This afternoon, without any further discussion, the Board of Supervisors passed the Western SoMa Community Plan. With Supervisors Mark Farrell and Norman Yee absent, the vote was 8-1. Supervisor Scott Wiener voted against the Plan again. It now goes to Mayor Ed Lee for his signature.
Category Archives: politics
We won!!!
The Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 today to adopt the Western SoMa Community Plan, with Supervisor Scott Wiener dissenting. One more vote next week and then the Plan goes to the Mayor for his signature.
Judgment day
The Western SoMa Plan goes to the Board of Supervisors for its first reading today. If approved, it will require a second reading next week and will then be sent on to the Mayor for his signature.
If minor amendments are offered, best case scenario is that there might be a delay of a couple weeks. Worst case scenario, if the amendments involve issues that were not covered in any of the options studied, is that they may require re-opening the EIR for further analysis which could amount to as much as a six month delay. Let’s all hope that any amendments are turned down.
I will be undergoing surgery at Kaiser Santa Clara at the same time this is all playing out. Corey Teague and the Planning Department staff and Supervisor Jane Kim will be representing the Plan. There will be no public comment but your attendance at the Board would be appreciated.
jim
The community comes out for the Plan
South of Market housing activists and community members packed a city hall hearing room on Monday to demand that the impact fees for affordable housing remain at the level recommended in the Western SoMa Community Plan. They came out to oppose an amendment proposed by Supervisor Scott Wiener that would trim those fees in order to provide more funding for transit. Continue reading
SOMCAN urges action to save WSoMa affordable housing
Dear community and allies:
SoMa faces some of the greatest development pressure in all of San Francisco. As new condos are developed and office buildings go up nearby, prices continue to skyrocket. The SoMa community knows the history of displacement too well.
Since 2005, neighborhood residents from different backgrounds and interests united on a neighborhood vision of how our community should grow without displacing the existing residents with a strong preference for affordable housing. Our unified community vision materialized the West SoMa Plan. The Planning Commission PASSED the West SoMa Plan unanimously.
BUT on Monday, Feb. 25th – in a matter of minutes, Supervisor Wiener and Supervisor Chiu have amended the West SoMa Plan to take funding away from our affordable housing vision and goals!!! Continue reading
Who cares about SoMa’s Youth and Family Zone?
Following a two week continuance that came about at the request of Supervisor Jane Kim, a proposal for an 11 story hotel at 250 Fourth Street will be considered by the Planning Commission this Thursday afternoon. Commissioners agreed that the project sponsors needed more time to conduct adequate outreach to the nonprofit organizations serving the Filipino population in the area. Continue reading
BuzzFeed: “Promises of charity won tax breaks for tech companies”
San Francisco tech companies will avoid local taxes in exchange for promises, charitable contributions, and even promoted tweets, according to draft city documents. The agreements could be finalized as soon as tomorrow.
by JUSTINE SHARROCK
BuzzFeed Staff
Twitter and six other San Francisco tech companies are set to receive sizable tax breaks from the city in exchange for non-binding promises to make charitable contributions totaling, in many cases, just tens of thousands of dollars — along with promoted tweets for local groups. Continue reading →
Filed under community services, politics
Proposal to raze I-280 linked to train and real estate deals
by STEVEN T. JONES
San Francisco Bay Guardian
It’s a bold idea, discussed for years behind closed doors and recently announced in a strangely understated and pro-growth way: Tear down the last mile of Interstate 280 and replace it with an wide boulevard – reminiscent of the removal of the Central and Embarcadero freeways – in order to facilitate the extension of electrified Caltrain and high-speed rail tracks into the Transbay Terminal. Continue reading →
Filed under economics, planning, politics, transportation
Western SoMa Plan faces little opposition as it moves towards December 6 adoption hearing
More neighbors – fewer land use attorneys – participated in helping to create the Western SoMa Community Plan at one of three Town Hall meetings held at Bessie Carmichael School
Following two informational hearings before the Planning Commission, the Western SoMa Community Plan moves relatively unscathed towards its December 6 adoption hearing. Following that Planning Commission action, the Plan will still require approval by the Board of Supervisors and the signature of the Mayor. If all goes well, the Plan could go into effect early next year. Continue reading
Kim ponders radical realignment of 11th Street neighbor/nightclub zoning
More nightclubs?
To hear tell, business would be booming and we’d all be dancing in the streets if it were not for “the purple building” and “that lady on Norfolk alley who keeps complaining.” Such is the state of denial the California Music and Culture Association (CMAC) lives in as they plot to foment another war between neighbors and nightclubs in South of Market.
The purple building represents the threat of new development adjacent to existing nightclubs and the Norfolk neighbor has been driving the club owners crazy because she keeps asking the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to enforce the law. Continue reading
Filed under entertainment, meetings, planning, politics, quality of life
soma leadership council 