Table Of ContentCENTRAL
SOMA
PLAN & IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
FINAL PLAN
ADOPTED DECEMBER 2018
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PLAN PURPOSE PLAN VISION
Central SoMa is a 230-acre area that sits adjacent The vision of the Central SoMa Plan is to create
to downtown, has excellent transit access, and a sustainable neighborhood by 2040, where the
contains numerous undeveloped or underdeveloped needs of the present are met without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own
sites, such as surface parking lots and single-story
needs. The Central SoMa Plan seeks to achieve
commercial buildings. As such, the neighborhood
sustainability in each of its aspects – social,
is well positioned to accommodate needed
economic, and environmental. Additionally,
employment and housing in the core of the city
achieving sustainability in Central SoMa should
and Bay Area region. It is also a neighborhood with
complement movements towards sustainability in
an incredible history and a rich, ongoing, cultural
the city, region, nation, and planet.
heritage. As it grows and evolves over the next 25
years, Central SoMa has the opportunity to become PLAN PHILOSOPHY, STRATEGY, AND GOALS
a complete, sustainable, and vital neighborhood
The Plan’s philosophy for achieving neighborhood
without losing what makes it special and unique sustainability is to maintain what is already
today. The Central SoMa Plan contains the goals, successful about the neighborhood, and improving
objectives, and policies to guide this growth and what is not. Doing so requires implementing the
evolution such that the results serve the best following three strategies:
interests of San Francisco – in the present and
the future. ● Accommodate growth
● Provide public benefits
PLAN AREA BOUNDARY
● Respect and enhance neighborhood character
The Central SoMa Plan Area runs from 2nd Street
to 6th Street, Market Street to Townsend Street, Implementing the Plan’s strategy will require
exclusive of those areas that are part of the addressing all the facets of a sustainable
Downtown Plan (see Figure A in the Plan) which neighborhood. Doing so can be accomplished by
comprise much of the area north of Folsom Street. meeting all of the Plan’s eight goals to achieve the
It is an “Eastern Neighborhoods Plan” comprised following results:
entirely of areas formerly part of the East SoMa
● Accommodate a Substantial Amount of Jobs and
Plan Area and Western SoMa Plan Area, whose
Housing
boundaries has been adjusted accordingly. The
Central SoMa Plan Area boundaries were created to ● Maintain the Diversity of Residents
include areas within easy walking distance (i.e., two ● Facilitate an Economically Diversified and Lively
blocks) of the Central Subway’s 4th Street alignment. Jobs Center
Cover Photo by Daniel Austin Hoherd, Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).
● Provide Safe and Convenient Transportation that ● Affordable Housing: 33 percent of total units
Prioritizes Walking, Bicycling, and Transit produced after Plan adoption;
● Offer an Abundance of Parks and Recreational ● Transit: $500 million investment in both near and
Opportunities long term service and capacity enhancements to
both local and regional transit;
● Create an Environmentally Sustainable and
Resilient Neighborhood ● Parks and Recreation: Transformative investments
in new facilities and enhancements to existing ones
● Preserve and Celebrate the Neighborhood’s
(e.g. parks, recreation centers, privately-owned
Cultural Heritage
public open spaces (POPOS));
● Ensure that New Buildings Enhance the Character
● Complete Streets: Safe and comfortable
of the Neighborhood and the City
conditions for people walking and biking on 100
percent of all major streets in the Plan Area;
EXPECTED RESULTS
● Production, Distribution, and Repair (including
Under existing City rules, there is potential to build
Arts): No net loss of space due to Plan;
space for approximately 10,000 jobs and 2,500
housing units. With adoption of the Central SoMa ● Environmental Sustainability: Investment towards
Plan, there would be potential to build space for becoming a sustainable, healthy, and resilient
approximately to 32,000 jobs and 8,800 housing neighborhood;
units - more than triple of today’s development ● Cultural Preservation & Community Services:
capacity. Funding towards preservation of the area’s historic
buildings (including the Old Mint) and funding for
Increasing the population of the neighborhood services and communty facilities, such as health
requires significant investments in infrastructure. clinics and job training centers; and,
As such, the City places requirements on new
● Schools and Children: Funding to support the
development to help ameliorate and mitigate its
expanding population.
impacts. As well, various land use controls are
also put in place to ensure that new development
in Central SoMa reflects the characteristics of the
neighborhood and achieves the ideals put forward
by the Plan. These requirements and controls would
result in up to $2 billion in public benefits to serve
the neighborhood – compared to the $300 million
that would occur without the Plan. The public
benefits expected in Central SoMa include:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Central SoMa Plan is the result of eight years of intensive public engagement,
involving over a thousand people and an untold number of conversations. We
appreciate all the input we received and everyone’s willingness to share their
concerns, insights, and dreams. The goal of this Plan is to reflect the collective wisdom
of the community at this time in a way that sustains it far into the future.
We want to acknowledge the contributions of the late Mayor Edwin Lee, Mayor London
Breed, and Supervisor Jane Kim, who provided leadership and guidance through
the entire planning process. We would also like to thank all of the City departments
who participated in its development to make sure that the City family will speak with
one voice from the adoption to the implementation of this Plan. And most of all we
would like to thank every member of the community who participated in the creation
of this. This Plan would not be possible without the many days and evenings you
spent coming to our community open houses, hosting us at your community groups,
sending emails, making phone calls, answering surveys, and otherwise making sure
your ideas were heard.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I: CENTRAL SOMA PLAN
Overview: Central SoMa, a Sustainable Neighborhood
Goal 1: Accommodate a Substantial Amount of Jobs and Housing
Goal 2: Maintain the Diversity of Residents
Goal 3: Facilitate an Economically Diversified and Lively Jobs Center
Goal 4: Provide Safe and Convenient Transportation that Prioritizes Walking, Bicycling, and Transit
Goal 5: Offer an Abundance of Parks and Recreational Opportunities
Goal 6: Create an Environmentally Sustainable and Resilient Neighborhood
Goal 7: Preserve and Celebrate the Neighborhood’s Cultural Heritage
Goal 8: Ensure that New Buildings Enhance the Character of the Neighborhood and the City
PART II: CENTRAL SOMA IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
A. Implementation Matrix
B. Public Benefits Package
C. Guide to Urban Design
D. Key Development Site Guidelines
E. Key Streets Guidance
Note: This document reflects the adopted policies and implementation measures at the time of the Plan’s
adoption in December 2018, and is provided for reference only. For the most current policies, please refer
to the online General Plan, the Planning Code, and related materials.
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Photo by SF Planning.
OVERVIEW
CENTRAL SOMA
a sustainable
N EIGH B OR HO OD
PLAN PURPOSE
Central SoMa is a 230-acre area that sits adjacent to downtown,
has excellent transit access, and contains a substantial amount of
developable land. As such, the neighborhood is well positioned
to accommodate needed employment, housing, and visitor
facilities in the core of the city and Bay Area region. It is also a
neighborhood with an incredible history and a rich, ongoing,
cultural heritage. As it grows and evolves over the next 25 years,
Central SoMa has the opportunity to become a complete,
sustainable, and vital neighborhood without losing what makes
it special and unique today. The Central SoMa Plan contains the
goals, objectives, and policies to guide this growth and evolution
such that the results serve the best interests of San Francisco – in
the present and the future.
1
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MISSION CREEK CHANNEL
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2
Muni Metro (Surface)
PLAN AREA BOUNDARY PLAN VISION
The Central SoMa Plan Area runs from 2nd Street to The vision of the Central SoMa Plan is to create a
6th Street, Market Street to Townsend Street, exclusive sustainable neighborhood by 2040, where the needs
of those areas that are part of the Downtown Plan (see of the present are met without compromising the
Figure A) which comprise much of the area north of ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Folsom Street. It is an “Eastern Neighborhoods Plan” The Central SoMa Plan seeks to achieve sustainability
comprised entirely of areas formerly part of the East in each of its aspects – social, economic, and
SoMa Plan Area and Western SoMa Plan Area, whose environmental. Additionally, achieving sustainability
boundaries has been adjusted accordingly. The Central in Central SoMa should complement movements
SoMa Plan Area boundaries were created to include towards sustainability in the city, region, nation, and
areas within easy walking distance (i.e., two blocks) of planet.
the Central Subway’s 4th Street alignment.
SOCIAL
CENTRAL SOMA
ENVIRONMENT ECONOMY
a sustainable neighborhood
Overview 3
PLAN PHILOSOPHY that make this a regional and worldwide destination.
On the non-sustainable side of the ledger include an
Achieving neighborhood sustainability requires
equally impressive and daunting list of challenges:
keeping what is already successful about the
rents that are unaffordable to the vast majority of
neighborhood, and improving what is not. On the
residents and businesses; streets that are unsafe
sustainable side of the ledger, assets include the
and unpleasant for people walking and bicycling; a
diversity of residents (in every sense), its central
distinct lack of green coupled with an noisy and often
location complemented by abundant regional and
local transit, the unique character of the collection of polluted environment; and land that is not effectively
buildings that constitute the neighborhood, its rich being utilized to provide space for jobs and housing
economic heritage as an industrial center for a century in a fashion that can greatly reduce the emissions of
and more recently a hub of innovation in media and greenhouse gases per person and add to the stock of
technology, and the cultural and nightlife amenities space to help meet demand.
neighborhood strengths
Diversity of residents Transit-Served Diversity of Buildings Culture and
and Jobs Central Location and Architecture Nightlife
neighborhood challenges
rents Conditions for People Lack of Parks and Inefficient
walking and Biking Open Space Use of Land
4 CENTRAL SOMA PLAN
