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Pathway to Entitlement: Case Studies from San Francisco

The Trendsetter, Urban Land Institute (ULI) - Fall 2007

by Elan Drucker
What do you get when you bring together the director of city planning, a local developer, a land use attorney and a former planning commissioner? Energetic debate! In July, ULI’s Young Leaders were treated to a candid discussion about the approvals process that underlies all of San Francisco’s development projects – whether simple and straightforward or complex and controversial.
“In our city we are not shy about regulating planning restrictions,” said San Francisco planning director Dean Macris to an audience of 150 Young Leaders. Tom Hart, executive vice president of Shorenstein Properties, explained the complexity of the approvals process. He said that applications and approvals usually involved coordination between multiple agencies and comprehensive applications but stressed that developers are eager to work in and with the City.

Robert Herr, a land use attorney with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw and Pittman, reminded the Young Leaders that there are many constituents that the land use attorney and the developer need to work with beyond the planning department in order to get projects approved. Lisa Feldstein, a former planning commissioner, described the planning commissioners’ role and described how planning commissioners are responsible for creating new and sound policy. Attendees learned about the ultimate importance of planning code guidelines, the critical role planning department staff play and the excitement and drama that often occurs at planning commission hearings. The audience walked away marveling over the complex process and amount of cooperation required to get projects built in San Francisco.