Commission Approves Landmark Streamlining After Three Votes, Advances $3B Freedom West Plan

The San Francisco Planning Commission navigated one of its most consequential agendas of the year on Sept. 3, threading the needle between historic preservation and housing production in a marathon session that required three separate votes on a single ordinance — and then unanimously advancing a generational affordable housing project in the Fillmore.

• Landmark designation ordinance passes on third try after two failed motions exposed deep divisions over property-owner consent and development-rights tradeoffs

• Freedom West 2.0 clears first planning hurdle, advancing a $3 billion project to preserve 382 affordable co-op units and add 2,000+ homes in the historically Black Western Addition

• Shovel-ready 29-unit condo at 2051 Market pivots to Housing Choice SF, testing whether new inclusionary rates can unstick stalled projects

• Neighbors' challenge to Russian Hill addition rejected 5-0, reinforcing the city's posture on code-compliant vertical construction

• $38M permitting software contract with OpenGov advances at the Board, paired with a management reorganization splitting current planning oversight

The basics: Board File 260622, introduced by Board President Mandelman, would allow the Historic Preservation Commission to initiate and recommend landmark designations in a single hearing — consolidating two of the current five required hearings and shaving an estimated four to six weeks off a process that now takes a median of more than 500 days.