By Tes Welborn, HANC Board
HANC's monthly (except August) general membership meeting is usually held downstairs at the Park Branch Library, 1833 Page Street (between Cole and Shrader) on the second Thursday of the month, beginning at 7 pm. Our meetinngs are open to the public and free to attend.
Virtually all of San Francisco will be rezoned under the proposed new legislation, except parks and a few tiny areas (the light gray areas shown here)
State bill SB-827 introduced in the California legislature would increase the maximum height of any development project that is located within a quarter mile of a fixed bus route with arrival frequency of every 15 minutes during peak hours. The proposed new limit would permit an additional two to five stories.
If the development project is within half a mile of a major transit stop, the new height can be up to five stories! If the width of the street on which the project is located is less than 45 feet, the maximum height shall be “only” four stories.
Senator Scott Wiener is sponsoring both SB 827 and 828, to rezone virtually all of California and take away every local control. We note that his election campaign was largely funded by real estate related interests.
Imagine buildings as tall as five stories on narrow streets such as Haight or even Downey Street. Imagine NOT being able to argue against these towering monstrosities. Even worse, imagine being evicted from your home to make room for taller and more profitable buildings.
There you have it. The developers will be allowed to go up as high as two more stories in narrow streets that are within quarter mile of a frequently serviced bus line. It's even worse for wide streets, they will be gifted with buildings as high as eight stories!
At the March HANC meeting, we'll hear from three concerned San Franciscans about these bills and what we can do about them. Our speakers are Ozzie Rohm and Anastasia Yovanopoulos of the Noe Neighborhood Council and Lisa Fromer of the Liberty Hill Neighborhood Association.
Please join us on Thursday, March 8, at 7 pm at the Park Branch Library, 1833 Page Street, for information you won’t find anywhere else. Bring a friend.