Planning commissioners call for improved outreach after Supervisor Walton flags 4100 Third Street correspondence

San Francisco Planning Commission members on Jan. 16 pressed planning staff to tighten protocols for handling correspondence after the Office of Supervisor Walton said project sponsor remarks at a recent hearing implied support for a conditional use authorization that staff say applied to a separate grant.

Planning Director Hillis told the commission that planning staff had not forwarded letters that were not about the 4100 Third Street project to the commissioners and that the letters in question referred to support for a grant, not the conditional use (CU) before the commission. Hillis said staff will adopt clearer methods for describing correspondence in future meeting packets so commissioners have time to review materials prior to hearings.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the distinction affected trust between the department, supervisors' offices and the community, especially in Bayview Hunters Point where residents and supervisors have raised concerns about outreach and representation. Several commissioners pressed staff for ways to avoid similar confusion in future project reviews.

What staff said

Planning Director Hillis said staff found the letters in the project file but did not…