Planning Commission delays Park Merced initiation, schedules hybrid informational hearings

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Planning Commission on Oct. 21 voted to continue planned initiation of zoning-code, map and general-plan amendments for the Park Merced redevelopment until Dec. 9 after a lengthy public-comment period in which tenants, neighborhood groups and housing advocates urged the commission to delay action until a draft environmental impact report and a development agreement were more fully vetted.

Joshua Flitzke, planning department staff, told the commission the step before it was “a draft resolution to initiate amendments to the planning code, the zoning maps, and the general plan” so the department could begin public noticing; he emphasized initiation is procedural and “does not predetermine or pass judgment on the substance of the amendments themselves or bind the commission in any way to approve the amendments at a future public hearing.”

Why it matters: Park Merced is a long‑term, multi‑decade master plan for roughly a 152‑acre site that staff said could include about 5,700 net new housing units, replacement of roughly 1,538 existing units, about 200,000 square feet of neighborhood retail and some 68 acres of public open space. Residents and tenants pressed the commission for binding, written protections for rent‑controlled households, clearer mitigation for traffic and infrastructure, and more detail on seismic retrofit requirements and air-quality impacts.

Resident and neighborhood testimony ranged from requests for more in‑neighborhood meetings to technical critiques of the draft EIR and development materials. Mark Christiansen, president of the Merced Extension Triangle Neighborhood Association, said the plan must be “scaled down,” noting testimony in the hearing that the sponsor envisioned changing the site from about 3,221 existing units to as many as 8,900 units in some proposals. Long‑term tenant Dennis Norrington urged specific written language to preserve tenants’ rights under rent control and pointed to the need for geotechnical work to address liquefaction and seismic hazards.

City staff and other officials urged that some concerns will be addressed through the development agreement and the EIR process. Michael Yarny of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development said staff had distributed a draft development agreement and planned a “hybrid” informational presentation on Nov. 4 that pairs an overview of the physical plan with a summary of how the development agreement would work; he said staff had consulted with SFMTA, SF Public Works, the PUC, the Fire Department and the Rent Board on elements of the package.

In addition to questions about tenant protections, public speakers and commissioners raised legal constraints, including references to the Costa Hawkins Act and Ellis Act, which affect the city’s ability to require perpetual rent control on new construction. Affordable‑housing advocates urged staff to consult legal experts and to develop enforceable mechanisms before any entitlement action.

Commission discussion centered on process: several commissioners supported initiation as a routine procedural step but asked staff to hold workshops and additional hearings to unpack the plan documents (vision, sustainability, transportation, design guidelines and infrastructure) before consideration of entitlements. Multiple commissioners said they favored holding topic‑focused hearings and a joint staff‑applicant presentation so the commission and public could analyze phasing, tenant relocation and how the plan relates to the city’s housing needs.

Action taken: The commission voted to continue initiation until Dec. 9, 2010, and directed staff to schedule the informational presentations and workshops in advance of that date; the Nov. 4 informational session on the development agreement and plan documents was confirmed as the first public briefing.

What remains open: The commission did not approve any zoning or code changes on Oct. 21. Staff reiterated that certification of the final EIR and subsequent hearings on entitlements and the development agreement will be required before any final approvals. Several speakers and commissioners signaled they expect additional hearings on transportation, sustainability, historic preservation and the tenant‑relocation plan.

The Planning Commission will reconvene for the scheduled informational hearing on Nov. 4; initiation of the zoning and general‑plan amendments was continued to Dec. 9, 2010.