Monthly Archives: October 2025

Upzoning Legislation Pending at the Board of Supervisors

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The legislation codifying the proposed upzoning map and specific code changes is pending at the Board of Supervisors.  These changes will have a major impact on San Francisco’s built environment over this and the coming decades.  To see the proposed heights for your and adjacent properties review the Family Zoning Plan map with the “Local Program” heights.  Developers can “opt in” to this program as opposed to participating in the State Density Bonus program.  Besides increased heights, the SF Local Program provides key revised objective standards that allow more density on a lot. 

The impact of the Family Zoning Plan is the de facto elimination of the 45 year old Dolores Heights Special Use District.    

  • Our heights are currently 35; new heights allowed  can be 40, 50, or 65 feet.  
  • The rear yard open space is currently 45% of the lot depth, or 51 feet for a 114 foot lot.  The plan allows new properties to expand 20 feet further into the rear yard (18% more of the lot depth), eroding our unique mid-block open space benefits
  • Properties on any corner can be up to 65 feet high.  This 65-foot height also applies to lots that are 8000 square feet (less than the size of three merged standard lots or an apartment building-sized lot.)
  • Other recent amendments that allow for height and square footage “bonuses” and more rear yard reductions, some for defined changes and a a “catchall” request for up to 15% reduction of any objective standard 

DHIC is opposed to the plan in its current form as it provides significant benefits to market-rate developers without comparable benefits to SF’s Housing Plan – especially for more affordable (from moderate to very low income) housing units.  DHIC is also concerned that historic buildings aren’t sufficiently protected and that tenants and small businesses can be displaced with inadequate relocation benefits.  This SF Planning website has more documents to educate the public.  However, it doesn’t assess the impact of all these combined changes on our neighborhoods. 

2025 Fall Gathering Recap – Neighbors Meet New Police Captain & Legislative Aide

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On a warm sunny Saturday, Dolores Heights neighbors socialized and then met Captain Sean Perdomo, the new head of SFPD Mission Station.  They discussed safety concerns – the disruptive and illegal dirt bikes in the Dolores area, the  loud after-hours parties at Dolores Park, and speeding on neighborhood streets.  The Captain took notes and on Monday, Oct. 6 responded with these actions [excerpts from his email of October 6]:  

  1. Dirt Bikes. The Department’s using technology to aid in the apprehension of dirt bikers. At the station we have followed up and obtained an arrest/search warrant for a dirt biker on a previous incident at Dolores Park using the technology. I am tasking my plainclothes officers with more arrest/search warrants for those dirt bikers we can identify. Please encourage your members to call 911 to report a gathering of dirt bikers so that we can coordinate the drone.
  2. Traffic. Dave Burke identified the trouble areas and the intersections have been added to the Traffic Unit’s (motorcycles) daily enforcement activities. Please let me know if you see them in the area  … they are short staffed and are tasked with many dignitary visits. Captain Peter Shields of the traffic unit was notified. If they aren’t in the area much, I can assign a traffic car when staffing allows.
  3. Dolores Park Noise. I contacted Chief Murphy to have him evaluate placing rangers in places where they are most visible. The current challenge is the shift change that occurs at 2200 hours when the park closes. I’ll keep you posted on further. 

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman also spoke and took questions from neighbors.  And he introduced Sophie Marie (sophie.marie@sfgov.org), his newest Legislative Aide and our contact when we need assistance getting City action on filed complaints or finding out “who to contact” for a specific issue.  

We held our annual raffle and Fiona, a young resident, drew the winning tickets.  Neighborhood merchants donated eleven gift cards and bottles of wine & liquor which made the raffle a “hot ticket.”   Please patronize these donating businesses and thank them for their support:  Absinthe Restaurant Group, Poesia Restaurant, Canela Bistro and Wine Bar, Hot Johnnies, Castro Coffee, 17th Street Market, and a kind neighbor who donated two bottles of premium wine and tequila. 

Cork Oak Tree Garden at 20th & Noe Streets

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The hillside garden at 20th and Noe Streets is renamed the “Cork Oak Tree Community Garden” in recognition and celebration of its official San Francisco Landmark Tree No. 15 (Quercus suber), at the top of the garden.  After one year of working with SFDPW’s various departments and SFWD, the garden has a new water supply for irrigation.  And the garden is responding like crazy with new growths. Three tree ferns-Australia Lacy Tree Fern (cyathea cooperii) and Tasmanian Tree Fern (dicksonia antarctica) that were dried out and almost dead are now rebounding with new fronds.  The large Giant Bird of Paradise on the left of the garden is also flowering.  Be sure to look for the old cuckoo clock that’s converted to a birdhouse!

The Wine Barrel Garden on the sidewalk at the base of the garden has been very successful.   The African Euphorbia Milk Tree (Euphorbia trigona) from Central Africa was rehomed from a business in the Fisherman’s wharf area 2 years ago.  There’s five barrels of Golden Bamboo.  The barrel garden has recent arrivals:  a young olive tree from a good friend,  a wonderful Hercules Aloe, and finally the Life Plant (Kalanchoe pinnata) from another good friend in the Castro.  It propagates by having hundreds of baby plants on the edge of its leaves which is why it’s  known as “Mother of Thousands.”  And a newly arrived Pencil tree (Euphoribia tirucali) joined the collection.

Next phase for the garden: a mural project for the blank walls that retain the roadway going to “upper 20th” Street!  Stay tuned for more details.

DHIC thanks Dave Dea and the other volunteers who maintain this and other gardens alongside the seven stairways in our neighborhood!  You are great stewards of our green outdoor spaces that enhance the beauty of the neighborhood.