As Zachary Nathan stood at a lectern in the sanctuary of St. John’s Presbyterian church Thursday night, his fellow Richmond District neighbors understood he wasn’t there to preach the gospel.
In fact, by many neighbors’ reactions, the retired architect had delivered bad news. Nathan and two others spoke to a crowd of some 60 people about a proposed eight-story Safeway redevelopment project at 850 La Playa St. near Ocean Beach.
The takeaway: The project will be too large, too tall, and out of scale for the neighborhood. It would, as one speaker said, practically disenfranchise neighborhood residents — a sentiment attendees echoed.
“Is this really how democracy works?” asked the speaker, Bridget Maley, an architectural historian by trade and member of Neighborhoods United, who presented on the project’s legal basis. “Our objection to these housing laws is that they squash our voices,” she added, saying the laws are well-intentioned and the need for housing is urgent — but “they don’t allow the citizens … to have a voice.”
Maley was correct: There is little Richmond residents can do to shape the project. Align Real Estate, which has partnered with Safeway’s parent company to develop the site and many other Safeways across the city, is taking advantage of state streamlining laws to do so without public hearing requirements or discretionary approval by government agencies. Thursday’s hearing was organized by the neighborhood group Planning Association for the Richmond, and did not involve the developers or public officials — two of Supervisor Connie Chan’s legislative aides were there, but did not speak.
“I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say this is probably the closest that we are going to get to having a public hearing on this, which is traditionally not held by nonprofit organizations like ourselves,” said Brian Kragh, an attorney who organized the event and is a member of the neighborhood group.
Nathan, chair of the Planning Association for the Richmond’s land use committee, broke down the project’s architectural plans. As his voice echoed in the century-old church, neighbors couldn’t seem to help but signal their disgust.
“The total gross floor area is 721,000 square feet,” he said.
“Jesus,” reacted one person in the audience.
“The residential entrance lobby will be at 48th Avenue.”
An attendant let out a chuff.
“The retail space will increase from 37,340 to 63,000 square feet, so almost double the size.”
An older woman shook her head. Sighs and scoffs continued at each turn.
Well over half of the attendants raised their hands when asked if they lived within five minutes of the Safeway, or frequently shopped there.
The most recent plans for the site would see an eight-story, 562-unit complex built where the 55-year-old Safeway building currently stands surrounded by a parking lot (“probably time for remodel, or a new store,” said Nathan). Twenty percent of those units would be dedicated affordable housing.
The developer must work to meet the planning department’s interpretation of the code, Nathan explained, describing a September letter from the city indicating that the developer may have to reduce the number of units by over 100, which could in turn reduce the height.
“That would be great,” somebody chimed from the pews.
Neighbors drew up a host of concerns: parking, transit, affordability, construction feasibility, shade, tsunami risk, earthquake risk. Kragh worried the loss of the Safeway would create a food desert during construction.
Maley said that streamlining has allowed developers to “avoid local zoning policies,” and “override local design standards,” without hearings.
“Let’s name some names,” said Phoenix Project president and investigative reporter Julie Pitta, a Richmond resident. “Who’s responsible for this?”
Maley stood up but declined to offer a name, and instead described a 10-year history of state housing laws that she said incentivized “tall towers that are so expensive they can’t get built.”
Pitta stood back up. “I’m going to name a name. State Senator Scott Wiener.” Wiener has been perhaps the most prolific state legislator on housing, and while his laws have removed local control over development in many cases, Align’s project hinges on Senate Bill 330, which was authored by Berkeley state Sen. Nancy Skinner.
Among the few in attendance who spoke favorably of the project was Bobak Esfandiari, a YIMBY organizer who, by day, serves as executive director of the San Francisco Democratic Party (Esfandiari attended as a neighbor and in his personal capacity, he said).
Esfandiari, sitting in the back corner of the pews, turned heads and elicited wide eyes with the words: “Frankly, I think it’s not tall enough.” Earlier, someone sitting nearby had asked the audience if they would support the development if it offered 100 percent affordable housing.
“I would,” said Maley.
“Four stories,” demanded others — not eight.
“I’m not anti-development,” said one neighbor, who said she lived across the street from the Safeway, “but I would say I think this project is way out of scale for our neighborhood.” The room filled with brief but loud applause.
Neighbors repeatedly asked about subsequent hearings.
“Do we have any hope that the Coastal Commission will weigh in on this?” asked one neighbor, an hour and a half into the town hall. “Do we know what point this is at, at the planning department?”
The neighbor listed her concerns: sewage and stormwater drainage, liquefaction, “and what about compensation for all the noise? How long is this going to take? Do they have a projected start date?”
Maley eventually cut her off. No such hearings would be required, Maley said, and state streamlining laws made it difficult to establish a timeline. Minutes later, the town hall was over.
Earlier in the night, Kragh had offered a consolation to some of those concerned:
“Sure, they’re not technically required to hear us because of the streamlining laws,” he said. “But since we have reporters covering this, and since you all are speaking — they’re sure going to hear about us now.”
