PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE OF DISTRICT SEVEN AND THE CITY

By Christine A. Linnenbach

REFORMING THE PLANNING AND BUILDING DEPARTMENTS

One of my first acts as Supervisor will to implement a plan to effectively advocate on behalf of neighborhood interests that have been virtually silenced by special interest lobbying at the Board level.

My office will actively and continually monitor the on-goings at the City's Planning and Building Departments by holding hearings, conducting bi-annual audits and reviews, and introducing appropriate legislation to amend the San Francisco Planning and Building Codes to protect neighborhood interests and character. This will include review of the current Planning Codes, regulations, and zoning that impact the neighborhoods adjacent to or in the vicinity of Lakeside Plaza and the Stonestown Mall.

My office will immediately hold hearings to audit the Planning Determinations issued by the Zoning Administrator, review and audit all of the decisions that affect District Seven neighborhoods and craft legislation that would force the Zoning Administrator to post and publish his determinations so that the public can be adequately noticed of these decisions in order to open the planning process to all citizens. I will call for quarterly meetings and open, public hearings to review items and polices being reviewed by the Zoning Administrator.

Additionally, as Supervisor, I will work to restore the priorities, principles, and vision of the thousands of residents in District Seven who have had to work tirelessly to protect our quality of life and neighborhood character. For too long, neighborhood residents have had to fight to preserve our existing Commercial Corridors from unsound development that creates parking problems which impact small businesses and residents adjacent to commercial areas such as West Portal. I am opposed to creating infill housing at West Portal as the current parking and infrastructure limitations do not make West Portal a viable area for such growth.

By proactively addressing District Seven concerns before they become issues that cause distress and concern to the neighborhoods, my office will stave off problems created by loopholes exploited by lobbyists before they arise and fight the legalization of secondary in-law units.

Since Frank Jordan left office, District Seven neighborhoods as well as other neighborhoods City wide have urged the City to create a world class Planning and Building Department that plans and approves projects in the public interest. As Supervisor, my office will hold hearings, audit performance, and draft comprehensive reforms of how we plan for the City's future.

We can and must create a Planning Department with strong leadership that will develop a unified and integrated vision for how we can preserve our neighborhood character, while at the same time strengthening the role of local communities in the planning process, and ensure that any new City development contributes to a better, more equitable city for all San Franciscans.

My office will work to ensure that a strong, public-minded Planning Department guides growth with balanced, exacting standards for the character and quality of new development. Most importantly, I will work to create a culture in the Planning Department that is not afraid to "just say no" when the project isn't right.

As Supervisor, I will:

· Do comprehensive planning, not just rezoning by strengthening and expanding the Better Neighborhoods Program, demanding more interagency collaboration on streetscape, open space and community facility improvements.

· Oppose the appointment of individuals to the Planning Commission who lack the experience and objectivity needed to make informed planning decisions.

· Update the Planning Code to address the new challenges that development poses today and reduce the exceptions and excessive red tape that make the project review process lengthy and uncertain.

· Improve preservation planning by strengthening the authority of the Landmarks Board, completing the preservation element of the City's General Plan, and increasing the number of land-marked buildings and historic districts.

---Make the Planning Department work for San Franciscans:

Those responsible for planning and reviewing development proposals, generally the Planning Department, are conditioned and work in an environment where approving projects, no matter how ill conceived, is the norm. Over the past eight years, the Planning Department has put too few resources into strategic thinking about how we can build a better City.

· My Office will work to create legislation and work with the Department to create a vision in, planning today in San Francisco and to prevent piecemeal development in District Seven and around the City.

· My office will work to channel growth in ways that will make the City a better, more sustainable and equitable place.

· As Supervisor, I will work to preserve the single family, RH character of our District. Moreover, my office will protect open-space, especially near Stonestown and Park Merced, which are areas that are under siege

---Improve the Quality of Any New Development:

My office will work to ensure that any new proposed development in District Seven is architecturally pleasing to the eye and compatible with the quality and character of existing architecture. District Sven residents will not, and need not, support new development that is of poor quality.

Unfortunately, in the recent past, all too often, new development proposed here is insensitively designed, cheaply built, and doesn't add to the character of our neighborhoods. We must also insist on the highest quality and detail for any buildings developed in San Francisco.

---Update the Planning Code:

Largely unchanged since its adoption in the 1950s, the Planning Code is out of touch with the challenges that today's fast-paced, super-sized development poses to preserving neighborhood character and quality.

My office will work to rewrite the Planning Code to make it straightforward, easy to understand for everyone. The new Code will present clear, concise standards and will focus on making new development a good contextual fit for our neighborhoods. This new code will be understandable to anyone, not just planning professionals and attorneys. · Begin the process of updating and reformatting the Planning Code to update essential definitions, eliminate redundancies, and replace "one size fits all" standards that often result in inappropriate and mediocre development.