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Bayview residents urge Planning Commission to preserve 1550 Evans as community center, accuse developer of behind-the-scenes effort for housing
Summary
Dozens of Bayview leaders and residents told the Planning Commission the Southeast site at 1550 Evans should remain a community and education center, not be parceled for housing; several speakers presented public-record emails alleging a developer sought to reallocate housing credits. Planning staff said the SFPUC application requires a zoning change and can be fast-tracked.
Reverend Brown, speaking for the San Francisco NAACP branch, opened a string of public comments urging the Planning Commission not to replace a decades-long, community-driven plan for a Southeast community center at 1550 Evans with housing. He appealed directly to commissioners, saying, “Do not become inheritors of the racist spirit … Do the right thing, respect the community.”
Multiple Bayview community leaders, including Steve Goode of the Southeast Community Facilities Commission and Al Norman of the Bayview Merchants Association, said the community spent years shaping a mitigation-backed vision for the site that prioritized education, a multipurpose community facility and green space. They told the commission the community overwhelmingly rejected housing at that location during extensive outreach and surveys.
Speakers alleged a private developer, identified in testimony as “Build Inc,” has been pursuing a different plan in private emails and meetings. “We have emails through a public records request that show that Build Inc is solely trying to maximize their housing credits … and have no intention whatsoever to actually develop the 1550 Evans site,” Steve Goode said. Residents described the conduct as “behind closed doors” and asked the commission to require transparency among city departments and to prioritize the community’s long-standing plan.
Planning Department staff said they received an application from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission for the 1550 Evans site about a month earlier and that the site is zoned PDR, which would require a zoning change to implement the community center plan. Staff told commissioners it would seek to fast-track the zoning change and that the community center can proceed regardless of whether a portion of the site is used for housing. Commissioners requested staff provide a brief informational item to give commissioners context on the project’s history and status.
The commission did not take a final vote on the site during the hearing. Several Bayview speakers asked for enforcement action, public review of emails and commitments that the planning and mayoral offices honor the mitigation and community process that led to the existing plan. Planning staff said they will bring zoning and timing options back for the commission’s review in the coming months.
