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Community pushes PUC to move Seventeenth & Folsom toward affordable housing and open space
Summary
Community groups and neighborhood leaders urged the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to transfer the Seventeenth & Folsom parcel for mixed-use affordable housing and parkland; staff said an MOU with the Mayor’s Office of Housing is expected by December with Board of Supervisors review to follow.
Community organizers, environmental advocates and neighborhood leaders urged the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on Sept. 22 to advance a mixed-use plan for the Seventeenth & Folsom parcel that prioritizes affordable housing and open space.
Hundreds of residents and representatives of community groups testified during a prolonged public-comment period, arguing the PUC should use the surplus site to address steep housing costs, add green space in the Mission and support local jobs. Nick Pagelatos of Dolores Hu Community Services and the Mission Anti-Displacement Coalition told commissioners, “We hope that this particular body … can really start to think about how it's going to be using its surplus land” to preserve affordability and create parks.
Why it matters: The parcel sits in a transition zone identified in the city’s Eastern Neighborhoods planning process as suitable for urban mixed use. Speakers framed the lot as a rare, centrally located opportunity to combine affordable housing, green space and economic activity in a neighborhood facing long-term displacement pressures.
What staff said: Laura Spangen, speaking for PUC staff, explained the commission is actively negotiating with the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Rec & Park. She described an appraisal already completed and said staff hopes to present an MOU with the Mayor’s Office of Housing by December and, if that proceeds, seek Board of Supervisors approval by February. Spangen noted a charter requirement that surplus PUC land be sold at fair market value and that closed-session appraisal discussion would be required prior to a final transfer.
Points of friction and next steps: Community members repeatedly asked whether the PUC could transfer the entire parcel cheaply or for a symbolic amount; staff reiterated charter limits and said structures such as leases, MOUs and phased transfers are possible. Commissioners requested an updated inventory of PUC land-use policies and maps for the November meeting and encouraged staff to explore foundation or philanthropic support for the park/open-space portion.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the Seventeenth & Folsom parcel at the Sept. 22 meeting. Staff committed to return with a packet that includes the appraisal history, a list of surplus parcels, and the proposed MOU timeline.
