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Rules Committee sends Midtown Park Apartments procurement exemption to full board for expedited repairs
Summary
The Rules Committee voted to forward an ordinance seeking an exemption for Midtown Park Apartments from certain city contracting rules so the city can speed repairs while keeping prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements in place.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee on Monday forwarded an ordinance to the full board that would exempt the city-owned Midtown Park Apartments (1415 Scott Street) from Administrative Code Chapter 6 procurement rules while requiring compliance with prevailing wage and the apprenticeship rules in Administrative Code section 23.61.
The exemption, presented by Sheila Nicolopoulos, Director of Policy at the Mayor’s Office of Community Development (MOCD), is intended to allow the city to contract more quickly for extensive repairs at the 140-unit Midtown Park Apartments, a family housing development built in 1964 that MOCD said the city acquired after the original developer defaulted on a HUD-insured mortgage.
MOCD told the committee that Midtown Park has had little major repair work since construction. Nicolopoulos said the complex has outdated plumbing feeding boilers—"boats typically have a useful life of 10 years," she said—resulting in boilers needing replacement every three to five years and producing broader capital needs including a new roof, fire sprinklers, window replacement to address water intrusion, and soft-story seismic upgrades. MOCD said 34 units are being held vacant to allow on-site tenant relocations while repairs occur.
MOCD and the Department of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) said certificates of participation bonds were issued in the 2023 budget to fund repairs to affordable properties and that MOHCD will expedite contracting. Nicolopoulos said the requested Chapter 6 exemption would allow the city to contract with vendors experienced in tenant-occupied rehabilitations and vulnerable populations; she said work would be performed under prevailing wage and overseen by a construction manager.
A project manager stated the city will continue to issue requests for qualifications and proposals and meet small business enterprise contracting requirements even under the exemption.
There were no public speakers on the item. Chair Walton moved to forward the ordinance to the full board with a committee recommendation; Vice Chair Cheryl and Chair Walton voted "aye" and one member was recorded absent. The motion carried and the item will appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda for Feb. 4, 2025, unless otherwise noted.
The committee record includes a MOCD presentation describing the building's condition and the proposed contracting approach; the ordinance as drafted affirms the Planning Department's determination under the California Environmental Quality Act.
