Planning Commission initiates Central SoMa plan after heated debate over jobs, housing and community benefits

The San Francisco Planning Commission unanimously voted Thursday to initiate the Central SoMa area plan, advancing a package of general-plan, zoning and planning-code amendments that would rezone large parts of South of Market, increase building capacity near transit and create a public-benefits program the city estimates at more than $2 billion over 25 years.

Supervisor Jane Kim, who represents the area, told the commission the plan pushes the city toward a higher share of affordable units than earlier drafts. “We are hitting 33% affordable housing within this plan,” she said, framing the proposal as a response to the city’s housing crisis and to longstanding neighborhood needs.

Planning staff and project lead Steve Wertheim said the package would rezone much of Central SoMa to a new Central Summa Mixed Use Office district, add a special-use district to require active ground-floor uses and transfer development-rights tools to fund rehabilitation, and set a new…