Land Use Committee sends Castro Street zoning amendment to full board without recommendation

The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted Oct. 23 to forward an ordinance amending Castro Street zoning to the full board as a committee report without recommendation.

The ordinance, read into the record by the committee clerk, would amend the Planning Code to exclude Article 10 landmark buildings from use‑size limitations in the Castro Street neighborhood commercial district and to allow nighttime entertainment on the second floor with conditional use authorization. The clerk also confirmed the Planning Department’s CEQA determination and staff findings that the proposal is consistent with the general plan and the city’s eight priority policies.

Andrea Aiello, executive director of the Castro Community Benefit District, urged the committee to approve the change, saying it would "bring the Castro NCD into alignment with the rest of the neighborhood" and that it was "critically important for the success of the Castro Theater." Ralph Hibbs, a Castro resident and treasurer of the Castro Community Benefit District, said he supported Aiello’s remarks.

Chair Supervisor Mirna Melgar withdrew an initial motion to send the item with a positive recommendation and replaced it with a motion to send the ordinance to the board without the committee’s recommendation. Vice Chair Dean Preston and Member Aaron Peskin recorded aye votes alongside Melgar; the clerk announced there was no opposition and the motion passed.

The item will appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda for Oct. 31, 2023, unless otherwise noted, as the clerk indicated during opening announcements.