City Hall Workgroup Looking at Selling SF Municipal Air Rights

When I attended the October 23 fire commission meeting I learned that the City is evaluating selling air rights over municipal buildings, which was news to me. I received information from John Updike, the head of the Department of Real Estate, that more than a million square feet of air rights above the Veterans Building are in the process of being sold.

Thanks to a public records request, I've received transcripts from that meeting which provide greater transparency about where the City is in terms of potentially selling off air rights over public properties. If the Board of Supervisors would pressure the fire department, whose current budget is $86 million, to air the commission meetings on SF GovTV, it wouldn't take public records requests to fully learn all that is discussed at the meetings.

First, let me explain that fire commission member Ken Cleaveland is the vice president of the Building Owners and Managers Association of San Francisco and their primary purpose is "advancing the commercial real estate industry through advocacy, professional development and information exchange."

It's no surprise that Cleaveland is urging movement on selling air rights, after all, it would be a financial boon to his association and its members. At the July 10 commission meeting, he made an initial inquiry:

Commissioner Cleaveland asked if the Department has ever looked at the value of any air rights they may have above fire stations and suggested deputizing someone to look into this possibility. Chief Hayes-White thought that would be a good idea and explained air right proposals were looked at in 2008, specifically to Station 13 on Sansome Street.

(Click to enlarge. Page 1 of excerpted transcripts.)

Here are excerpts of the October 23 transcripts that were provided to me by the commission's secretary:

COMMISSIONER CLEVELAND: And know what the status is of all of our -- of all of our properties, if you will. And the other thing was had we made any progress on determining if we have any transferable developmental rights, air rights above any of our fire stations? Have we done anything to determine or quantify or monetize that value? We might be able to sell. It's a very hot real estate market in order to get more money for the department.

(Page 2.)

MARK CORSO, Chief Financial Officer for SFFD, bolding added: Specifically we looked at it when it was first brought up with the Commission a few months ago, I believe. That comes up every now and then, and we discussed it with the Department of Real Estate and we are not the only department to discuss it with them. So there is a workgroup city wide looking at that. They've hired some consultants with regard utilities pricing and inventory. I believe there is a demand for, or there's actually a large want amongst many city departments to sell it so there is an issue of over saturating the market with those real estate options. And so that's one of the things with regards to timing that the Department of Real Estate is looking at. So they are working on it in conjunction with capital planning, the city's capital planning department.

(Page 3.)

COMMISSIONER COVINGTON: Thank you, Mr. President. Every time my fellow Commissioner Cleveland talks about air rights I want to bring up the fact that I would like to have us to continue to investigate the ability to build workforce housing for firefighters, police officers, and teachers.

Since developers are running out of land to build on and they can't very well construct new properties in the San Francisco Bay, it makes sense that they would look to purchase air rights for future projects. At the same time, can you blame the City for considering how to sell those air rights and produce more revenue for municipal coffers?

Now is a good time for historic building preservationists, affordable housing advocates, progressive social and urban planners, to demand more transparency from the City's workgroup looking air rights.

Since there's a workgroup and consultants have been hired, selling air rights is far enough in development to demand greater public scrutiny.

Dozens "Die-In" at San Francisco ACT UP/Gay Shame Action in the Castro

Under a glorious California sun, more than 75 people gathered today at the crossroads of America's gayest neighborhood to commemorate the 20th anniversary of ACT UP's founding and first action.

After two months of non-stop volunteer organizing by a small handful of members of the newly-formed ACT UP/Bay Area and Gay Shame - A Virus in the System, a crowd of people with AIDS, affordable housing advocates, seniors on fixed incomes, universal health care proponents, including gays/lesbians/bisexuals/transgenders and our allies assembled at Castro and 18th Streets in San Francisco at noon to revive queer/AIDS street activism.

We stayed in front of the BofA building until 12:20 pm, when the crowd was estimated at 50 people. Our police negotiators were not able to secure permission from the five police officers assigned to monitor our action, so we marched up the sidewalk on Castro Street.

Led by gay youth holding a banner that read "Silence = Death, Action = Life. Welcome to the AIDS Eviction Capital. Health Care & Housing for All. ACT UP/Bay Area," we proceed up the street chanting "ACT UP, Fight Back, Fight AIDS!"

At Market Street we turned the corner and continued on to the front of the Coldwell Banker real estate office. Once there, we had more than 75 participants standing around.

We held a brief rally and a few people spoke about our local concerns; people w/AIDS and seniors forced from their homes in the Castro, real estate speculation, the need to get back in the streets, and national issues were also addressed; universal health care, affordable housing for all, money for AIDS and domestic needs, not Bush's wars.

Then everyone was asked to lie down "dead" on the sidewalk, which they did and our marshals drew colorful chalk outlines around their limp bodies.

The die-in lasted ten minutes and as people got up from the pavement, a chant went up: "People with AIDS under attack, what do we do? ACT UP! Fight back! Fight AIDS!"

From start to finish, the short march, speeches and die-in lasted an hour, and there were no arrests made by the cops.

All in all, I'd say the action was a success and heralds a renewed spirit of queer AIDS activism in the streets of San Francisco.

A big thank you to all who helped organize the die-in and much gratitude to everyone who showed up. We couldn't have done it without you!

And be sure to read Andres Duque's report from the NYC ACT UP action today. Click here for his coverage and great pix.

(Gay Shame members at Castro and 18th Streets, with our banner.)



(The cutest cub, and there were a few, at today's action. Should have taken a few more, crisper photos of him and his "ACTION = VIE" tee shirt.)

(Veteran activist of many causes, Tommi Avicolli Mecca, on the left, and Mary Ralowe of Gay Shame in her fabulous pink jacket and hat.)

(People lying "dead" on the sidewalk in front of the Coldwell Bank office on Market Street.)

(More "dead" people who died without health care or housing. Notice the Coldwell Banker sandwich board sign, and the chalk outlines around the bodies.)

(Former US Sailor, member of ACT UP/DC and Queer Nation/DC, all-round good guy and friend, Greg Scott. Super cute!)