Committee sends Gerald Avenue shelter lease amendment to full board without recommendation after heated remarks

The Budget and Appropriations Committee on June 18 forwarded a resolution to the full Board of Supervisors without recommendation that would authorize the director of property to amend a lease with Lawrence B. Stone Properties to add roughly 82 shelter beds and up to approximately $3,000,000 in site improvements at 2177 Gerald Avenue.

The resolution authorizes the city to contribute funds for improvements including a dorm build-out, utilities upgrades and other predevelopment costs to expand the existing temporary shelter footprint. The lease term remains unchanged (effective 01/02/2024 through 01/01/2039). The item also affirms the Planning Department’s CEQA determination and related planning-code findings.

Why it matters: The item prompted a strongly worded objection from Supervisor Shamone Walton (District 10), who said the community was not consulted and opposed the expansion. Walton urged the committee to reject the resolution, arguing the mayor’s office had “jammed” the shelter into the neighborhood without sufficient community engagement. Walton moved to forward the item to the full board without recommendation; Chair Connie Chan seconded the motion. The committee voted 5–0 to move the item to the June 24 full-board meeting without a recommendation.

Deputy City Attorney Brad Russsey explained the timeline: under Administrative Code Chapter 21B, if the Board of Supervisors does not reject the resolution before the end of the authorization window (June 30 as discussed), the mayor may sign and execute the lease amendment; forwarding the item to the full board without recommendation preserves the full board’s opportunity to reject the action before the deadline.

Sophia Kittler of the Mayor’s Budget Office said discussions were ongoing between the mayor’s office and supervisors, and the mayor’s staff would continue outreach; Walton and other supervisors said the community’s lack of support made the expansion unacceptable without more engagement.

Vote: The committee forwarded Item 10 — the lease amendment for 2177 Gerald Avenue — to the June 24 full-board meeting without recommendation. Recorded roll-call: Dorsey aye; Engadio aye; Walton aye; Mandelmann aye; Chan aye.

The resolution remains subject to the full board’s action. If the full board does not reject the lease amendment before the administrative deadline, the mayor may sign the lease under the city’s charter provisions.