Planning Department updates Railyards and Southeast Rail Station studies, highlights equity and new Bayview options

Planning Department staff briefed the San Francisco Planning Commission on Oct. 21 on ongoing work to tie rail infrastructure planning to potential railyards redevelopment and improved regional access.

Doug Johnson, transportation planning manager, said the RAB study’s workstreams include the Pennsylvania Avenue tunnel concept (PAX), a Southeast Rail Station review, railyard reconfiguration and urban‑form considerations. Anna Harvey, a project lead, described six station‑location alternatives for the 20th Street/Mariposa–Bayview area and said the team will hold two public workshops on Nov. 4 and Nov. 6 to discuss pros and cons of the sites and gather community input. “We recommend that the city plan for two Caltrain stations in this area in the future, a station at or near existing 20 Second Street, as well as a new station in the Bayview,” Harvey said.

Jeremy Shaw, planning staff, explained coordination challenges on the railyards parcel, noting ownership by Prologis, Caltrain’s permanent easement and the city’s land‑use authority. He said a July 2021 memorandum of understanding and a separate preliminary business case between Caltrain and Prologis are intended to develop a preferred concept to be validated over 12–18 months. Shaw said any redevelopment will hinge on resolving critical transportation needs at Fourth & King, including storage, maintenance and possible grade separations.

Staff emphasized racial and social equity in revising the study’s scope and tools, and flagged outreach efforts targeted to Cantonese‑ and Spanish‑speaking residents and community‑based organizations. Johnson said Caltrain’s 20 Second Street ADA access study is under way and that engineering constraints produced six feasible station options, including Mariposa, 20 Second, Cesar Chavez and three Bayview sites (Evans, Oakdale, Williams).

Commissioners pressed staff on value capture, joint uses at stations and how proposed stations would interact with adjacent development projects such as Pier 70. Harvey said the team will include maps showing existing and planned projects and a contextual overlay in the next outreach round. The presentation did not contain a formal action; staff said the work will continue and the public outreach and financial analysis will inform subsequent policy or code proposals.