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Commission approves private fleet and public EV chargers at 825 Sansom amid union and neighborhood concerns
Summary
The Planning Commission unanimously approved conditional use authorization for a mixed private fleet charging and public EV charging facility at 825 Sansom Street, with staff conditions; Teamsters opposed, citing incompatibility with the Jackson Square Historic District and gaps in CEQA cumulative analysis.
The San Francisco Planning Commission on Nov. 13 approved a conditional use authorization to convert an existing multi‑level parking garage at 825 Sansom Street into a site combining private fleet charging, overnight private parking and a ground‑floor public EV charging location.
Planning staff (Michelle Langley) said the proposal would install 31 private EV chargers on the upper level for a private fleet, 18 public chargers on the ground floor and retain 31 private parking spaces in the basement, resulting in a net loss of 16 parking spaces. Langley described the site as a category A historic resource and said the work would be completed within the existing building envelope with no major exterior alterations. Staff concluded the project is compatible with the neighborhood and recommended conditional use approval with conditions, noting transportation staff did not require further review.
Eric Lentz, representing the project sponsor Tesla, described separation of public and private operations inside the building and said internal queuing and a lower‑level buffer would limit on‑street queuing or off‑site circulation. A Tesla presenter said a traffic simulation using publicly available data showed charging and dispatch patterns could avoid peak congestion by scheduling most departures early in the morning and returns late at night.
Mark Gleeson (Teamsters Joint Council 7) opposed the project on behalf of labor and neighborhood interests. He told the commission the use “serves corporate fleet needs, not neighborhood needs,” argued the central downtown location is inappropriate when industrial sites exist, and said the CEQA analysis did not examine cumulative impacts from concentrated autonomous‑vehicle fleet charging in the area. "This use is incompatible with the adjacent Jackson Square Historic District," Gleeson said.
Commissioners debated traffic and robotaxi impacts. Several members said the question is land‑use compatibility, not operational scheduling, and noted that staff’s transportation review did not require further study. Commissioner Imperial said the downtown location helps equalize access to EV infrastructure across the city; Commissioner McGarry and others noted their role was limited to land‑use approval.
The commission approved the conditional use authorization with conditions; roll call recorded unanimous approval from Commissioners Campbell, McGarry, Brown, Imperial, Moore and President Soh. Staff noted receipt of one letter of opposition from Teamsters Joint Council 7 and that conditions will address operational separation and site circulation.
