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Planning Commission approves Urban School expansion, authorizes enrollment increase to 420
Summary
The San Francisco Planning Commission approved a two‑phase conditional use for the Urban School’s North Campus on Oak Street, including a 54,000‑square‑foot academic and athletics building, relocation of a historic residence and an enrollment increase from 380 to 420 students, after students, clergy and neighbors testified in favor.
The San Francisco Planning Commission on Feb. 5 approved the Urban School of San Francisco’s two‑phase North Campus project, granting a conditional use authorization that allows the independent high school to build a roughly 54,000‑square‑foot academic and athletics facility and raise enrollment from 380 to 420.
Planning Department staff presented the project and recommended approval with conditions. “The CU before you is for a planned unit development for the Urban School of San Francisco,” staff member Mary Woods told the commission, summarizing the two‑phase proposal and noting requests for planning‑code modifications and a 10‑year time frame for CU approval.
Project sponsor Mark Salkin, head of Urban School, and architect Dwight Long said the phase‑one building would include a full‑size gym, classrooms, staff offices, a rooftop green area and a two‑level parking garage. Salkin said the expansion would relieve overcrowding and allow the school to serve more San Francisco and Bay Area families.
Several students, alumni and St. Agnes Parish pastor Ray Allender spoke in support. “This will increase our parking by 50 percent so it will be a real benefit for us,” Father Allender said, citing the parish’s twenty‑year partnership with the school.
Commissioner Dennis Richards, who pulled the item from consent to allow extended public testimony, praised the project’s community benefits and moved to approve. After discussion of enrollment and design details, commissioners voted unanimously to approve the conditional use and the requested enrollment increase.
The approval includes the planning‑department conditions read into the record and the standard land‑use findings. The commission’s action is a permit decision; any appeals or required permits will follow normal city review and building‑permit processes.
The next procedural step is whatever ministerial building and permit reviews are required to implement the approved design and conditions. The sponsors and staff said they will coordinate with planning and building‑inspection staff as the design is refined.
