Supervisor Breed and development on Diviz

Affordable Divis

944 Central Ave

San Francisco, CA 94115

affordabledivis@gmail.com

October 26, 2015

Hon. London Breed

President, Board of Supervisors

City Hall

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244

San Francisco, CA 94102-4689

Dear President Breed:

We are writing to request that you sponsor legislation to rescind your recent Ordinance No. 127-15 that rezoned Divisadero for greater density. We ask that you do this as soon as possible so that developers will not be able to argue that they obtained development rights at the higher density allowed under the recent ordinance.

The density increase you sponsored will have a major impact on our neighborhood. Already, the plans for 650 Divisadero (the Alouis Radiator site) went from 16 to 60 units in response to your rezoning of the neighborhood. This is just one of the planned developments for Divisadero.

This significant density increase was decided without real community input. Such changes should be community driven. Most neighbors were not even aware of the proposed changes and their potential impact. Rescinding the Ordinance will allow an opportunity for community input about the future of our neighborhood. In light of the citywide Density Bonus (Affordable Housing Bonus) program being proposed, if we are providing developers with any increases in density, our hope is that we at least get increased affordable housing requirements in return, as the program proposes.

We are in the process of developing a community plan that will give guidance to the Planning Department, the Planning Commission, and Board of Supervisors regarding the views of neighborhood residents. 

Affordable Divis held two community meetings in September and October attended by over 100 neighborhood residents, including leaders of five neighborhood organizations, as well as representatives from your office. The overwhelming majority of residents who attended these meetings objected to the rezoning and expressed concern about the lack of community input. At those meetings, the group requested that your staff find out whether you are willing to rescind the rezoning. We are following up with this letter.

Please reply within one week as to whether you will sponsor legislation to rescind Ordinance No. 127-15.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Gus Hernandez, President, Alamo Square Neighborhood Association*

Quintin Mecke, Board Member, Alamo Square Neighborhood Association*

Calvin Welch, Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Association*

Tes Welborn, D5 Action*

Lisa Awbrey

Maya Chukov

Charles Dupigny

Richard Kay

Kim Nguyen

Dean Preston

* Organizations listed for identification purposes only.