Committee advances ordinance to allow up to two vehicles in private driveways

The committee considered an ordinance amending the Planning Code to allow up to two operable vehicles to park in private driveways located in required front setback, side yards, or rear yards, while continuing to prohibit boats, trailers, recreational vehicles, mobile homes and buses. Planning Department staff Lisa Gluckstein said the change would legalize a common but noncompliant practice, exempt such parking from screening requirements, and not count it toward maximum parking limits. The proposal contains an explicit requirement that any driveway parking remain wholly on private property with no encroachment onto public right-of-way; enforcement of right-of-way encroachment would remain under the jurisdiction of SFMTA.

Supervisors and public commenters raised concerns about pedestrian safety associated with active curb cuts, impacts on ability to implement protected bike lanes and other safety projects (especially on high-injury corridors such as Alemany), and the clarity of enforcement for cases where private lots abut the public right-of-way. Gluckstein said the planning department requires curb cuts to be filled in when a garage is rendered nonfunctional, except when the conversion is to a new ADU or junior ADU — a deliberate trade-off to incentivize additional housing production.

Tom Avelovich of Livable City urged the committee to keep strong standards and to pair any regulatory changes with easier processes or grants for removing driveways when that clearly benefits the public realm. After public comment and discussion, the committee adopted amendments and sent the item to the full Board with a positive recommendation (3-0).