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Real estate director outlines parcel reviews and code amendments; civil grand jury presses for accountability
Summary
The Real Estate director reported updated parcel data, recent sales activity, and a 'public sites framework' to guide future dispositions; the civil grand jury urged stronger reporting and oversight of surplus parcels and criticized long‑standing vacancy of key properties. The Board adopted language deferring implementation to departments.
John Updike, Director of Real Estate, told the committee the city owns over 1,000 parcels and summarized sale and disposition activity since 2007, noting approximately $11,000,000 in general‑fund asset sales, $20,000,000 in SFPUC sales and $30,000,000 in Octavia Boulevard area transactions. He outlined department‑level reviews — Fire, SFMTA, Port, Library, Recreation & Park, SFPUC — and said draft Administrative Code Chapter 23 amendments and a "public sites framework" are in progress to guide future sales and public‑benefit negotiations.
Fred Rodriguez of the civil grand jury said a key problem has been lack of persistent oversight and information availability: "170 Fell Street has been boarded up and fenced in for 25 years," he said, urging annual reporting and mechanisms to ensure surplus properties do not linger indefinitely. Rodriguez recommended that departments receive compensation or incentives when they disgorge property and that permissible uses under the surplus ordinance be broadened.
David Golden, Chief Facility Officer for the San Francisco Unified School District, said the district’s facilities needs are fluid and argued that a rule limiting how long properties can remain on a surplus list would be "not warranted or reasonable" for the school district, noting several formerly surplus properties have been repurposed for thriving schools and offices.
The committee adopted language stating the Board will not itself implement Recommendation 3 and 4 of the civil grand jury report and will defer to city departments leading the work on code amendments, public‑sites framework and community engagement; the motion was adopted without objection.
