UPDATE: Transportation Demand Management Ordinance Impact to Non-Residential Space

UPDATE - March 30, 2017

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance in February amending the Planning Code to establish a Transportation Demand Management Program. 

The Transportation Demand Management Program, or TDM, is a citywide program developed by the San Francisco Planning Department, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and San Francisco County Transportation Authority, requiring developments to provide on-site amenities that support sustainable modes of transportation and reduce single-occupancy driving trips associated with new development.

The ordinance, sponsored by Supervisors Malia Cohen, Jeff Sheehy, London Breed, Mark Farrell, and Ahsha Safai, applies to projects with 10 units or more of new residential development, 10,000 square feet or more of commercial development, and large (25,000 square feet) changes of use. Residential projects that are 100 percent affordable are exempt.

Read below or click here for more information.

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UPDATE: December 6, 2016

The Planning Code Amendment for the TDM Ordinance was heard at the Board of Supervisors Land Use and Transportation Committee on Monday, November 28. The Committee voted to continue the item to December 5th (Board of Supervisors File #160925), and some amendments to the Ordinance were proposed. They include, among others, language regarding the phasing in of the TDM Program.

At the December 5th meeting, the Committee voted again to continue the Ordinance to January 23rd due to a need to review additional issues raised at the meeting. 

In addition, The San Francisco Planning Department identified changes to the TDM Program Standards based upon feedback received over the last two months. Those changes are described in a memo distributed to the Land Use and Transportation Committee on November 28th and posted on Planning’s website. It is expected that these changes to be proposed for adoption by the Planning Commission in the near future.

Please note that two tools are now available online: The previous version, dated October 12, 2016, and an updated version containing the proposed changes described in the aforementioned memo, dated November 28, 2016. Staff is currently working on a web-based version of the Excel file tool and will notify you as soon as it is released.

Please email kenc@boma.com and johnb@boma.com with any feedback you may have.

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UPDATE: July 29, 2016

There is a change being proposed to the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Ordinance that will now - if passed - impact existing buildings who change the use of 25,000 sq. ft. or more of non-residential space and require the building owner to do an assessment on the traffic impacts the change will generate. The Planning Commission is set to hear it August 4, 2016.

About TDM

The Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program is designed to work with developers to provide more on-site amenities that will encourage smarter travel options so people can get around more easily without a car. These choices are better for the environment, help manage congestion, help to reduce risks to pedestrians and cyclists, and improve the overall efficiency of our transportation network.

A series of development-focused TDM measures are intended to “shift” more typical car-dependent travel practices by providing reliable alternatives, such as:

Delivery services
Bicycle amenities
Subsidized transit passes

The TDM Program would apply to nearly all types of new development and changes of use. The end result: more sustainable transportation options for a building’s tenants, employees, residents, and visitors, which benefits not only the local neighborhood, but the City as a whole.

Frequently Asked Questions

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UPDATE - April 21, 2016

On March 3, 2016, San Francisco Planning Commission adopted a new resolution to immediately update the environmental review process with the state-proposed guidelines that modernize the way city officials measure the transportation impacts of new development projects.

For decades, environmental analysis of transportation impacts focused on how quickly cars moved through a given intersection, a flawed approach that was expensive to calculate, did little to benefit the environment and promoted urban sprawl rather than smart infill growth. The new approach is more comprehensive, looking at the method of travel, how far the person is going, and how many other people are in the vehicle to determine the impact on the environment.

The resolution to take immediate action represents the Align component of the Transportation Sustainability Program, a three-part citywide policy initiative to help transportation keep pace with growth in the city.

More Updates

Introduction of Transportation Demand Management: SHIFT

On February 11, 2016, Planning Department staff provided a brief overview on the Transportation Sustainability Program’s SHIFT component, the proposed Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Ordinance. TDM describes strategies or measures that incentivize sustainable ways of getting around. These types of travel choices are good for the environment, help manage congestion and improve the efficiency of the transportation network. The City is working on shifting travel choices as San Francisco grows, making it easier for new arrivals to take transit, bike or other efficient travel methods rather than moving to the city with a car.

On April 28, 2016, Planning Department staff will initiate a Planning Code Amendment for the TDM Ordinance. In addition, the TDM project team will be presenting the Ordinance to various neighborhood Citizen Advisory Committees this spring. Please see below for a list of the upcoming meetings before the Ordinance will be introduced at the Board of Supervisors.

Visit our Shift page for the executive summary and a copy of the presentation that was provided at the February 11th Planning Commission hearing. We intend on updating this page soon with more information related to the TDM Ordinance, so please stay tuned.