San Francisco Planning Department

Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan

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Better Neighborhoods Program

Japantown Overview

The Planning Team

Plan Schedule

Get Involved!

Previous Meetings & Outreach

Links

Click here for the opinion survey results!

San Francisco Planning Commission acknowledges the DRAFT Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan

After several years of analysis and community process, the Draft Plan was presented to the Planning Commission for acknowledgement on June 25, 2009. Prior to acknowledgement, Planning staff presented at two informational hearings at the Planning Commission, and two informational hearings at the Historic Preservation Commission.

The draft plan will continue to be revised and reworked with the community based on the acknowledgement resolution adopted by the Planning Commission. If you have not already read the draft plan, read it below. If you have ideas to offer, stay involved in the process.

You can review each chapter individually by
clicking on the links below:

Executive Summary - 0.9 MB

Chapter 1: Introduction - 5.4 MB

Chapter 2: Community Heritage - 2.7 MB

Chapter 3: Community and Economic Development - 1.2 MB

Chapter 4: Land Use - 1.9 MB

Chapter 5: Built Form - 3.7 MB

Chapter 6: Public Realm - 8.8 MB

Chapter 7: Transportation and Circulation - 3.8 MB

Chapter 8: Japan Center - 2.7 MB

Chapter 9: Implementation - 400 kB

Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan Appendices

There are also a number of appendices referenced in the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan. Click below to download them.

Appendix A: Japantown Opinion Survey Summary

Appendix B: National Heritage Areas

Appendix C: Historic Property Benefits Matrix

Appendix D: Community Benefit District Case Studies

Appendix E: Implementation Case Studies

Appendix F: Planning a Multi-Use Community Facility

Appendix G: Transportation and Circulation Analysis

Appendix H: Japan Center Proforma Analysis

If you would like to purchase a hard copy of the Draft Plan, they are $40.00. Contact Maria Oropeza at the Planning Department (558-6307) or Bob Hamaguchi at Japantown Task Force (346-1239). We also have free CDs.

We presented the Draft Plan to the Planning Commission in May and June to seek acknowledgement.

If you would like to view the hearings on the Draft Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan, visit SFGovTV and click here and go to the following Planning Commission hearing dates:

Thursday, May 28 (Information Only)
Thursday, June 18 (Information Only)
Thursday, June 25 (Action)

We also provided an update of the Japantown Historic Resource Survey and the Context Statement at the Historic Preservation Commission on June 3 and June 17, 2009.

Staff provided an informational presentation on the Japantown Historic Resource Survey, Historic Context Statement, Physical Heritage Report, Traditional Cultural Properties Evaluation and other associated information on June 3.

An additional hearing on how the plan's goals and recommendations relate to the Japantown's community heritage, Historic Resource Survey and the Context Statement took place on June 17.

These hearings were not televised.

To review the materials that will be presented, click on the links below:

Historic Preservation Commission Case Report, June 3, 2009
- PDF 233 kB

Japantown BNP Survey Area Map
- PDF 214 kB

Historic Context Statement: Japantown, San Francisco, California
- PDF 8 MB

Physical Heritage Report
- PDF 1.6 MB

Traditional Cultural Property Evaluation Report
- PDF 412 kB

District Record
- PDF 400 kB

Survey Findings Report
- PDF 736 kB

Click here to view the primary records, and building, structure & object records.

At the request of the Japantown BNP Steering Committee, the Planning Department proposes that adoption of the historic resource survey for the Japantown BNP be considered after resolution of currently proposed amendments to Planning Code Articles 10 and 11, which in part pertain to treatment of properties included in historic resource surveys, has occurred.

Click here for a printable copy of our Spring 2009 Newsletter.

Plan Overview

Thanks for your interest in the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan! This plan will help shape the future of Japantown.

The Japantown Better Neighborhood planning process will develop the community's vision for this historic and culturally-rich neighborhood, with a focus on how physical improvements, historic and cultural preservation and new development can contribute to the vision.

The process will result in a plan to guide the use and character of the neighborhood, as well as provide recommendations to improve the connections with the Fillmore District and the Geary Corridor Bus Rapid Transit project currently under study. What happens with the Japan Center properties will be a central part of this planning process.

The Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan will set forth a land use and design framework for new development, urban design guidelines, historic and cultural preservation strategies, economic development strategies, and transportation improvements within the Project Area (see below):

Boundary Map JPG

To download a copy of the map of the proposed project area, click here.

Plan Schedule

Where we are in the process

This planning effort began in 2007. Since then we have completed the first three phases on planning. Included in those phases were:

§Conducted an Opinion Survey (600 responses)
Conducted 23 Focus Groups
Conducted Six Community Townhall meetings
§Held monthly Steering Committee meetings (27 meetings in total)
Formed a Preservation Working Group (5 meetings)
Provided updates with quarterly newsletters and updates on this website

SCHEDULE FOR PLAN COMPLETION 2009
JANUARY 2009	Begin Feasibility and Height Analysis for Japan Center. Refine Recommendations for Openspace, Streetscape, Wayfinding, Land Use & Transportation.
FEBRUARY/ MARCH 2009	Draft Recommendations Based on Feasibility and Height Analysis for Japan Center. Draft Recommendations for Urban Design, Community and Economic Development, and Community Heritage.
APRIL - JUNE 2009	Hold Community Meeting to Present Plan Recommendations. Refine Recommendations. Compile All Recommendations into Draft Plan. Hold Commission Hearings to Present Draft Plan.

If you would like to read what people had to say during previous focus groups and community meetings, go to Previous Meetings and Outreach.

Get involved in the planning process!

We need each and every person who lives in, works in, shops in or cares about Japantown to get involved in the process. Please keep watching this site for more information about how to get involved. In the meantime, please make sure we have your mailing address and email address so we can keep you informed. Contact Rosemary Dudley by phone at (415) 575-9068 or email japantown@sfgov.org to get on the mailing list.

IMPORTANT!
If you are part of a community organization in the Japantown area, we would like to get your group involved in the planning process for Japantown. Please get in touch with us to discuss.