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Mayor’s office outlines SoMa Stabilization Fund plan and timing; commissioners press for resident safeguards
Summary
Fred Blackwell and the SoMa Stabilization Fund advisory committee presented fund priorities and revenue timing on April 12, detailing $14 and $11-per-square-foot fees, priorities for affordable-housing access and infrastructure, and projected RFP timing; commissioners sought guarantees that existing SoMa residents be prioritized for aid.
SAN FRANCISCO — The mayor’s office and the SoMa Stabilization Fund advisory committee updated the Planning Commission on April 12 about how new community-benefits fees will be structured and spent in South of Market.
Fred Blackwell, director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Development (MOCD), said the fund stems from fees tied to Rincon Hill rezonings: a $14-per-square-foot fee (stabilization and affordable-housing components) and an $11-per-square-foot fee (community improvements/infrastructure). Blackwell said the two-fee structure yields an estimated maximum of roughly $32 million through 2010 (about $26 million from the $14 fee and up to $6 million from the $11 infrastructure fee), though the timing of receipt varies — much of the larger amounts arrive at building permit or certificate-of-occupancy milestones.
Jazzy Collins, chair of the Stabilization Advisory Committee, described the committee’s vision and four priority program areas: access to affordable housing, economic and workforce development, community building/cohesion, and infrastructure. Blackwell said staff are preparing an RFP to guide distribution and expect to aim initial RFP work at approximately $4.57 million in funds where receipts are already confirmed, while other projected revenue streams remain delayed relative to early projections.
Commissioners pressed for clarity about whether funds could be used for rental assistance and whether people who are homeless but not current residents of SoMa would be eligible. Claudine Del Rosario (MOCD) and Blackwell said the legislation is broad and allows a range of interventions — including rental assistance and programs targeted to vulnerable residents — and that the committee’s strategic planning and the RFP process will set prioritization and eligibility. Multiple commissioners urged safeguards so local longstanding residents receive priority for benefits.
Why it matters: The fund is intended to mitigate displacement pressures and provide community benefits tied directly to development revenue. Commissioners and community representatives raised questions about preventing program funds from supplanting existing city agency budgets and how to coordinate with capital-programming decisions citywide.
What’s next: MOCD will proceed with the strategic-planning process, community town halls and an RFP guided by the advisory committee; commissioners requested written packets and coordination with city departments to ensure funds supplement rather than supplant existing services.
