Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Department Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning department presents largely steady budget; preservation CEQA staff moved administratively into environmental planning
Summary
City planning staff told the Historic Preservation Commission the FY2018–20 budget will largely ‘stay the course,’ with a proposed self‑funded ADU planner and an administrative shift of four CEQA‑focused preservation planners into Environmental Planning to improve CEQA coordination.
The San Francisco Planning Department presented its proposed fiscal 2018–2020 budget and work program to the Historic Preservation Commission on Wednesday, describing a modest net revenue reduction and limited new spending.
“the budget is not going to be changing very much in the upcoming years,” Deputy Director of Administration Deborah Landis said, summarizing the department’s projections and the mayor’s instruction to absorb a 2.5 percent general‑fund reduction. Landis told commissioners the department expects a small decrease—about $300,000 after CPI adjustments—compared with the current year, and emphasized that roughly 70 percent of the department’s expenses are personnel costs.
The department proposed one new, self‑funded planning position focused on accessory dwelling unit (ADU) applications that staff expects to pay for itself through additional application volume. “We do propose one revenue‑generating self funded position related to accessory dwelling units,” Landis said.
Preservation staff described administrative changes to better align CEQA review. Tim Frey, preservation staff, said four preservation planners who work primarily on CEQA casework will be administratively moved from Current Planning into Environmental Planning to ensure closer coordination with the Environmental Review Officer and other CEQA reviewers. “Those positions…their sort of responsibilities and their work product are CEQA‑specific,” Frey said, explaining the motivation for the shift.
Commissioners asked for clarification on how the shift affects staffing counts and daily responsibilities; staff said the reorganization is administrative only and does not reduce preservation capacity for Certificate of Appropriateness reviews or the landmark designation program. Landis also noted placeholder estimates for higher rent and moving costs tied to a projected April 2020 relocation to 49 South Van Ness.
The department outlined anticipated grant activity—expecting an expansion of grant funding in the coming year—and described reduced one‑time development impact fees related to a past rail‑yard alignment project. Staff said grants could fund consultant support for priority CEQA projects and seed money for the citywide preservation survey being developed with the Getty Conservation Institute.
The presentation was informational; there was no action on the budget at the hearing. Staff said they will return with a final package for the Planning Commission and then to the mayor’s office as the city’s budget process advances.
