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Planning staff outline Transportation Sustainability Fee to replace TIDF; seeks feedback
Summary
Planning Department staff described a proposed Transportation Sustainability Fee that would replace the Transportation Impact Development Fee and shift CEQA metrics away from automobile level of service toward transit delay and crowding; staff estimated the fee could generate about $630 million over 20 years.
Planning Department staff presented an informational briefing on the Transportation Sustainability Program and a proposed Transportation Sustainability Fee (TSF) intended to address cumulative transportation impacts and to align CEQA analysis with the City’s multimodal priorities.
Alicia John‑Baptiste told the commission the program would: change CEQA transportation methodology away from automobile level of service toward transit delay and crowding; establish a citywide impact fee applied to residential and nonresidential development to replace the TIDF; and complete an EIR studying 20 years of projected development to support a proportional share fee and an expenditure program. Staff said the draft nexus and financial studies indicate the TSF could generate approximately $630 million over 20 years and could leverage further local, state and federal funding.
Commissioners and public commenters asked about fee rates, discounts (for low‑parking projects, small non‑formula retail, and affordable housing), legal defensibility, and how the program would coordinate with plan‑area fees in Eastern Neighborhoods and Market Octavia. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and other transportation advocates spoke in support of moving away from automobile LOS.
What happens next: Staff indicated an ordinance introduction and EIR scoping early in the coming months, with public outreach to supervisors, CACs and stakeholder groups; the commission can expect follow‑up hearings as the ordinance and EIR advance.
Quotes from the hearing: "The change to CEQA methodology would move our focus away from automobile level of service and to transit delay and transit crowding," staff said. Staff also told the commission, "The TSF is proposed to generate $630,000,000 over 20 years."
