SEC. 249.18. NORTHEAST CHINA BASIN SPECIAL USE DISTRICT.

A Special Use District entitled the "Northeast China Basin Special Use District," the boundaries of which are shown on the Zoning Map, is hereby established for the purposes set forth below. The following provisions shall apply within the Northeast China Basin Special Use District:

(a) Purposes. In order to accommodate the development of an open-air ballpark for major league baseball with a maximum of 45,000 seats with related commercial uses, including, but not limited to, general office, shops and other retail, restaurants, live music performances and other forms of live entertainment, in a setting of waterfront public spaces in an area that:

(1) Will enhance public enjoyment of the San Francisco Bay by bringing many people of all ages to a place of public assembly and recreation adjacent to the shoreline;

(2) Will be close to downtown and within walking distance of many thousands of workers, shoppers, visitors and residents;

(3) Will be conveniently served by public transit, including an extension of Muni Metro service from Market Street to the ballpark and beyond, with convenient transfer from and to BART, Muni bus and trolley lines, Caltrain services from the Peninsula to a station near the site, and potential ferry service from various north and east bay points to the ballpark site;

(4) Will be conveniently served by the broad South of Market street grid, a new 150-foot wide King Street Boulevard in front of the ballpark and easy access to the 101 and I-280 freeways;

(5) Will have access to approximately 5,000 off-site parking spaces near the ballpark during the first five years, with possible renewal options;

(6) Will have convenient access to a sizable pool of existing and proposed on- and off-street parking which can be made available in the evening and on weekends; and, further, in order to assure that the ballpark is attractively designed and will be a visual asset to the City, there shall be a Northeast China Basin Special Use District. (b) Controls.

(1) General. The provisions of the M-2 use district established by Section 201 of this Code shall prevail except as provided in subsections(b)(2) through (4) below.

(2) Conditional Uses. An open-air ballpark with a maximum seating capacity of 45,000, Sports Stadium as defined in Section 102 of this Code, with associated parking, and various uses accessory to or related to ballpark and assembly and entertainment uses, including sports clubs, restaurants, and retail shops, shall all be permitted as Conditional Uses.

(3) Parking. In recognition of the public transit anticipated to be available to serve a ballpark in the proposed location, in recognition of the large supply of parking in the vicinity, much of which can be made available for ballpark use in the evening and on weekends, and in recognition of the availability of approximately 5,000 off-site parking spaces near the ballpark during the first five years of the ballpark’s operation, there shall be no minimum requirement for offstreet parking spaces for the Uses permitted in the Northeast China Basin Special Use District.

(4) Architectural Design. In recognition of the prominence of the location and vital importance of the uses described in Subsection (b)(2) above, such uses shall be subject to conditional use review and approval by the Planning Commission. A conditional use may be authorized by the Planning Commission if the facts presented are such to establish that the architectural design of the structure is appropriate for its intended use, location and civic purpose. This criterion shall be in lieu of the criteria set forth in Section 303(c)(1) through (4) of this Code.

(Added by Proposition B, 3/26/96; amended by Ord. 22-15, File No. 141253, App. 2/20/2015, Eff. 3/22/2015; Ord. 31118, File No. 181028, App. 12/21/2018, Eff. 1/21/2019)

AMENDMENT HISTORY

Division (b)(2) amended; Ord. 22-15, Eff. 3/22/2015. Divisions (b)(1)-(3) amended; Ord. 311-18, Eff. 1/21/2019.