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Supervisors’ Land-Use Panel backs ordinance to ease zoning rules for child care centers
Summary
The Land Use Committee voted to forward an ordinance that would simplify Planning Code definitions for child care, make most child care centers principally permitted, exempt them from neighborhood notification, and allow shared open space during weekday hours to expand capacity.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Land Use and Transportation Committee voted July 10 to send an ordinance to the full Board that would loosen local zoning rules to help expand child care capacity across the city. Sponsor Supervisor Norman Yee said the measure responds to a severe shortage of licensed care for young children.
Planning Department staff said the measure would replace multiple, conflicting local definitions with a single definition consistent with state law, allow child care facilities to be principally permitted in most zoning districts (excluding certain PDR and M zones), exempt child care from neighborhood notification requirements, and permit residential developments to share existing open space with child care during weekday business hours (limited to Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m., and a child care facility could not use more than 50 percent of a single shared space). “There are 23,000 children ages 0 to 2 in San Francisco, but only 3,400 child care spots for them,” planning staff said, noting long wait lists and procedural barriers that can delay opening new centers by nine months to several years.
The ordinance also seeks to reduce costs and uncertainty that providers face: planning staff said neighborhood notification and conditional use processes can add at least $2,000 in fees and eight to 18 months to approvals, and that since 2015 the department processed 19 child care cases that required conditional use review. Office of Early Care and Education staff and representatives from the Low Income Investment Fund told the committee they strongly support the changes, arguing streamlined rules will help nonprofit providers and developers open new slots more quickly.
During public comment, nonprofit providers and parents described local demand and operational challenges, including an example of a long-standing provider facing eviction. Supervisor Tang moved to forward the ordinance with a positive recommendation; the motion was taken without objection. The item will be considered by the full Board on July 18.
The committee action is a procedural recommendation only; it does not change law until the full Board acts.
