Will the Board of Supervisors Betray the Market/Octavia Plan on Tuesday?
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will hear an appeal against more parking in Market/Octavia area.After nearly ten years of community planning and a rigorous review process that resulted in a model community plan encouraging transit-oriented development, density, and strategic parking limits, a developer in the Market and Octavia Neighborhood Plan (PDF) area has asked for a special exception to the parking limit so they can sell condos to mostly wealthy people.
Sound ridiculous? Not to the Planning Commission, which unanimously supported the developer's request for a conditional use (CU) variance at 299 Valencia Street in November of 2008. In response, the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association (HVNA), Livable City, the Mission Anti-Displacement Coalition, and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition have appealed the Planning Department's decision.
From the HVNA appeal (PDF):
Neither planning staff nor the project sponsor provided evidence thatthe CU is necessary, desirable, or compatible. Instead, the projectsponsor explicitly stated at the Nov 6th 2008 Planning Commissionhearing that the request for a CU for increased parking was necessaryto market the new housing units to higher-end buyers.
The Board of Supervisors will hear arguments for and against the CU tomorrow at 4pm in the Board of Supervisors auditorium at City Hall. Readers are encouraged to attend the hearing and speak in favor of the appeal.
Photo: Planning Department
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