1:30 in Room 263 today: support the Western SoMa Community Plan!

The Western SoMa Community Plan goes before the Land Use Committee of the Board of Supervisors today at 1:30 pm in Room 263 of City Hall) on its way towards final adoption. This will be the Plan’s main hearing at the Board.

Please come and testify. It’s too late for emails or phone calls. We need bodies to line up and tell them, adopt the Western SoMa Community Plan without any further changes.

Land Use and Economic Development Committee
1:30 pm, Monday, February 25
City Hall, Committee Room 263 

What will the Western SoMa Plan do?

• Prioritize and incentivize more residential development, particularly affordable housing – YES!
• Maintain and enhance the current cultural, social and economic diversity in the neighborhood – YES!
• Support a development fee structure that will raise the inclusionary housing requirement – YES!
• Support a Community Stabilization Policy that seeks to maintain housing and local workforce priorities – YES!
• Integrated transportation and design options that create neighborhood equity and prioritize pedestrian safety – YES!
• Test drive two Social Heritage District concepts that celebrate and prioritize the cultural vitality of our Filipino and LGBTQ communities – YES!
• Protect and enhance our unique alleyway network, where many of our 5-9 residential buildings house families and rent-controlled units – YES!
• Designate Folsom Street as a Neighborhood Commercial Corridor, where small businesses and pedestrian foot traffic can thrive – YES!
• Create a new zoning category south of Harrison Street – Service, Arts and Light Industrial (SALI) – to accommodate the arts and entertainment as opposed to corporate office space – YES!
• Balance a diversity of usages throughout West SoMa that showcase the unique character of the neighborhood – proof that mixed-income residential development, entertainment, arts and non-profits and small businesses can all co-exist and thrive in a complete neighborhood – YES!

The Western SoMa Community Plan is a model for how the Planning Department can work in partnership with real stakeholders to craft a thoughtful, balanced and comprehensive community plan. As the City continues to grow and face difficult planning decisions, it is a reminder of what we can accomplish together. Join us at City Hall today!