The League of Women Voters of San Francisco has announced a Board of Supervisors District 6 Forum on Friday, September 19, 6:00 pm at Golden Gate University School of Law, 536 Mission Street, Room 2201. The declared candidates include incumbent Jane Kim, Jamie Whitaker, Michael Nulty and David Carlos Salaverry. A reception hosted by the student association in partnership with Golden Gate University follows.
Category Archives: politics
Kim protects PDR (at least until the November election)
by JIM MEKO
Supervisor Jane Kim followed through with her promise to the Flower Mart workers by introducing Interim Controls on Tuesday that would slow down the conversion of PDR (production, distribution and repair) businesses into high tech offices but put a 45 day lid on the controls. That’s just enough time to get her reelected in November. Continue reading
Respected local architect designs 11th Street’s first non-residential building
Stanley Saitowitz, a Principal in Natoma Architects of San Francisco, presented drawings for a four story office building proposed for 350 11th Street, the site of the notorious “purple building,” at a pre-application meeting last night. The possibility of more residential development on the entertainment corridor sent lobbyists into a frenzy and led Supervisor Jane Kim to amend the Western SoMa Plan to prohibit housing in the neighborhood.
Stanley Saitowitz is professor Emeritus of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. His design for the Beth Sholom Synagogue (2008) in San Francisco garnered international praise and awards, such as the High Commendation Award, Religion & Contemplation at the 2008 World Architecture Festival 2008. Continue reading
Filed under entertainment, planning, politics
Turn the Flower Mart into tech offices? Say it’s not so …
Zelda Bronstein, former chair of the Berkeley Planning Commission and author of many articles on the struggles of the service and light industries in San Francisco and beyond, was front and center at yesterday’s Flower Mart press conference and posted the following background piece on Tim Redmond’s 48 Hills online news site this morning. To continue on to “Turn the Flower Mart into tech offices? Say it’s not so,” click here.
Housing ballot measures would weaken city policy
With market-rate housing construction booming, Kim abandons effort to balance it with affordability
from THE BAY GUARDIAN
Under the misleading guise of encouraging the development of more affordable housing in San Francisco, Mayor Ed Lee and Sup. Jane Kim have sponsored a pair of fall ballot measures that actually weaken existing housing policy in San Francisco. It’s a ruse that shouldn’t fool politically savvy San Franciscans. Continue reading →
Kathrin Moore reappointed to the Planning Commission …
… but unfortunately Hisashi (Bill) Sugaya was not.
President Chiu’s nomination of Kathrin Moore to another term on the San Francisco Planning Commission will be considered by the Board of Supervisors’ Rules Committee on Thursday, July 24 at 2:00 pm. Letters of support may be sent to Alisa Miller at alisa.miller@sfgov.org prior to the hearing for distribution to the members of the Committee, which includes Supervisor Norman Yee, Chair, Supervisor Katy Tang, Vice Chair and Supervisor David Campos.
Reps from the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods, the Neighborhood Network, SF Tomorrow, Housing Action, Tenants Together, SOMCAN, ArcEology and neighborhood representatives from Cathedral Hill, Duboce Triangle, Eureka Valley, Haight Ashbury, Liberty Hill, Middle Polk, the Mission, North Beach, Pacific Heights, Parkmerced, Potrero Hill, Richmond District, Rincon Hill, Russian Hill, South of Market, Sunset District and Telegraph Hill all assisted in gathering signatures for a petition urging the reappointment of Commissioner Moore and Sugaya.
Commissioner Sugaya will be succeeded by Dennis Richards, former President of the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association. Bill’s expertise and passion for the neighborhoods of San Francisco have been invaluable.
The final petition report is attached.
Can Supe Cohen stem the tide of PDR to office conversions that she set loose?
by JIM MEKO
Earlier this year, Supervisor Malia Cohen carried a piece of legislation for the Mayor that would reward high tech companies by allowing them to build offices in zones that were formerly set aside for the protection of production, distribution and repair (PDR) businesses in exchange for setting aside 1/3 of that space for these light industrial jobs. No guarantee that the space would actually be filled, no controls on the rent, and big loopholes that allowed 100% office use under the Small Enterprise Workshop program. The Board of Supervisors passed it unanimously without even considering some thoughtful amendments proposed by the community organizations that were involved in the original rezoning.
When queried about the inconsistency of supporting such a dubious deal while the Planning Department was actually sacrificing so much existing PDR space nearby by recommending PDR to office conversions in every single case that came before the Planning Commission, Cohen “didn’t want to get involved in something outside of her own District.” Continue reading
Report from SoMa neighbors regarding the 10th and Harrison recycling center
from SF SoMa Neighbors:
Last week approximately 70 residents and local business owners attended a neighborhood meeting concerning the proposed recycling/buyback center at 10th and Harrison Streets. Almost everyone in the audience was opposed.
Sunny Angulo, an aide in Supervisor Kim’s office moderated the meeting. She stated that Our Planet Recycling was issued a permit in error, and that they would be required, per a letter from the City Zoning Administrator, to re-apply for permits. This will require neighborhood notification, and the neighbors can then file appeals to block or modify the permit. Neighbors could also file with the Planning Department for a Discretionary Review (DR).
Continue reading
Filed under community services, meetings, planning, politics, quality of life
Will David Chiu nominate Michael Theriault to Planning Commission?
David Chiu, running for the State Assembly, consults with members of the building trades.
by JIM MEKO
Word is spreading that Board of Supervisors President David Chiu may nominate Michael Theriault to one of the two seats on the Planning Commission currently occupied by either Commissioners Kathrin Moore or Bill Sugaya. Continue reading
Why so hesitant to plan?
by JIM MEKO
Last fall, voters rejected 8 Washington, an over-sized condo project on the waterfront that would rise to 136 feet in an area zoned for 84 feet. The Planning Department didn’t get the message. They’re still supporting a large housing and retail project proposed by the San Francisco Giants at Pier 48/Seawall Lot 337 and a sprawling office, residential, and retail project that Forest City wants to build at Pier 70. Each project violates parts of the Waterfront Land Use Plan, which just so happens to be the law.
I dislike ballot box planning as much as anyone but Prop B is an effective response to a Planning Department that doesn’t respect its own rules. Continue reading
soma leadership council 