Board roundup: redevelopment budget, Ocean Avenue sale with affordable-use restriction, election-deadline extension and other actions

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on March 15, 2011 approved a range of consent items and ordinances, including a redevelopment agency budget amendment, a property transfer that will carry a use restriction for affordable housing units, and an emergency ordinance to allow the Director of Elections to extend deadlines for a possible June 2011 municipal election.

Major votes and council actions at the meeting included:

- Redevelopment agency budget amendment (item 1): The board adopted a resolution approving an amendment to the Redevelopment Agency budget for fiscal year 2010-11. The roll call vote recorded eight yeas; the resolution was adopted.

- Ocean Avenue and Phelan Avenue property sale and jurisdictional transfer (item 4): The board accepted updated supporting documents for an ordinance ordering summary vacation, jurisdictional transfer, and sale of city property at Ocean and Phelan avenues. The deputy city attorney described changes to the purchase-and-sale agreement that add a use restriction requiring a mixed-use project to set aside 70 rental units for households with initial incomes at or below 60 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) and a reversion clause if the redevelopment agency ceases to exist. The ordinance was finally passed without objection after the board accepted the revised documents.

- Emergency election-deadline extension (items 24 and 25): The board held a public hearing and adopted an emergency ordinance authorizing the Director of Elections to extend municipal election deadlines by up to 15 days to accommodate the possibility of a June 2011 election. Director of Elections John Arntz explained that the Ballot Simplification Committee (BSC) could not meet until after the statutory deadline and recommended limited extensions to align schedules.

- Ethics Commission Public Election Campaign Finance Fund (item 13): An ordinance appropriating approximately $1.3 million from the general fund reserve for the Ethics Commission's public election campaign finance fund was continued two weeks to March 29 on a motion by Supervisor Avalos, seconded by Supervisor Farrell.

- Fourth Street Bridge litigation (item 14): An ordinance appropriating approximately $2.8 million of general fund reserve for litigation expenses related to the Fourth Street Bridge project passed its first reading.

- Other consent and committee items: The board adopted a lease extension for 1421 Broderick Street for the Department of Public Health (item 16), authorized a master bike rental concession lease in city parks (item 15), passed a planning-code amendment clarifying annual fee adjustments (item 19, first reading as amended), and approved an ordinance to establish a mayoral Q&A appearance process before the board (item 23, finally passed). An ordinance lifting the restaurant ban in the Upper Fillmore Neighborhood Commercial District (item 21) passed its first reading as introduced.

Why it matters: Several items affect housing and land use (Ocean/Phelan transfer with an affordable-use restriction; planning-code fee clarifications; Upper Fillmore zoning). The emergency election ordinance addresses operational timing for a potential June election and gives the Director of Elections limited flexibility to meet statutory processes.

Votes at a glance (selected items): - Item 1 (Redevelopment agency budget amendment): adopted, roll call 8-0. - Item 4 (Ocean Avenue/Phelan property transfer and sale): ordinance finally passed after acceptance of revised documents including affordable-use restriction; no roll call objection recorded. - Item 13 (Ethics Commission appropriation, ~ $1.3M): continued to March 29 (motion by Supervisor Avalos, seconded by Supervisor Farrell). - Item 14 (Fourth Street Bridge litigation appropriation, ~ $2.8M): passed first reading (same house, same call). - Item 24/25 (Emergency ordinance extending election deadlines): emergency ordinance finally passed (roll call 8-0 on item 25).

Quotes "As everyone knows, there's a lot of uncertainty with respect to the redevelopment, the future of the redevelopment agency," Deputy City Attorney Cheryl Adams said while explaining changes to the Ocean/Phelan documents that add an affordability requirement.

"We're in a situation where we're trying to plan for an election that hasn't been called yet," John Arntz, Director of Elections, told the board on item 24, explaining the requested extensions.

Ending Board members said several items would return for further consideration or final readings; many consent items passed via "same house, same call," while several contested or complex items were continued to allow more review or coordination.