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Planning Commission pauses Residential Expansion Threshold, staff to focus on demolition definition
Summary
The Planning Commission voted to continue multiple items and accepted the department’s decision to suspend the broader Residential Expansion Threshold (RET) effort, while staff said it will pursue a single, clearer demolition definition and may use the Planning Code’s 20% adjustment authority in the interim.
The San Francisco Planning Commission on Dec. 7 voted to continue three conditional-use items to later dates and to continue the Residential Expansion Threshold (RET) informational presentation indefinitely while the Planning Department narrows its work to a revised demolition definition.
The director told the commission staff will "suspend our efforts with respect to the RET" after two years of outreach and community disagreement, and will instead prioritize a single demolition definition—potentially moving that definition into the building code so DBI and planning use the same standard. Public commenters urged the commission to exercise its existing Planning Code authority: as Georgia Schutich noted, "The Planning Commission may reduce the above numerical elements of the criteria in subsections B2 and B2C by up to 20%" where necessary to implement intent.
Commissioners asked staff to coordinate closely with the Department of Building Inspection (DBI) so a single definition prevents conflicting permit outcomes. Commissioner Moore and others pressed for a follow-up joint hearing with DBI to measure whether any new definition is being followed in practice. Members of the public and neighborhood representatives emphasized demolition thresholds, affordability impacts, and advisory‑committee composition as unresolved issues.
The commission approved the motion to continue the listed items and to hold item 8 (RET) indefinitely; staff said it will return with a focused proposal on demolition thresholds, outreach plans and specific draft language for interdepartmental alignment.
Next steps: staff said it will prepare draft demolition-definition language, continue stakeholder briefings, and schedule future hearings once new proposals are ready.
