Supervisors’ land-use committee forwards Treasure Island zoning and aspirational-statement package to full Board

The Land Use & Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on April 15 voted to forward to the full Board a resolution endorsing an aspirational statement for Treasure Island and an ordinance that changes zoning and design rules for Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island.

District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who sponsored the items with Mayor London Breed, told the committee the package is intended to keep the project “on track and moving forward.” He said Stage 1 of the development has nearly 1,000 homes nearing completion and that, “when complete, the island will be 27% affordable.” Dorsey also read three minor, technical edits into the record to correct clerical and formatting issues in the resolution.

City staff described the technical and regulatory changes before the committee as narrowly tailored. Anne Marie Rogers, deputy director of the Treasure Island Development Authority, said there are currently 991 units under construction, 229 complete and roughly 360 in the planning phase, noted ongoing geotechnical work to raise and stabilize soil for sea-level rise (about 3–6 feet in places), and confirmed that city agencies are taking over ownership and operation of new on‑island utilities and amenities. She added the island’s wastewater treatment plant is expected to close in 2026 as city systems come online.

Jessica Look, a senior planner in the Planning Department, summarized three planning‑code changes in the proposed ordinance: raise the bulk/massing allowance for certain tall buildings from 10,500 to 10,600 square feet to recover floor area lost to fire-code changes; allow limited minor modifications to the design-for-development (D4D) document provided overall gross floor area and intent are maintained; and streamline the process for amendments to the D4D. The ordinance also makes modest height‑map adjustments — authorizing an additional five feet on specific parcels — and corrects a clerical error in the special height district designation.

Staff emphasized that the package is designed to preserve the development’s public benefits. Rogers and other staff said the fiscal package was tested by the city administrator, the controller, the mayor’s budget office and outside consultants and that the project commitment to affordable housing remains a priority; staff specifically cited a 27.2% affordable-housing requirement previously approved in project documents.

Speakers from community and labor groups urged support. Sherry Williams and Nella Goncalves, co‑executive directors of 1 Treasure Island, described a six‑month, multilingual outreach process that produced the aspirational statement and said the statement reflects values including inclusion, equity, sustainability, opportunity and connection. Mauricio Chavez, an organizer for the NorCal Carpenters Union Local 22, said he represents approximately “37,000 members across the Northern 46 counties” including about 4,000 in San Francisco County and urged approval, saying the development has produced hundreds of union jobs and housing units. Alex Francois, a Treasure Island resident and training‑program manager, said the project supports programs for people with barriers to employment and warned workforce programs would halt if the project stalled.

One unidentified public commenter criticized the aspirational language and objected to building heights.

Chair Mirna Melgar moved to amend item 1 with text presented by Supervisor Dorsey; the committee recorded three ayes and the amendment was approved. The committee then voted to send both items to the full Board with a positive recommendation; the clerk recorded three ayes and both items were forwarded for Board consideration. The clerk noted items acted on at today’s hearing are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda on April 23, 2024, and staff said associated fiscal items will be heard by the Budget Committee later in the week.