Central SoMa Plan – Informational Hearing at the Planning Commission

The Planning Department will make an informational presentation to the Planning Commission that will mark an important new phase in the Central SoMa Plan. The presentation will discuss the results of two economic analyses the Planning Department has been undertaking for the past several months regarding new residential and commercial development and its role in funding public benefits. There will be opportunity for public comment.

Specific topics include:
– The economically feasible amount that new development can contribute to public benefits, and
– The amount and type of public benefits that could be funded by these contributions.

The Planning Department has had substantial but relatively independent discussions about the potential new development supported by the Plan and the public benefits they would like to see the Plan deliver. From this point forward, they will be able to clearly identify the relationship between the two, and have a practical conversation about what benefits the Plan will be able to provide, the potential tradeoffs that will need to be considered, and what additional resources may be necessary to meet the benefit goals.

Please note that this presentation will not include a specific proposal for fees and other requirements on new development, nor a specific proposal about how to allocate those resources. The Planning Department will spend the next several months having those conversations with all of you to develop the best course for the Plan.

(Note: for a better sense of the timing of this item, check Planning Commission’s agenda, posted on the Planning Department’s website the Friday before the hearing)

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