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Committee advances 18‑month interim controls to curb parking expansion in Market‑Octavia 'hub'
Summary
A resolution was advanced to impose 18‑month interim zoning controls in the Market‑Octavia hub that remove the conditional‑use option for additional parking for new development; supervisors debated an amendment narrowing an affordable‑housing exemption to projects with at least 25% on‑site affordable units and continued the matter one week for more planning analysis.
The Land Use & Transportation Committee on Dec. 4 advanced a resolution imposing 18‑month interim controls for the Market‑Octavia hub to prevent new developments from obtaining additional off‑street parking via conditional‑use approvals while the Hub Project planning process is completed.
Sponsor Supervisor (Breed) described the hub as the transit‑rich eastern edge of the Market‑Octavia plan and said recent events — including a CEQA appeal of a high‑rise (1 Oak) that had received additional parking via a conditional use — highlighted cumulative traffic and congestion impacts from additional parking in the corridor. The resolution would grandfather projects already in the pipeline but prohibit new projects from using CUs to add parking until the hub plan is finalized.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin offered an amendment (on behalf of Supervisor Kim) to narrow an existing affordable‑housing exemption by specifying that a project would have to provide at least 25% on‑site affordable units (as defined in Planning Code section 401) to qualify for the exemption from the interim controls. The committee and sponsor discussed which pipeline projects might meet that threshold and whether the amendment would materially affect projects in process.
Public comment ran for more than an hour and a half. Speakers from neighborhood groups and advocacy organizations largely supported the interim controls and urged the board to close the CU 'loophole' that enables extra parking; Tom Medulovich of Livable City and other speakers argued that excess on‑site parking increases automobile trips and undermines transit goals. Some callers urged delaying forwarding to gather planning department analysis of the pipeline; others said the amendment should be stronger or the exemption removed entirely.
Legal counsel advised the matter could require a continuance; the committee agreed to continue the item as amended for one week to gather further information and returned to the item at a later Land Use meeting for a fuller record and board referral.
