Potrero Power Station Advances as Commission Reshapes SF Development Policy

The San Francisco Planning Commission opened a new chapter July 30, seating three new commissioners and then moving unanimously through a sweeping agenda designed to unlock stalled development across the city — from a 29-acre waterfront megaproject to downtown office-to-housing conversions to a crackdown on hoarded office allocations.

• Potrero Power Station clears major hurdle as commission approves height increases, use flexibility, and streamlined approvals for the 2,600-unit, 30%-affordable waterfront project
• Office-to-housing conversions get a boost with parking, loading, and car-share exemptions; a 105-unit project at 150 Hayes set to file immediately
• Stalled office projects put on notice under new three-tier revocation policy as only 800K sq ft remains against 2M+ in requests
• Three new commissioners seated — Joel Koppel, Mike Chen, and Elizabeth McDonald — in the largest single-meeting turnover in recent memory
• Larger signs approved for half-acre-plus mixed-use parcels, directly benefiting Sierra AI's 250,000 sq ft office near the ballpark
• Impact fee revenue plummets as construction drought and 67% fee cuts shrink the pipeline funding parks, transit, and affordable housing infrastructure

The night's centerpiece was the Potrero Power Station, a 29-acre former industrial site on the southeastern waterfront that has been closed to the public for 150 years. Commissioners unanimously approved a package of amendments to the project's development agreement, special use district, zoning map, and design guidelines — changes the project sponsor says are essential to making the development economically viable in a post-pandemic market.