The San Francisco Planning Department is updating the City’s General Plan, and Department staff held a two-week series of online workshops on the proposed General Plan updates beginning Monday, March 15th. All development projects must be consistent, on balance, with the General Plan’s objectives and policies, so these updates are of high interest for San Francisco developers.

Key General Plan Elements undergoing significant updates include the Transportation Element, the Community Safety Element, and the Housing Element. These updated elements will include environmental justice policies per the requirements of California Senate Bill 1000, which we blogged on in 2018. According to the Department, this round of General Plan updates will focus on goals and policies addressing racial and social equity, housing, transportation, climate resilience, and environmental justice.

The two-week workshop series was designed to gather public input via Zoom on the updates to the General Plan and to allow Planning Department staff to provide overviews of the various topics being addressed in the updates. Planning Department staff has indicated that the workshop series will also serve a capacity-building purpose, by encouraging meaningful and ongoing public engagement in the planning process, particularly among those San Franciscans who historically have been underrepresented in the planning process.

Recordings of the online workshops can be accessed at this link. We will keep you posted on the timing and schedule for the General Plan updates as that information becomes available.