(a) Requirements for Commercial and Institutional Development. For commercial and institutional development exceeding 10,000 gross square feet in the Chinatown Mixed Use Zones whether new construction or net addition through alteration, including the Chinatown Community Business District, the Chinatown Visitor Retail District and the Chinatown Residential Neighborhood Commercial District established by the use provisions of Articles 2 and 8 of this Code, there shall be requirements for usable open space of one square foot for every 50 square feet of gross floor area of commercial or institutional space. This requirement shall not apply to commercial or institutional development of 10,000 square feet or less. Open space provided pursuant to this Section shall be made open to the public during hours determined by the Zoning Administrator.
(b) Alternative Means of Satisfying the Commercial Open Space Requirement.
(1) If an open space satisfying the requirements of Subsection (a) cannot be created because the square footage of open space is not of sufficient size to provide a usable open space, the Zoning Administrator may authorize, as an eligible type of open space, improvements to an alleyway within a square block of the project site. The improvements shall include paving, landscaping, street furniture or other features appropriate for creating an attractive area for sitting and walking. The Zoning Administrator shall determine that the improvements would be an equivalent benefit to the community as the amount of open space that would have been created under Subsection (a).
(2) If an open space satisfying the requirements and standards of this Section cannot be provided because of constraints of the development site or because the square footage of open space to be provided is not of sufficient size and if the off-site options authorized by Paragraph (1) above are found to be infeasible at the time of the project application, the Zoning Administrator may, upon application by the proposed developer pursuant to Section 307(g), waive the requirement that an open space be provided. It shall be a condition of any such waiver that the proposed developer pay the amount of $1.50 per gross square foot of floor area devoted to commercial or institutional use. Payment shall be paid in full to the City prior to the issuance of any temporary or other certificate of occupancy for the subject property. Funds received on account of any such payment shall be deposited in the Chinatown Open Space Fund established pursuant to Section 10.203 of the San Francisco Administrative Code.
(c) Cost and Restrictions. All costs of the open space, including without limitation those associated with design, development, liability insurance, regular maintenance, and safe operation of this open space, shall be borne by the property owner. Liability insurance satisfactory to the Department, naming the City and County of San Francisco and its officers and employees as additional insureds, shall be provided for all such spaces. The property owner shall record with the County Recorder a special restriction on the property satisfactory in substance to the Department and sufficient to give notice to subsequent owners, tenants and other persons having other economic interests in the property of the open space requirement and the means by which the requirement has been, and must continue to be, satisfied. Additionally, the property owner shall post a plaque identifying the open space feature and stating the right of the public to use it.
(d) Approval and Construction. The design and location of proposed open space and its ability to fulfill public open space needs shall be reviewed as part of the site or building permit application for the project in question and must be approved or disapproved by the Department in its action on that permit. The open space shall be constructed pursuant to the relevant permit, and no temporary or other certificate of occupancy shall be issued for any structure constructed under the permit until the open space is complete.
(Added by Ord. 131-87, App. 4/24/87)