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Planning Commission urges rejection of narrow demolition ordinance, tells staff to pursue broader code changes
Summary
The commission recommended rejecting Supervisor Maxwell’s limited code amendment requiring conditional-use review for residential demolitions, and directed staff to return with a more comprehensive proposal that includes demolition definitions, merger/live‑work protections and an implementation plan; the motion passed 5–1.
The Planning Commission on Feb. 22 unanimously in majority (5–1) recommended that the Board of Supervisors reject Supervisor Sophie Maxwell’s proposed amendment that would require conditional-use authorization for demolition of residential buildings but included limited scope and no clear demolition definition.
Craig Nikitas of the Planning Department told commissioners the Maxwell text lacked definitions for ‘‘demolition’’ and would not address conversions or mergers that also reduce housing stock. Planning staff said a more comprehensive ordinance — to be presented March 15 — would include a quantitative demolition definition that captures major alterations tantamount to demolition, address live‑work unit losses, set administrative-review thresholds and propose a narrower administrative-exemption for the highest‑value single‑family homes. Staff also circulated an interim six‑month proposal pending permanent legislation and warned it would add about 40 additional conditional‑use items if applied to the entire pipeline.
Citizen groups and neighborhood coalitions spoke during public comment urging caution but supporting stronger, more comprehensive protections for housing. The commission voted to recommend rejection of the Board-sponsored text and requested staff’s fuller, more detailed ordinance and implementation guidance.
What’s next: Planning staff will present comprehensive demolition-and-replacement amendments on March 15 and an implementation document; commissioners asked for clearer economic indicators, procedures for soundness review and a peer-review approach if DBI cannot perform technical analyses.
