Land Use Committee forwards mayor's Central SoMa zoning changes; committee also considers hotel interim‑housing amendments

At its March meeting the Board of Supervisors’ Land Use Committee considered two mayoral ordinances relevant to city planning and housing policy and forwarded them to the full board with recommendations.

The first ordinance would amend the planning code, zoning map and general plan for the Central SoMa plan area to remove a two‑thirds requirement for office development. Supervisor Dorsey, a co‑sponsor, introduced amendments aligned with the Planning Commission’s recommendations that would limit building heights to 600 feet on certain sites and require community amenities on key parcels. Committee members unanimously forwarded the amended ordinance to the full board with a positive recommendation after two public commenters expressed support.

The second ordinance would amend the planning code to permit hotels and motels to be used as interim housing without abandoning their land‑use designation. Planning Commission members previously recommended approval with conditions in December. The committee considered additional amendments to protect relocation efforts when interim housing units revert to hotel use and other findings to clarify labor and program protections. The committee amended the file to include most proposed changes but reserved a set of modifications related to Shelter in Place (SIP) hotels; the chair said she would duplicate the amended file next week and include SIP hotel amendments that would require re‑referral back to the Planning Commission.

HSH deputy director Emily Cohen presented to the committee on the item; more than a dozen public commenters — many of whom were current or recent participants in sober-living transitional housing programs — spoke in support of the amendments. The committee chair moved to amend the file with most changes and continue the item for a final vote next week so SIP-related changes could be added and, if necessary, referred back to the Planning Commission.

Why it matters

The Central SoMa ordinance addresses allowable office development and community benefits on key sites inside a major planning area; changes could shape growth and job-space decisions downtown. The hotel interim‑housing ordinance would create a process allowing select hotels to operate as temporary housing while retaining the ability to revert to hotel use, a policy that affects shelter capacity, hotel workers and local housing strategy. Both items remain subject to additional action by the full Board of Supervisors.