Breed’s ‘upzoning’ becomes Lurie’s ‘family zoning’ plan

FILLMORE STREET between Jackson and Bush would face the same future as most other neighborhood commercial districts and transit corridors under the city’s latest revision to its zoning plan: taller buildings designed to provide more residential housing.

A marathon Planning Commission meeting last week kicked off what could be months of contentious hearings on the proposal. State law requires the city’s plan for building more housing to be approved by next January. This week the Planning Commission will discuss the displacement of small neighborhood businesses likely under the plan.

An earlier version of the plan was widely linked to former Mayor London Breed. Neighborhood activists hoped a new mayor would bring a new plan. But the expanded new plan is much like the old plan, except that “upzoning” has been renamed “family zoning.”

“Lurie’s honeymoon is over,” said one historic preservation advocate gearing up for a fight. “He’s going to get an earful.”

EQUALLY SIGNIFICANT: The revised plan lifts density controls in many residential areas of the city, including Pacific Heights, Cow Hollow and the Marina. There the height limit would remain at 40 feet, but limits on the number of people housed on each lot would be eliminated. Single-family homes could be replaced by multiple units that cover more of the lot. Corner lots in residential areas have already been upzoned from 40 to 65 feet, or six stories.

Public hearings on the revised plan are coming to the neighborhood soon. It needs approval from the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors. View an interactive map of the zoning proposal here.