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Western SoMa task force presents two years of planning work; neighbors press for protections
Summary
Citizens’ Western SoMa task force briefed the Planning Commission on progress, committees, student analyses and policy priorities; many neighborhood speakers called for stronger protections for affordable housing, jobs, and cultural preservation across Eastern neighborhoods.
The Western South of Market Citizens Planning Task Force reported progress, participation and next steps at the Planning Commission’s March 15 meeting. Paul Lord of the Planning Department summarized staffing, consultant support and student analyses; Jim Meeko and other task‑force leaders described working groups on transportation, arts and business/land use and laid out a schedule for community outreach through the coming year.
Task‑force leaders said they seek to balance new housing with protections for existing business and creative uses, to explore alley‑design and adaptive reuse, and to recommend zoning tools that prioritize neighborhood character and affordable space. The task force noted recent wins — formula retail controls and a commitment that parts of Market Octavia that affect Western SoMa will be added to the task‑force plan area.
Public comment ran more than an hour. Neighborhood groups and service providers praised the Western SoMa process as more inclusive than other rezoning efforts but urged the commission and planning staff to push parallel reforms: stronger affordable‑rental protections, programs to preserve PDR (production/distribution/repair) jobs, local hiring conditions for new projects, and clearer public notice around major rezonings. Several speakers raised concerns about SRO (single‑room occupancy) policy and interim controls adopted by the Board of Supervisors.
The commission thanked the task force for the report and asked staff to consider how lessons from Western SoMa could guide Eastern Neighborhood rezonings and related outreach.
