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(See Interpretations related to this Section.)

(a) Purpose. In order to promote, protect, and maintain a scale of development that is appropriate to each district and compatible with adjacent buildings, new construction or significant enlargement of existing buildings on lots of the same size or larger than the square footage stated in the Neighborhood Commercial Districts located in the Priority Equity Geographies Special Use District established under Section 249.97 shown in the table below shall be permitted only as Conditional Uses.

District	Lot Size Limits
District	Lot Size Limits
North Beach (*)	2,500 sq. ft.
Polk Street (*)	Polk Street (*)
NC-1, NCT-1 (*)	5,000 sq. ft.
24th Street-Mission	24th Street-Mission
NC-2, NCT-2 (*)	10,000 sq. ft.
NC-3, NCT-3 (*)	NC-3, NCT-3 (*)
Bayview	Bayview
Divisadero Street (*)	Divisadero Street (*)
Excelsior Outer Mission Street	Excelsior Outer Mission Street
Fillmore Street (*)	Fillmore Street (*)
Folsom Street	Folsom Street
Hayes-Gough	Hayes-Gough
Lower Polk Street	Lower Polk Street
Mission Street	Mission Street
San Bruno Avenue	San Bruno Avenue
SoMa	SoMa
Upper Market Street	Upper Market Street

Valencia Street (*)	Col2
---	---
(*) These districts are located at least partially in the Priority Equity Geographies Special Use District established under Section 249.97. The controls in this Section 121.1 shall apply to those areas of these districts that are within the Priority Equity Geographies SUD. The controls in this Section 121.1 shall not apply to portions of any Neighborhood Commercial District that are outside the Priority Equity Geographies SUD.	(*) These districts are located at least partially in the Priority Equity Geographies Special Use District established under Section 249.97. The controls in this Section 121.1 shall apply to those areas of these districts that are within the Priority Equity Geographies SUD. The controls in this Section 121.1 shall not apply to portions of any Neighborhood Commercial District that are outside the Priority Equity Geographies SUD.

(b) Design Review Criteria. In addition to the criteria of Section 303(c) of this Code, the Planning Commission shall consider the extent to which the following criteria are met:

(1) The mass, facade, and other physical characteristics of the proposed structure are compatible with objective design standards established with community input for the districts listed above, which may be specific to particular districts.

(2) Where 5,000 or more gross square feet of Non-Residential space is proposed, the project provides commercial spaces in a range of sizes, including one or more spaces of 1,000 gross square feet or smaller, to accommodate a diversity of neighborhood business types and business sizes.

(Added by Ord. 248-23, File No. 230446, App. 12/14/2023, Eff. 1/14/2024)

(Former Sec. 121.1 added by Ord. 69-87, App. 3/13/87; amended by Ord. 262-00, File No. 001426, App. 11/17/2000; Ord. 72-08, File No. 071157, App. 4/3/2008; Ord. 298-08, File No. 081153, App. 12/19/2008; Ord. 61-09, File No. 090181, App. 4/17/2009; Ord. 35-12, File No. 111305, App. 2/21/2012, Eff. 3/22/2012; Ord. 42-13, File No. 130002, App. 3/28/2013, Eff. 4/27/2013; Ord. 129-17, File No. 170203, App. 6/30/2017, Eff. 7/30/2017; Ord. 196-17, File No. 170419, App. 10/5/2017, Eff. 11/4/2017; Ord. 205-17, File No. 170418, App. 11/3/2017, Eff. 12/3/2017; Ord. 71-20, File No. 191285, App. 5/1/2020, Eff. 6/1/2020; Ord. 136-21, File No. 210674, App. 8/4/2021, Eff. 9/4/2021; repealed by Ord. 248-23, File No. 230446, App. 12/14/2023, Eff. 1/14/2024; amended by Ord. 53-24, File No. 231258, App. 3/22/2024, Eff. 4/22/2024)

AMENDMENT HISTORY

Table amended; Ord. 35-12, Eff. 3/22/2012. Table amended; Ord. 42-13, Eff. 4/27/2013. Divisions (a) and (b) designated; division (a) and table amended; Ord. 129-17, Eff. 7/30/2017. Division (a) and table amended; Ord. 196-17, Eff. 11/4/2017. Table amended; Ord. 205-17, Eff. 12/3/2017. Division (b)(3) added; Ord. 71-20, Eff. 6/1/2020. Table amended; Ord. 136-21, Eff. 9/4/2021. Former Section 121.1 repealed; new Section 121.1 added; Ord. 248-23, Eff. 1/14/2024. Division (b)(1) amended; Ord. 53-24, Eff. 4/22/2024.

SEC. 121.2. NON-RESIDENTIAL USE SIZE LIMITS IN NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL AND NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL TRANSIT DISTRICTS.	Col2	Col3

New Ordinance Notice

Publisher's Note: This section has been AMENDED by new legislation (Ord. 173-25, approved 9/5/2025, effective 10/6/2025). The text of the amendment will be incorporated under the new section number when the amending legislation is operative.

(See Interpretations related to this Section.)

(a) In order to protect and maintain a scale of development appropriate to each district, Non-Residential Use Sizes larger than the square footage stated in the table below may be permitted only as Conditional Uses, subject to the exception in Section 121.2(b). The Non-Residential Use Size shall be measured as the Gross Floor Area for each individual NonResidential Use.

District	Use Size Limits
District	Use Size Limits
Castro Street*	2,000 sq. ft.

North Beach	Col2
---	---
Pacific Avenue	Pacific Avenue
Polk Street**	Polk Street**
Polk Street**
24th Street-Mission	2,500 sq. ft.
24th Street-Noe Valley	24th Street-Noe Valley
Haight Street	Haight Street
Inner Clement Street	Inner Clement Street
Inner Sunset	Inner Sunset
Japantown	Japantown
Outer Clement Street	Outer Clement Street
Sacramento Street	Sacramento Street
Union Street	Union Street
Upper Fillmore Street	Upper Fillmore Street
West Portal Avenue*	West Portal Avenue*
NC-1, NCT-1	3,000 sq. ft.
Broadway	Broadway
Hayes-Gough	Hayes-Gough
Upper Market Street	Upper Market Street
Valencia Street	Valencia Street
NC-2, NCT-2	4,000 sq. ft.
Divisadero Street	Divisadero Street
Folsom Street	Folsom Street
Glen Park	Glen Park
Irving Street	Irving Street
Judah Street	Judah Street
Leland Avenue	Leland Avenue
Noriega Street	Noriega Street
Ocean Avenue	Ocean Avenue
SoMa	SoMa
Taraval Street	Taraval Street
NC-3, NCT-3	6,000 sq. ft.
Excelsior Outer Mission Street	Excelsior Outer Mission Street
Fillmore Street	Fillmore Street
Mission Street	Mission Street
NC-S	NC-S
Regional Commercial District	10,000 sq. ft.

Subject to Section 121.2(d).

** Conditional Use not required for any Limited Restaurant use that relocates within the Polk Street NCD, and is designated as a Legacy Business as of the effective date of the ordinance in Board File No. 240411, or any Health Service use in the West Portal Avenue Neighborhood Commercial District located at Assessor's Parcel Block No. 2989B, Lot 17.

In addition to the criteria of Section 303(c) of this Code, the Commission shall consider the extent to which the following criteria are met:

(1) The intensity of activity in the district is not such that allowing the larger use will be likely to foreclose the location of other needed neighborhood-serving uses in the area.

(2) The proposed use will serve the neighborhood, in whole or in significant part, and the nature of the use requires a larger size in order to function.

(3) The building in which the use is to be located is designed in discrete elements which respect the scale of development in the district.

(b) Notwithstanding Sections 121.2(a), 178, and 186.1, existing Non-Residential Uses that are larger than the use size limits in subsection (a) may be divided into two or more smaller Non-Residential Uses that are larger than the use size limits in subsection (a), and such a division shall not require a Conditional Use Authorization provided the division does not cause a Net Addition of Gross Floor Area.

(c) In order to protect the pedestrian scale of the Mission Street NCT and provide space for small businesses, the following control shall apply in the Mission Street NCT:

(1) Applicability. Lot mergers pursuant to Section 121.7(f) and any project located on a parcel that was created as a result of a lot merger pursuant to Section 121.7(f).

(2) Control. Any such project that does not include at least one non-residential space of no more than 2,500 square feet, located on the ground floor and fronting directly onto Mission Street, shall require a conditional use authorization. In considering whether to grant such conditional use authorization, the Commission shall consider the criteria in Sections 121.2(a) and 303(c).

(d) In order to protect and maintain the pedestrian scale of the Castro Street Neighborhood Commercial District and provide space for small businesses, Non-Residential Use Sizes larger than 4,000 square feet shall not be permitted, with the exception that a Child Care Facility, School, Post-Secondary Educational Institution, Religious Institution, Social Service or Philanthropic Facility, Community Facility, or a Residential Care Facility as defined in Section 102 of this Code that is operated by a non-profit and is neighborhood-serving may exceed this Non-Residential Use Size limit with Conditional Use authorization.

(Added by Ord. 69-87, App. 3/13/87; amended by Ord. 445-87, App. 11/12/87; Ord. 312-99, File No. 991586, App. 12/3/99; Ord. 198-00, File No. 992321, App. 8/18/2000; Ord. 262-00, File No. 001426, App. 11/17/2000; Ord. 251-07, File No. 070851, App. 11/7/2007; Ord. 72-08, File No. 071157, App. 4/3/2008; Ord. 245-08, File No. 080696; Ord. 298-08, File No. 081153, App. 12/19/2008; Ord. 61-09, File No. 090181, App. 4/17/2009; Ord. 140-11, File No. 110482, App. 7/5/2011, Eff. 8/4/2011; Ord. 35-12, File No. 111305, App. 2/21/2012, Eff. 3/22/2012; Ord. 42-13, File No. 130002, App. 3/28/2013, Eff. 4/27/2013; Ord. 56-13, File No. 130062, App. 3/28/2013, Eff. 4/27/2013; Ord. 154-13, File No. 130263, App. 7/25/2013, Eff. 8/24/2013; Ord. 188-15, File No. 150871, App. 11/4/2015, Eff. 12/4/2015; Ord. 129-17, File No. 170203, App. 6/30/2017, Eff. 7/30/2017; Ord. 205-17, File No. 170418, App. 11/3/2017, Eff. 12/3/2017; Ord. 17-18, File No. 171173, App. 2/9/2018, Eff. 3/12/2018; Ord. 202-18, File No. 180557, App. 8/10/2018, Eff. 9/10/2018; Ord. 11-23, File No. 221023, App. 2/9/2023, Eff. 3/12/2023; Ord. 169-24, File No. 240411, App. 7/12/2024, Eff. 8/12/2024; Ord. 2-25, File No. 240903, App. 2/7/2025, Eff. 3/10/2025; Ord. 23-25, File No. 241121, App. 3/7/2025, Eff. 4/7/2025; Ord. 173-25, File No. 250634, App. 9/5/2025, Eff. 10/6/2025)

AMENDMENT HISTORY