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Excelsior residents demand neighborhood hearing and 100% affordable housing for 65 Ocean proposal
Summary
Scores of residents and community groups urged the Planning Commission to hold the hearing for the 65 Ocean Avenue project in the Excelsior, calling the proposal too reliant on market-rate studio units and urging more family-sized affordable housing and neighborhood engagement.
Dozens of residents and community groups pressed the San Francisco Planning Commission on Aug. 22 to move the hearing for the proposed 65 Ocean Avenue development into the Excelsior neighborhood and to require much greater on-site affordability.
"The 65 Ocean project represents the disconnect between a community in jeopardy and development entitled to operate seemingly imperceptive to material conditions," said Jesse Fernandez, program manager for Communities United for Health and Justice, who asked the Commission for a neighborhood hearing and a written response within a month.
Speakers representing CUHJ, Poder, Coleman Advocates, NOAH Neighborhood Council and other local groups said the sponsor’s proposal is weighted toward market-rate units and studios, which they said would not meet the needs of local families. "This is the largest project ever to be proposed in the district at 75% market-rate units, 70% of which would be studios," Fernandez said, summarizing the community's view.
Ozzie Rehm of the San Francisco Land Use Coalition and NOAH emphasized preservation concerns and urged stronger protection for historic resources and family-sized units. "We need family units in Excelsior community, not just luxury units," one neighborhood speaker said.
Organizers handed the Commission petitions and letters and asked for a town‑hall-style hearing in the Excelsior at times accessible to working residents. They said hundreds of signatures oppose what they described as a mainly luxury project and urged that the Planning Department prioritize public outreach in the district.
Supporters of producing housing with transit-oriented benefits also spoke during the meeting, noting the city's need for more homes. At the hearing, Corey Smith of the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition described proposals that include below-market-rate units and childcare as wins where they are feasible, while acknowledging community concerns.
The Commission did not take a final vote on a specific entitlement for 65 Ocean at this meeting; testimony was heard as part of general public comment and the planning staff agreed to follow up on the community’s request for an Excelsior hearing and a written response.
Next steps: the Commission asked staff to report back on the status of the Excelsior planning process and consider scheduling a neighborhood hearing.
