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25‑year Downtown Plan report: jobs fell short of forecasts, housing growth and preservation succeeded
Summary
Planning staff presented a 25‑year monitoring report reviewing the Downtown Plan. Key findings: far fewer jobs downtown than estimated in 1985, substantial housing added downtown (including conversions), conservation district protections and TDR use, and mixed transportation results (high transit share in core but stagnation outside it). Commissioners and public urged a new strategic citywide vision.
Planning Department staff presented the 25‑year monitoring report for the Downtown Plan, reviewing the plan’s objectives and reporting on outcomes for employment, housing, preservation and transportation over the past quarter century.
The report noted that planning forecasts in the 1980s anticipated substantial office growth; instead, employment downtown remained effectively flat and, in some subareas, declined. Over the period the city added roughly 12.4 million square feet of office space, but downtown job counts did not rise as forecast. Several office properties were converted to housing and there has been considerable growth in institutions, education and small businesses rather than traditional high‑density office employment.
On housing, the report highlighted that downtown added a significant number of housing units — far more than early forecasts projected — including conversions of about 18 office buildings to residences and a substantial pipeline of planned units. Preservation metrics showed creation of conservation districts, protections for many historic buildings and widespread use of TDRs to enable preservation while allowing development elsewhere.
Transportation results were mixed: the downtown core enjoys a high transit mode share (largely due to regional rail), but transit ridership outside the core and vehicle‑occupancy goals did not meet expectations. Staff and commenters said the city must plan for changing economic and technological patterns and for better transit service outside the immediate core.
Commissioners and public speakers used the item to urge the Planning Department to craft an updated, strategic vision that integrates economic change, transit investments (Van Ness, Central Subway/Transbay), housing and job strategies for the broader central city. The presentation was informational; no action was required.
