Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the 525 Harrison topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances plan and zoning changes for 525 Harrison in Rincon Hill, requiring 15% on-site affordability and pedestrian improvements
Summary
The committee voted unanimously to forward ordinances for a zoning and planning‑code amendment at 525 Harrison that would allow a taller/slender tower, raise the on-site affordable requirement to 15%, commit to 50% TSF payment by the sponsor, and require pedestrian safety improvements; planning staff and the developer differed slightly on story counts and affordable unit totals.
The Land Use and Transportation Committee advanced two ordinances on Thursday to amend the Rincon Hill area plan, planning code and zoning map for 525 Harrison Street and recommended both measures to the full Board of Supervisors.
Supervisor Jane Kim, the lead on the item, said the project—sited north of the I‑80/Bay Bridge—would allow a more slender tower to provide additional units on the parcel and increase the on‑site below‑market housing commitment from the current 12% to 15%. "The planning code amendment adds the requirement to provide 15% on‑site affordable housing in order to use the tower bulk and spacing exceptions," Kim said when explaining the minor amendments she distributed to the committee.
Project details and differences in the record: Planning staff described the proposal as a new 23‑story residential tower with approximately 205 dwelling units, about 500 square feet of ground‑floor retail space and 103 parking spaces; the planning commission had recommended approval. The project sponsor’s presentation (Hines) described the design and massing and said the project is 205 units with 22 occupied stories in its current iteration and that on‑site affordable units were increased from 25 to 31 (sponsor’s figures). The transcript contains both staff and sponsor figures; the committee record reflects these differences and the article reports both sources rather than resolving the discrepancy.
Financial and community commitments: Supervisor Kim said the project would pay Rincon Hill community infrastructure impact fees and the SoMa Community Stabilization Fund, which she described as totaling "over $5,000,000." Kim also noted the sponsor committed to paying 50% of TSF fees for pipeline projects, a commitment the sponsor reiterated to the committee. The sponsor outlined commitments to pedestrian safety improvements around the tower base, including sidewalk widening, street trees and a new signalized crosswalk at Harrison and Essex—measures Kim and Vision Zero advocates prioritized.
Motions and next steps: Supervisor Kim introduced and moved minor clerical and substantive amendments; the motion to amend was made by Supervisor Kim and seconded by Supervisor Cohen, and the amendment passed unanimously. Kim then moved to forward both items to the full Board with a positive recommendation; the committee approved that motion unanimously. The ordinances will be scheduled for the full Board’s consideration (the clerk noted items acted upon would appear on the December 1 Board agenda unless otherwise stated).
Context: Planning staff said the legislative amendments would accommodate exceptions to tower bulk, upper tower sculpting and tower spacing for Block 3764 and would allow an increase in development potential sufficient to require more than the baseline inclusionary requirement under local law, which is why the 15% on‑site requirement was accepted in this case.
