Changes to front yard paving policy
Finding street parking in San Francisco can often be challenging. Given the difficulty, it may come as no surprise that many residents have turned to cementing over their front lawns to create additional off-street parking spaces. After receiving many questions and complaints from residents who have witnessed neighbors paving over their front yards, our office worked with the SF Planning Department to create a more effective and efficient enforcement process.
Under city law passed in 2002, 20 percent of required setback areas, such as front lawns, must remain unpaved and devoted to plant material. Many of the complaints we have received from residents include situations where neighbors have cemented over 100 percent of their front lawns. For these violations, previous Planning Code penalties were: $100 after 30 days, $250 after 60 days, and $500 after 90 days. The penalties were charged after the Planning Department issued an enforcement notice to the property owner, followed by a Notice of Violation and Order of Abatement after failure to respond or take corrective action.
The previous enforcement procedures had a few disadvantages, including a lower penalty amount, which often failed to compel compliance, a lengthy and time consuming process for Planning Department staff, and the allowance of an excessive amount of time to correct violations which could have easily been corrected in a shorter time period.
Changes to the Planning Code include a higher penalty amount of up to $250 per day to compel timely compliance, and eliminating confusion brought up by some property owners that paying the $500 administrative penalty under the previous code would result in the abatement of a violation. The change, on the other hand, also gives the Planning Department the discretion to allow additional time for responsible parties making a good faith effort to abate a violation. Under the code change, responsible parties would still be allowed at least 30 days to correct all violations, as was the case under the previous code. Responsible parties also still have the ability to file an appeal on the Order of Abatement and assessed penalties within 15 days of receiving the Order of Abatement.
For more than aesthetic reasons, the requirement of keeping 20 percent of required setback areas unpaved and devoted to plant material helps our City's sewer system by preventing rainwater from entering into the system. Though starting as relatively pure rainwater, storm-water runoff collects pollutants as it flows over impervious surfaces. For example, runoff from parking lots picks up oil and grease from leaking engines, copper from worn brake linings, and zinc from tires. Although most runoff in San Francisco flows into the combined sewer system and receives treatment at the city's two sewage treatment plants, there are a few areas in the City that discharge directly into San Francisco Bay or other surface water, such as Lake Merced, without receiving any treatment. These polluted storm water flows can be detrimental to aquatic and other life.
If you have any questions regarding the change in Planning Code enforcement procedures as related to front yard paving, please contact Adrian Putra at the Planning Department at (415) 575-9079. If you would like to file a complaint, please call (415) 575-6863 and be prepared to provide the subject property address. For more information, go to the website at www.sfplanning.org.
2011-2012 Budget Update
As chair of the Board of Supervisors' Budget Committee, I have been meeting with many community members and organizations regarding the budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. These discussions will continue as we head into budget deliberations, which begin mid-May.
I would like to thank all of the community members who took time out of their Saturday morning to attend the District 4 budget Town Hall Meeting on April 23. If you were unable to attend the meeting, you can always contact our office at (415) 554-7460 or at chustaff@sfgov.org. We also have a budget website as a resource, where you can find information regarding public input opportunities, department hearing schedules and presentations, and more. The website is at www.sfgov.org/budget.
In other news, the Taraval merchants will celebrate Small Business Week on Saturday, May 21, from noon to 3 p.m. Activities will be held at Sunset Movement Arts, located at 1647 Taraval St., at 26th Avenue.
Come watch a community talent show and get to know your neighbors and local shop owners!
Carmen Chu is a San Francisco supervisor representing District 4.