Committee backs two‑year extension of PUC authority to sign 20‑year green‑infrastructure grants

The committee voted June 16 to forward an ordinance to the full Board extending, for two years, the delegation of authority under Charter section 9.118 that allows the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission general manager to execute 20‑year green infrastructure grant agreements.

Sarah Bloom, senior watershed planner at SFPUC, described the program’s goal to manage stormwater using engineered green infrastructure and said grants are targeted at larger, highly impervious parcels that can manage at least half an acre of drainage area. She said the program sets maximum grant amounts up to $2,000,000 and requires a 20‑year maintenance commitment so projects can count toward the PUC’s large‑scale stormwater goals. "We fund this program through revenue bonds," Bloom said, adding the PUC has appropriated $20,000,000 over the next two years for grants and program administration.

Bloom described program refinements since 2020, including moving to a competitive application cycle, raising the per‑acre cost cap to account for inflation, allowing partnership‑based grantee definitions, and increasing permitted soft costs from 20% to 30% of a grant award for planning and community engagement. Supervisors asked whether private property owners will be eligible; Bloom said the revised program will accept public and private property owners and partnership proposals.

The Budget and Legislative Analyst recommended approval; the committee forwarded the ordinance to the full Board with a positive recommendation.