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Committee hears Parcel F Transbay package and shadow debate; items continued for more review
Summary
The committee heard a joint presentation on Parcel F (542–550 Howard Street)—a proposed mixed‑use tower with an estimated $45M–$47M in‑lieu affordable‑housing fee to fund off‑site units—and spent an extended period on shadow impacts to Chinatown parks. After public comments and detailed Q&A, supervisors voted to continue items 2–4 for additional review.
The Land Use and Transportation Committee spent significant time on Feb. 22 reviewing the Parcel F development package for 542–550 Howard Street, a major Transbay mixed‑use proposal that would swap some on‑site inclusionary housing for a higher in‑lieu payment aimed at financing affordable units elsewhere in Transbay.
Abigail Rivamonte Mesa, chief of staff to Supervisor Haney (the project sponsor), said the project would include residential, hotel and office uses and that the sponsor agreed to an in‑lieu affordable‑housing payment equal to 150% of the base fee. OCII interim director Sally Orth explained that OCII intends to use the additional revenue to support Block 4, a nearby project planned to provide permanently affordable units; OCII cited financing constraints and HOA‑fee dynamics that make on‑site inclusionary units at the proposed tower difficult.
Planning staff described the site as roughly three‑quarters of an acre and said the project would contain about 165 dwelling units, 189 hotel rooms and roughly 276,000 sq. ft. of office space. The development agreement estimates the in‑lieu fee at $45–$47 million versus a base fee of about $30 million.
A central line of questioning focused on shadow impacts to the Willy Woo Long (Chinese Playground) and Transbay shadow budgets created under the Transbay District plan. Planning and project consultants said the project's incremental wintertime shadow is limited—an average of about 11 minutes and a maximum of roughly 15 minutes on certain days—and that avoiding that shadow would require removing many floors and would render the project infeasible. Supervisor Peskin pressed staff on whether any building sculpting could reduce the shadow without destroying feasibility; the sponsor said no feasible sculpting would avoid the impact without eliminating much of the project.
Public comment included organized labor and community groups supporting the project for its job creation, union commitments and affordable‑housing funding; Chinatown organizations and other neighbors said they wanted strong assurances about mitigation and community benefits. The committee voted to continue items 2–4 for additional review and scheduled related proceedings at the Board's Committee of the Whole.
Next steps: Items 2–4 were continued to March 8; item 4 (redevelopment‑variation findings) is also set for Committee of the Whole consideration on March 2 as a hearing file, with the Board to decide how to proceed.
