Commission approves Waymo employee‑parking conversion at 301 Toland amid labor concerns about parcel‑delivery moratorium

The Planning Commission on March 16 approved, by a 6–0 vote, a conditional use authorization to convert roughly 20% of a large Bayview industrial building at 301 Toland Street into a private parking garage to serve Waymo’s nearby vehicle maintenance site.

Planning staff described the proposal as converting about 108,000 square feet of existing industrial space to create 46 employee parking spaces, an employee break room, security office and restrooms; no building expansion was proposed and the only exterior change would be converting one loading dock to a vehicle entry. Staff recommended approval and noted the Bayview Hunters Point Citizens Advisory Committee asked for periodic Waymo updates, which the draft motion included as a condition.

Keith Van Horn, calling for the Teamsters Joint Council 7, expressed concern the space could be used to support parcel‑delivery operations and asked the commission to deny the application or explicitly limit the use only to employee parking. Applicant counsel Tara Sullivan and a Waymo representative said the approval request is for a private employee parking garage only and not for parcel delivery operations. “This project is particularly small and has nothing to do with the business operations of Waymo across the street,” Sullivan said.

Planning staff and Deputy City Attorney Kristen Jensen clarified that the Board moratorium passed in March 2022 applies to personal delivery land uses and not to private parking garages and that the City approves land uses rather than specific users. Staff noted that if the use changed to parcel delivery it would require a separate land‑use review.

Commissioners approved the conditional use authorization with the Bayview advisory committee reporting condition and other standard conditions; the motion passed unanimously 6–0.