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Central SoMa plan forwarded to full board without recommendation after last‑minute edits
Summary
The Land Use Committee moved the Central SoMa area plan package to the full Board of Supervisors without recommendation after approving several late amendments, including a funding allocation linked to community space at the Old Mint and reinstating a 17‑foot PDR ground‑floor height for a key site.
The Land Use Committee forwarded the Central SoMa area plan package (items 7–11) to the full Board of Supervisors on Monday without a committee recommendation, after a series of final amendments and public comments.
Sponsor Supervisor Kim introduced a set of amendments that among other things aim to allocate $20,000,000 for restoration of the Old Mint if community‑serving, below‑market cultural space is provided, and to direct $155,000,000 toward regional transit capacity expansions. The sponsor asked that the implementation program reflect the allocation while noting the planning document itself is guidance for future appropriations.
Supervisor Safaie won a motion to restore a 17‑foot minimum ground‑floor ceiling height for PDR (production, distribution and repair) space at the Fourth & Harrison key site — reversing a prior amendment that would have allowed 14 feet by right — and the committee adopted the 17‑foot requirement for that location. Planning staff explained the key‑site process preserves commissioner discretion for some exceptions, but Safaie said the Fourth & Harrison site should retain higher ground‑floor clearances to protect industrial/PDR uses.
Developers and industry representatives (Kilroy, Realtek) spoke during public comment about site‑specific constraints and an in‑principle agreement to deliver alternate affordable housing land if the Flower Mart site remains commercial. Kilroy said it had reached an in‑principle deal to provide a separate 14,000‑square‑foot affordable housing site elsewhere in the neighborhood contingent on the Flower Mart zoning remaining commercial.
The committee also struck an uncodified section (section 6) from the ordinance packet as part of the final edits. Supervisor Kim moved the items forward to the full board "without recommendation" to leave time for outstanding issues to be finalized before full board consideration.
Next steps: Planning staff and the sponsor will finalize the implementation document and outstanding agreements with project sponsors and return to the full board for hearings and votes.
