As we embark on the City’s budget season, I wanted to provide an update on a number of city projects impacting the Richmond District. We are seeing many changes to our neighborhood, and I want to make sure you are aware of what is happening, why it is happening and how you can be involved.

Sewer and Water Pipe Upgrades Along Geary Boulevard

We appreciate all your patience with the construction along the Geary Boulevard corridor as the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is hard at work making vital repairs to more than 1.4 miles of sewer mains and 6.7 miles of water mains. It is necessary to repair this aging water and sewer infrastructure, most of which is more than 120 years old, to improve system reliability, increase capacity and reduce the risk of flooding and backups for residents and businesses, as well as improve water pressure, flow and reliability for homes, businesses and firefighting.

This project is split into two segments, beginning with Segment A, from 32nd Avenue to 12th Avenue, followed by Segment B, from 12th Avenue to Stanyan Street. You can follow along with the planned construction timeline on the SFPUC’s project webpage. (sfpuc.gov/construction-contracts/construction-projects/geary-boulevard-sewer-and-water-improvements-phase-2.)

We want to thank the SFPUC team for their careful planning of this construction project. It is being strategically implemented block by block and closing one lane at a time, so it does not cause an entire shut down of Geary Boulevard or re-route public transit throughout construction. Although we know it is still an inconvenience during peak hours with some traffic delays, we welcome any feedback on how we can do better to serve you. We have asked the SFPUC to update its project webpage and do community outreach regularly so the Richmond has the most up-to-date information.

Upzoning the Richmond

The state of California has created a housing mandate for all California cities to meet the growing demand for housing in our state. The requirement for San Francisco is to build 82,000 new units of housing before 2031, 40% of which needs to be very-low to low-income housing. The Planning Department has proposed a plan to upzone San Francisco neighborhoods in an effort to meet this demand, with changes to more than 13,000 acres of San Francisco’s 30,000 acres. The proposed plan includes upzoning the Richmond District, on Geary from six stories to eight-12 stories, on Clement Street from four stories to six stories.

This blanket proposal would invite real estate speculators to our district and would forever alter our beloved commercial corridors, threatening displacement of our small businesses and tenants alike, while not guaranteeing much needed affordable housing. I have spoken against a uniform upzoning proposal in favor of targeted rezoning and development. As the City’s Planning Department moves forward with the upzoning plan, we are ensuring that you and your neighbors know what is happening in our neighborhoods. I am continuing to advance the “Right to Know” legislation originally introduced by former Board President Aaron Peskin to create required notice for all proposed upzoning for height or density changes within 300 feet of your house or business. This allows everyone to be involved in the process and give input on decisions that directly affect your neighborhood.

Public Transit and Upper Great Highway

Our current budget situation is impacting all areas of municipal government, including the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). The SFMTA and the Board of Directors are having to bridge a budget deficit while trying to maintain our public transit system. We have heard their latest plan to balance their budget will have an impact on some of the Muni lines in the Richmond, including shortening the final inbound destination for the 5-Fulton and the 31-Balboa, instead having them stop downtown at transportation hubs. This is a trade-off option ensuring that our Muni frequency for all our lines, including the 38-Geary, is not reduced.

However, we cannot rely on these changes alone. Last fall, I campaigned and supported Proposition L, a tax levied on transportation network companies like Uber, Lyft and Waymo to support public transit. Prop. L passed with the support of a majority of San Francisco voters. However, the vote count was not enough to overturn Prop. M, a tax reform measure also passed that overruled the passage of Prop. L. Therefore, I will look for the next opportunity to push forward Prop. L again.

Meanwhile, many Richmond residents and small businesses have been asking me what I can do to help them ease the burden brought on by the closure of the Upper Great Highway. Indeed, we will not have an election until 2026, unless enough signatures are collected to put the District 4 supervisor recall on ballot; then there will be an election specifically for District 4 voters, unless the Board of Supervisors votes to authorize a special citywide election at the same time as the recall election. In the event of a citywide election this year, I will explore a ballot measure to keep Upper Great Highway open to vehicular traffic Mondays through Fridays and closed on the weekends for recreation. But the measure would require three additional supervisors’ signatures besides myself to be placed on the ballot for a citywide election.

We will keep you apprised of ongoing movement on these and other initiatives that impact the Richmond. As always, if you would like to contact us, please call 415-554-7410, email ChanStaff@sfgov.org, or come to one of our neighborhood office hours, every second Friday from 10 a.m.-noon at CYC at 918 Clement St.

Connie Chan represents District 1 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.