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(a) Waiver or Reduction Based on Absence of Reasonable Relationship.
(1) The sponsor of any development project subject to a development fee or development impact requirement imposed by this Article may appeal to the Board of Supervisors for a reduction, adjustment, or waiver of the requirement based upon the absence of any reasonable relationship or nexus between the impact of development and either the amount of the fee charged or the on-site requirement.
(2) Any appeal authorized by this Section shall be made in writing and filed with the Clerk of the Board no later than 15 days after the date the Department or Commission takes final action on the project approval that assesses the requirement. The appeal shall set forth in detail the factual and legal basis for the claim of waiver, reduction, or adjustment.
(3) The Board of Supervisors shall consider the appeal at a public hearing within 60 days after the filing of the appeal. The appellant shall bear the burden of presenting substantial evidence to support the appeal, including comparable technical information to support appellant's position. The decision of the Board shall be by a simple majority vote and shall be final.
(4) If a reduction, adjustment, or waiver is granted, any change in use within the project shall invalidate the waiver, adjustment, or reduction of the fee or inclusionary requirement. If the Board grants a reduction, adjustment or waiver, the Clerk of the Board shall promptly transmit the nature and extent of the reduction, adjustment or waiver to the Development Fee Collection Unit at DBI and the Unit shall modify the Project Development Fee Report to reflect the change.
(b) Waiver or Reduction, Based on Housing Affordability.
(1) An affordable housing unit shall receive a waiver from the Rincon Hill Community Infrastructure Impact Fee, the Market and Octavia Community Improvements Impact Fee, the Eastern Neighborhoods Infrastructure Impact Fee, the Balboa Park Impact Fee, the Visitacion Valley Community Facilities and Infrastructure Impact Fee, the Transportation Sustainability Fee, and the Residential Child Care Impact Fee if the affordable housing unit:
(A) is affordable to a household at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (as published by HUD), including units that qualify as replacement Section 8 units under the HOPE SF program;
(B) is subsidized by MOHCD, the San Francisco Housing Authority, the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, and/or the the1
Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure or any future successor agency to those listed herein; and
(C) is subsidized in a manner which maintains its affordability for a term no less than 55 years, whether it is a rental or ownership opportunity. Project sponsors must demonstrate to the Planning Department staff that a governmental agency will be enforcing the term of affordability and reviewing performance and service plans as necessary.
(2) Projects that meet the requirements of this subsection are eligible for a 100 percent fee reduction until an alternative fee schedule is published by the Department.
(3) Projects that are located within a HOPE SF Project Area are eligible for a 100 percent fee reduction from the TSF, applicable both to the affordable housing units and the market-rate units within such projects, and to any Non-Residential or PDR uses. Projects within a HOPE SF Project Area are otherwise subject to all other applicable fees per Article 4 of the Planning Code.
(4) Residential uses within projects where all residential units are affordable to households at or below 150% of the Area Median Income (as published by HUD) shall not be subject to the TSF. Non-residential and PDR uses within those projects shall be subject to the TSF. All uses shall be subject to all other applicable fees per Article 4 of the Planning Code.
(c) Waiver for Homeless Shelters. A Homeless Shelter, as defined in Section 102 of this Code, is not required to pay the Rincon Hill Community Infrastructure Impact Fee, the Transit Center District Impact Fees, the Market and Octavia Community Improvements Impact Fee, the Eastern Neighborhoods Infrastructure Impact Fee, the Balboa Park Impact Fee, the Visitacion Valley Community Facilities and Infrastructure Impact Fee and the Transportation Sustainability Fee.
(d) Waiver Based on Duplication of Fees. The City shall make every effort not to assess duplicative fees on new development. In general, project sponsors are only eligible for fee waivers under this Subsection if a contribution to another fee program would result in a duplication of charges for a particular type of community infrastructure. The Department shall publish a schedule annually of all known opportunities for waivers and reductions under this clause, including the specific rate. Requirements under Section 135 and 138 of this Code do not qualify for a waiver or reduction. Should future fees pose a duplicative charge, such as a Citywide open space or childcare fee, the same methodology shall apply and the Department shall update the schedule of waivers or reductions accordingly.
(e) Waiver or Reduction of Fees for a Public Park in the Central SoMa Plan Area. A development project may elect to provide land and other resources in order to construct a public park on an approximately 40,000 square-foot portion of Block 3777 as called for in the Central SoMa Plan, and in doing so may be eligible for a waiver against all or a portion of fees otherwise applicable to such development as set forth in this subsection 406(e). As part of the approval process for such a project, the Planning Commission may waive all or a portion of the Eastern Neighborhoods Infrastructure Impact Fee, the Central SoMa Infrastructure Impact Fee, the Transit Impact Development Fee, and the Transit Sustainability Fee, and may specify how such waiver would be distributed among the aforementioned fees, provided such total amount does not exceed the value of the park, which shall be calculated based on actual costs to acquire the land.
(Added by Ord. 108-10, File No. 091275, App. 5/25/2010; amended by Ord. 3-11, File No. 101247, App. 1/7/2011; Ord. 47-11, File No. 110009, App. 3/16/2011; Ord. 14-15
, File No. 141210, App. 2/13/2015, Eff. 3/15/2015; Ord. 200-15
, File No. 150790, App. 11/25/2015, Eff. 12/25/2015; Ord. 222-15
, File No. 155521, App. 12/18/2015, Eff. 1/17/2016; Ord. 2-16
, File No. 150793, App. 1/19/2016, Eff. 2/18/2016; Ord. 26-18, File No. 171193, App. 2/23/2018, Eff. 3/26/2018; Ord. 296-18, File No. 180184, App. 12/12/2019, Eff. 1/12/2019)
AMENDMENT HISTORY
New division (c) added and former division (c) redesignated as (d); Ord. 14-15
, Eff. 3/15/2015. Division (b)(1) amended; new divisions (b)(3) and (4) added and former division (b)(3) redesignated as (b)(5); division (c) amended; Ord. 200-15
, Eff. 12/25/2015 and Ord. 222-15
, Eff. 1/17/2016. Divisions (b)(1) and (b)(1)(B) amended; Ord. 2-16
, Eff. 2/18/2016. Division (b)(1)(B) amended; Ord. 26-18, Eff. 3/26/2018. Division (e) added; Ord. 296-18, Eff. 1/12/2019.
CODIFICATION NOTE