Dear Planning Commissioners,

While it pains me to write against approving a permit, I am forced to oppose the current plan to develop 1600 Jackson St. into a Whole Foods grocery store. San Francisco is in the midst of a severe housing shortage that cannot be solved without infill housing. This site is an obvious choice for such housing, and YIMBY Action will oppose any plan that does not include a significant number of housing units on-site.

The former site of Lombardi Sports is one of the few remaining “soft sites” in District 3. Development there would result in no residential displacement. The site is also zoned for density: Housing there could rise to 65 feet and, using the HOME-SF density bonus, new housing could go to 85 feet by including 30% affordable units.

Of course, YIMBY Action is not opposed to a grocery store on-site, so long as housing is included. This is a rare opportunity to bring dozens of units onto an infill site on a popular commercial corridor without displacing a single resident or business. A residential development would be a boon for the small businesses on Polk Street, while the current design of the Whole Foods project would deny any street activation on-site.

Village Properties has the opportunity to add dozens of housing units in a rare underutilized infill site. We agree with groups like the Middle Polk Neighborhood Association and the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition: The Planning Commission should deny permits for any project on this site that does not include a substantial number of housing units.

Sincerely,

Laura Clark, Executive Director of YIMBY Action

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