Zoning administrator proposes tying some parking variances to affordable units; commission and public probe data limits

Zoning Administrator Badner presented a policy proposal August 10 to make affordability a condition for some parking variances — for example, requiring that a unit subject to a variance be rented at 60% of area median income (AMI) or sold at 100% AMI in exchange for granting reduced or no off‑street parking. Badner described Bay Area studies that show lower car-ownership rates among lower-income households and said the policy was intended to reduce parking demand while encouraging affordability.

Public commenters — including homeowners, tenant advocates and land-use attorneys — raised a range of legal and practical concerns: how an affordability condition would affect legalization of existing units, the treatment of in‑law or family units, impacts on landlord‑tenant contracts, and whether the Bay‑Area data accurately reflect San Francisco car‑ownership patterns. Several speakers said a flat 20% affordability requirement would be easier to defend legally but might be insufficient to achieve the policy’s goals; others warned that heavy-handed conditions could discourage legalization of existing units and push activity underground.

Commissioners asked staff to seek San Francisco‑specific datasets (vehicle registrations, census tract parsing) and to consult with the DMV and DPT for parking inventory data. The zoning administrator acknowledged the evidence drawn so far is coarse and committed to refining the analysis and developing written criteria (a zoning administrator bulletin) for when affordability conditions would be appropriate. Commissioners signaled interest in further hearings and possibly a joint session with the Board of Appeals to shape policy details.