Committee backs rezoning to allow Homeless Prenatal Program to build 100% affordable housing adjacent to its headquarters

The Land Use and Transportation Committee voted July 12 to forward an ordinance that rezones parcels adjacent to the Homeless Prenatal Program headquarters so HPP can develop 100% affordable housing for very low-income families.

President Shimon Walton told the committee the map change will allow HPP to pair housing with its existing services for pregnant women and families. Walton said the proposal corrects inconsistent zoning on the block — two lots were zoned UMU while adjacent lots were PDR-1-G — and enables an expansion that ‘‘will allow for a 100% affordable housing at the site’’ and support HPP’s services.

The measure includes a nonsubstantive amendment Walton requested, to adjust a numeric eligibility line so income readouts match the intended 0–80% Area Median Income range. Supervisor Dean Preston moved the amendment and asked to be added as a cosponsor; supervisors Aaron Peskin and Mirna Melgar joined Preston’s motion. The amendment passed unanimously among the three committee members present, and the committee then voted to send the ordinance to the full Board with a positive recommendation.

Several HPP supporters spoke during public comment, describing the nonprofit’s work and local impact. Martha Ryan, HPP’s founder and executive director, said HPP began in 1989 and has grown from prenatal care into a family resource center that helps families break intergenerational cycles of poverty; she described the acquired adjacent building and said zoning changes would allow deeper services. Other speakers cited the organization’s outcomes — callers reported that HPP serves roughly 3,000 families annually and assists about 250 families into housing each year with a high rate of stability — and urged support for the rezoning.

The committee record shows the amendment and the committee recommendation were approved by the three voting members present. The ordinance and its amendment will appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda for further consideration on July 20, as noted by the clerk.

If approved by the full Board, the rezoning would permit HPP to move forward with project-level planning and community outreach for an affordable housing development on the adjacent parcels.