Committee advances Japantown Neighborhood Commercial District ordinance to tailor zoning for neighborhood

The Land Use and Transportation Committee voted to forward an ordinance that would establish a Japantown Neighborhood Commercial District (NCD), a zoning overlay based on the community-developed Japantown Cultural Heritage and Economic Sustainability Strategy (J CHEST). The committee passed the motion without objection.

President (Supervisor) Breed, author of the ordinance, described the NCD as a means to create zoning tailored to Japantown's cultural and commercial character. She said the NCD would replace generic commercial zoning within a core commercial corridor and would include measures the community requested, such as parking maximums instead of minimums, restrictions on new curb cuts, a requirement for ground-floor retail with a 5-foot height bonus for such uses, allowances for increased residential density, and new controls on formula retail.

Steve Wertheim of the Planning Department expressed support and thanked community partners and staff who worked on the plan. Community speakers, including Bob Hamaguchi of the Japantown Task Force, endorsed the ordinance as business-friendly and likely to increase potential for residential development. A public commenter, Arianna, urged that future development prioritize locally owned businesses to preserve cultural authenticity and circulate economic benefits locally.

Supervisor Jane Kim moved to forward the ordinance with a positive recommendation to the full Board; the motion passed without objection. The ordinance will proceed to the full Board of Supervisors for further consideration.