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(a) The Board of Supervisors declares that it is the policy of the City and County of San Francisco to:
(1) Provide a quality living and working environment for residents and workers;
(2) Foster the diversified development of the City, providing a variety of economic and job opportunities;
(3) Maintain a balance between economic growth, on the one hand, and housing, transportation and public services in general, on the other, and encourage a rate of growth consistent with transportation and housing capacity;
(4) Prevent undesirable effects of development on local air quality and other environmental resources; and
(5) Encourage development projects of superior design, optimum location and other desirable characteristics.
(b) In recent years, office development in the City has increased dramatically. Office development has already affected housing, transportation and parking capacities.
(c) The City has only limited legal authority to direct or control physical development, whether for office use or not, on land covered by approved redevelopment plans or under the jurisdiction of the Port Commission.
(d) There are competing legitimate public interests which must be balanced in the planning process. Environmental concerns are of great importance, but must be balanced against the need for continued, healthy economic growth and job creation, maintenance of municipal revenues for the provision of social services, effective preservation of historic buildings and other considerations.
(e) Based on developments proposed to date, general economic conditions affecting San Francisco, and the trend in recent years of an increasing rate of office development, it is likely that excessive office development will come before City agencies for authorization and approval during the years 1985 through 1988, and possible that excessive development would continue thereafter. It is therefore appropriate to approve during the three years after adoption of this ordinance only particular, proposed developments which serve the public interest, convenience and necessity, and to similarly limit approvals for further periods to the extent excessive development might otherwise continue to occur.
(f) Sections 320 through 324 of this ordinance are intended to further the policies noted in Subsection (a) and to aid in responding to the effects noted in Subsection (b), with due regard to the factors set forth in Subsections (c) and (d), by authorizing more effective regulation of the rate, distribution, type and quality of office development in the City and County of San Francisco. Control of office development will afford additional time to analyze and meet its effects.
(Added by Ord. 414-85, App. 9/17/85)