Cohen asked about expanding the SF Park parking management program into Mission Bay, Dogpatch, Potrero Hill and parts of the Mission, and whether employee parking passes might be evaluated. Lee said SF Park is data‑driven and the SFMTA is working with communities; he directed the city's Office of Economic Development to work with PDR (production, distribution and repair) employers to reduce financial burdens on low‑income employees and to tailor any parking management to the unique needs of interspersed industrial and residential blocks.
Why it matters: The mayor's openness to a condo‑lottery bypass and the emphasis on a locally funded housing trust come as San Francisco seeks new revenue following the dissolution of redevelopment. The mayor's pledges on small business assistance and customized parking management respond to neighborhood concerns about displacement, jobs and delivery access.
Speakers quoted or paraphrased in this article spoke on the record during the mayor's Q&A period.
