The Land Use and Transportation Committee voted 3‑0 on Jan. 13, 2025, to recommend that the Board amend the Planning Code to permit certain health service uses up to 5,000 gross square feet in the West Portal neighborhood commercial district without a conditional use permit.

Chair Supervisor Mirana Melgar said the change would allow a long‑standing neighborhood merchant identified in the record as Dr. Li (an existing health‑service provider) to move and expand from 380 West Portal to 297–299 West Portal. Melgar said the proposed zoning clarification follows a Planning Commission recommendation and staff analysis and would allow the use at the proposed location without delaying the merchant’s relocation. Melgar moved a technical amendment to correct the block and lot reference (to read Block 2989‑B, Lot 17) and then moved the amended ordinance to the full Board with a positive recommendation.

Aaron Starr, manager of legislative affairs for the Planning Department, told the committee that the Planning Commission heard the item on Dec. 5 and recommended approval; Planning staff had suggested either increasing or removing the 4,000‑square‑foot limit in the corridor. Starr said staff supported the chair’s approach to accommodate the longstanding neighborhood business while continuing conversations with merchants and neighbors about corridor rules.

Supervisor Balam Mahmood said he supported sending the item to the Board but urged that the city consider more holistic rezonings of commercial corridors in the future rather than single‑site fixes. There were no public speakers on the item. The committee recorded three ayes and will forward the amended ordinance to the full Board for consideration.

If adopted by the Board, the amendment would change the neighborhood commercial district rules for the specified West Portal location, permitting the listed health‑service use up to 5,000 gross square feet without a conditional use permit; the transcript records the technical amendment to block/lot numbering as an explicit change made in committee.