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Commission approves conversion of underused residential parking at 399 Fremont into 30 public spaces
Summary
The Planning Commission unanimously approved a conditional use authorization to convert part of an existing accessory parking garage at 399 Fremont into a paid public garage with about 30 spaces, following staff findings that the conversion meets code and is compatible with the Rincon Hill residential district.
The San Francisco Planning Commission on Thursday approved a conditional use authorization that will allow a portion of the underground parking at 399 Fremont Street to operate as paid public parking, a project sponsor said.
Planning staff told the commission the 37‑story building contains 448 dwelling units and about 251 used accessory parking spaces; the sponsor proposes converting roughly 30 of those into public paid parking, plus one car-share space and six class-2 bicycle spaces. The department concluded the change is consistent with the planning code and with General Plan policies for the Rincon Hill downtown residential district.
Megan Jennings, speaking for 399 Fremont LLC and the owner UDR, said the sponsor’s surveys show the garage typically has about 50 unused spaces on a daily basis and that the building has modern security systems and 24/7 concierge staff. “We believe this is a sensible reuse of constrained space in an existing facility,” Jennings said.
Commissioners questioned operator controls and separation between resident and public space. The sponsor said access would be regulated by advanced reservations and that the operator must obtain a police permit with a detailed security plan prior to operation. Tiffany Bird, UDR regional manager, added the building already exceeds the code requirement for electric vehicle chargers and that current chargers are underutilized but expected to be used more as EV adoption grows.
Commissioner Moore urged staff to track whether conversions like this become a broader trend away from housing and toward commercial parking in downtown residential buildings; other commissioners asked the department to review vacancy and reuse trends. The motion to approve included standard conditions and passed 5–0.
Next steps: the operator must secure a police department permit and finalize any security changes consistent with fire and building codes; staff also noted potential follow-up analysis on parking reuse trends in the neighborhood.
