Committee approves land‑swap ordinance to avoid development on steep Edge Hill slopes

The Land Use and Transportation Committee on Feb. 2 voted 3–0 to amend and forward an ordinance that would order a summary street vacation of unimproved city property on portions of Moraga and Noriega Avenues, reserve easements for a city retaining wall, and rezone parcels to permit a land swap with Kensington Way properties intended to avoid building on steep, landslide‑prone sections of Edge Hill.

Chair Melgar described the action as the outcome of a years‑long process in District 7 to find comparable city‑owned land that could be swapped so the private owner could develop housing in a safer location while preserving the city’s open space and protecting slope stability. “We are doing a swap of land between privately owned land and land that is currently owned by the city and county of San Francisco,” Melgar said, explaining the geology (Franciscan chert) and the long history of landslides on Edge Hill.

Planning Department staff said the Planning Commission approved the ordinance at its Oct. 9, 2025 hearing and that staff and the City Attorney worked on clarifying amendments. Melgar read clarifying changes that include zoning language (RH2 references), an assessor’s parcel number to be added to the ordinance, and several non‑substantive technical corrections.

Public comment included competing viewpoints. Elizabeth Mayer of CARE said neighborhood geologists warned that excavation on the slope could destabilize layers of shale, noting that “when water flow in the hillside is altered by excavation, layers of shale disintegrate faster than surrounding rock, which can cause large sections of the hill to abruptly collapse.” Registered geologist George Burwasser testified that Edge Hill’s interbedded chert and shale make the slope fragile and that “any form of disturbance will cause it to fail.”

An unidentified resident raised fiscal questions, asserting the exchange could avoid about $3.5 million in taxable gain for the private property owner unless appraisals and requirements for like‑kind exchanges are satisfied; that speaker urged the committee to ensure the swap is fair to the city. Laura Swaminathan, a homeowner who has navigated the Structural Advisory Committee process, said the swap reduces 10 buildable lots to five and warned of potential lost housing capacity and tax revenue.

Melgar replied that the city completed two appraisals, had offered the paper‑street land to nonprofit affordable‑housing developers (with no takers), and emphasized that the committee’s action is only to effect the swap and rezone; any future development would require full permitting, easements and compliance with other city processes. She moved to amend the ordinance as read and to forward it with a positive recommendation. The roll call recorded Chen “I,” Mahmood “I,” Melgar “I.” The motions passed with three ayes and the item will go to the Board of Supervisors for consideration.

The committee’s approval advances the procedural steps that would allow a land swap to proceed if later approvals, appraisals, and any required permits and easements are completed. The ordinance, as amended, does not itself authorize development of the Kensington Way lots.