Committee backs temporary ‘safe parking’ sites and extends medical cannabis permit timeline

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Land Use & Transportation Committee voted unanimously on Nov. 14 to send to the full board an ordinance that would allow designated vehicle triage centers — often called safe-parking sites — to operate as temporary uses and extend the deadline for medical cannabis businesses to remain open under temporary permits until Jan. 1, 2024.

The ordinance, introduced by Supervisor Safaei, would authorize the city to designate parcels for long-term parking and overnight camping in vehicles as temporary uses for up to five years, with two possible six-month extensions. Sponsor remarks said safe-parking operations include on-site bathrooms, 24-hour security, lighting and supportive services and that the change would allow the city to approve such sites administratively rather than through a longer Planning Commission hearing process.

"A couple of years ago, as we started to notice a rise in the number of individuals living in vehicles ... we were able to work with our community and create a safe place for those that were living in vehicles to access and to transition into more permanent supportive housing," the sponsor said during the committee presentation. Planning staff confirmed the Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval on July 20.

Office of Cannabis officials told the committee they have prioritized converting operating medical cannabis dispensaries to permanent Article 16 permits. Director Nikesh Patel said the office has cleared a backlog of equity applications and begun processing legacy operators; Ray Law of the office said about 45 active medical cannabis dispensaries have submitted applications in the system, and roughly 55 businesses are eligible to apply under Article 16. Staff estimated conversion work could take 12–18 months for these legacy operators, shorter than the 18–24 months typical for equity applicants because legacy dispensaries already have land-use entitlements and are operational.

The committee recorded no in-person public commenters on the item, then voted 3–0 to forward the ordinance with a positive recommendation to the full board. The committee’s action is a recommendation; the full Board of Supervisors will make any final decision.

What happens next: The ordinance will appear before the full Board of Supervisors for further consideration. Office of Cannabis staff said they are actively processing legacy applications and would prioritize the conversions while the extension remains in effect.