Commission approves eight‑year extension for Yellow Cab parking lot; Planning staff reiterates fleet‑charging conversion requires separate review

The San Francisco Planning Commission unanimously approved on March 13 a conditional‑use authorization to continue operation of a private parking lot used by Yellow Cab at 531 Bayshore and adjacent addresses for a period of up to eight years.

The approval continues an existing temporary parking lot — first authorized in 2018 — that contains approximately 150 parking spaces and serves the Yellow Cab fleet. Planning staff recommended approval and found the continued use consistent with the Bayshore area plan and the site’s PDR‑2 zoning.

Teamsters Local 665 requested the item be pulled from consent for public comment. Mark Malouf, a Teamsters business agent, said the union has been “heavily involved in autonomous vehicle and fleet charging policy in the city” and wished to raise concerns. Planning staff and the project sponsor said the current request is solely to extend a private parking lot use; conversion to a fleet‑charging facility or a parcel delivery use would require a separate change of use and a separate conditional‑use approval.

Gabriela Pantojo of Planning Department staff summarized that the lot was originally approved in 2018 when Yellow Cab needed a location after displacement and that the current request permits continuation for up to eight years. Tuia Catalano, attorney for the project sponsor, said the fleet size has shrunk from roughly 600 cabs in 2018 to approximately 300 today and emphasized that the application does not seek permission for fleet charging or parcel delivery services. Catalano said, “What we're asking here today is a private parking lot use. We're not asking for fleet charging use. We're not asking for a parcel delivery use.”

Planning staff and a public commenter noted the Board of Supervisors closed a code loophole more than a year ago so that private parking lots in PDR‑2 that later seek to convert to fleet‑charging must obtain a separate conditional‑use approval. A planning department representative asked that applicants be made aware of the ordinance change.

Commissioner LeBaron said he visits the site often and reported seeing only Yellow Cab vehicles and no signs of fleet charging or queuing. LeBaron moved to approve; the motion carried unanimously with all seven commissioners voting aye.

The approval authorizes Yellow Cab to continue using the site as a private parking lot for up to eight years; any future change of use to fleet charging or parcel delivery would require a separate application and public review under the planning code.