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Supervisors hear Central SoMa plan; planners defend jobs-heavy approach as residents warn of displacement
Summary
Planning staff told the Land Use & Transportation Committee that Central SoMa could yield about 40,000 jobs and 7,625 housing units and deliver more than $2 billion in public benefits; community groups and supervisors pressed officials for clearer timelines, identified sites for 1,080 promised affordable units, and stronger anti-displacement protections.
Planning staff presented the proposed Central SoMa area plan to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Land Use and Transportation Committee on Oct. 23, describing the area as a transit-rich place that can accommodate job growth while contributing housing, parks and other public benefits.
John Ram, director of the Planning Department, said the plan began as an outgrowth of the Eastern Neighborhoods work and was intended to capture opportunities near the Central Subway and other regional transit. Steve Wertheim, the department’s project manager, told the committee the plan focuses on “horizontal density” across large parcels and outlined eight goals including accommodating jobs and housing, preserving cultural heritage and delivering parks and complete streets.
Wertheim said the plan envisions roughly 40,000 new jobs and 7,625 new housing units within the plan boundary. He told supervisors the plan could generate more than $2 billion in public benefits over a 25-year horizon—money that staff say would cover nearly $1 billion needed to reach a 33 percent affordable-housing…
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