Board advances Park Merced development agreement, tables related actions

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on May 24 voted to move forward with core approvals for the proposed Park Merced redevelopment while tabling related review motions, advancing the project after a day of extended debate over tenant protections, legal risk and long-term planning.

The Park Merced proposals before the board include a motion affirming certification of the final environmental impact report (EIR) and four ordinances that would authorize a development agreement, create Park Merced zoning districts, amend the zoning map and revise the general plan height map for the Lake Merced site. Supporters said the project would enable major West Side transportation improvements and preserve the unified Park Merced community; opponents and some supervisors warned that legal uncertainty about rent-control protections could leave tenants at risk.

Supervisor Ellsberg, who represents the district encompassing Park Merced, said the project is a rare West Side opportunity to add housing and fund corridor improvements. "Please add 5,500 new units of housing West Of Nineteenth Avenue," he told colleagues, arguing that without the project "Nineteenth Avenue turns into a parking lot" and that the scale of developer-sponsored work is needed to reach Tier 5 corridor improvements.

President Carmen Chu and staff described a series of amendments negotiated at the Land Use Committee that aim to strengthen tenant protections during relocation and post-development. Chu summarized amendments introduced earlier in the day…