The Way It Is Now: The City’s zoning laws place a limit on what property owners can build and how they may use their property. In 2008, the City adopted a plan changing the zoning in the Eastern Neighborhoods (the Mission, Potrero Hill, parts of the waterfront south of Mission Bay, and parts of the South of Market neighborhood). In addition to residential and commercial uses, other types of uses allowed in the Eastern Neighborhoods—many of which are currently being displaced—include:
• Production, distribution and repair (PDR): PDR uses include a variety of light-industrial and craft uses, such as automotive, storage and wholesale and small business uses (furniture makers, recording studios, plumbing supply stores, art studios and lumberyards).
• Institutional community (IC): IC uses include child care and community facilities, job training, religious institutions and social services.
• Arts activities: uses include space for performance, exhibition, rehearsal and production of visual, performance and sound arts, as well as art studios and art schools.
Changing the use of a property sometimes requires the City’s Planning Commission to issue a conditional use authorization, which can be appealed to the Board of Supervisors.
The Proposal: Proposition X would generally require developers of projects in parts of the Mission and South of Market neighborhoods to build replacement space in their new project if they remove:
• PDR uses of 5,000 square feet or more,
• IC uses of 2,500 square feet or more, or
• arts activities uses of any size.
The amount and type of replacement space would depend on the site’s zoning. These replacement requirements would be reduced if the replacement space is priced 50% below market rate. The Board of Supervisors could allow developers to pay a fee or build offsite replacement space.
These projects would also be required to obtain a conditional use authorization before changing the property’s use.
Exemptions from these requirements include projects that:
• the Planning Commission approved before June 14, 2016; and
• consist exclusively of affordable housing.
Proposition X would allow the Board of Supervisors to change these requirements by a two-thirds vote.
A “YES” Vote Means: If you vote “yes,” you want the City to require developers of projects in parts of the Mission and South of Market neighborhoods to build replacement space if they remove production, distribution and repair (PDR) uses of 5,000 square feet or more, institutional community (IC) uses of 2,500 square feet or more, or arts activities uses of any size, and to obtain a conditional use authorization before changing the property’s use.
A “NO” Vote Means: If you vote “no,” you do not want to make these changes.
