There’s a battle brewing over drones – and jobs – in the Mission. DoorDash, the on-demand delivery app, plans to launch a drone testing site on Folsom Street, but the Teamsters Union Local 665, which represents over 70,000 workers in the Bay Area, is pushing back. 

In August, DoorDash leased a warehouse at 1960 Folsom St. with the intention of developing “aerial delivery systems,” using drones that would fly up to 150 feet and eventually deliver some of the orders that today are transported by the company’s drivers. 

The same month, the city’s zoning administrator, at the request of DoorDash Labs, a subsidiary of the delivery company, determined that the firm could operate drone testing at the Folsom Street site, which is located within a PDR district  – “production, distribution and repair.”  The latter encompasses a wide range of industrial uses from sound engineering to food distribution to auto shops. More specifically, the zoning administrator’s letter explained that drone testing falls under what the city’s Planning Code defines as a “laboratory use,” which is allowed at a PDR site.

The Teamsters appealed the zoning administrator’s decision, claiming that drone testing does not fall within the city’s defined “laboratory” uses.

PDR districts, which cover most areas in the Mission north of 19th Street and east of Shotwell Street, are part of a citywide effort to retain low and middle-income residents, and manufacturing activities. Twenty-three percent of employees in the Mission work in jobs for PDR businesses. 

“This PDR property is meant for blue-collar jobs, but DoorDash is using it to develop technology designed to destroy jobs,” said Tony Delorio, the Teamsters’ principal officer. 

“We filed this appeal because teamster members are proud to live and work in the neighborhood, and the Mission is not a laboratory. We refuse to be used as Doordash’s guinea pigs,” Delorio added. 

The Board of Appeals will vote on the appeal on Wednesday at 5 p.m. 

DoorDash, which is headquartered in San Francisco and employs some 1,600 employees citywide, is contesting the Teamsters’ claims. 

“DoorDash is excited to continue contributing to San Francisco’s economic recovery as the global capital of innovation with our new research and development site at 1960 Folsom,” a spokesperson for the company said. “We are deeply invested in the city’s comeback and eager to continue our testing of autonomous technologies more broadly, including drones, as we explore delivery systems.” 

DoorDash anticipates 200 people to be employed at the site, according to materials submitted to the zoning administrator. Several major business groups have expressed support for the development, including the Bay Area Council, S.F. Chamber of Commerce and Mission Merchant’s Association. 

Supervisor Fielder’s legislation

District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder who represents the Mission District said that the case of the DoorDash drone site is just one example of an increasing number of applications to convert space in the Mission to laboratory use. She said it “should be reviewed in more detail to determine whether the proposed lab use is meeting the goals of this zoning district.” 

She pointed to the role of PDR districts within the Mission Action Plan 2030, an updated anti-displacement plan that the Planning Commission approved last year. “The community groups involved in MAP 2020 and MAP 2030 have repeatedly voiced concerns about the preservation of PDR space and the importance of maintaining dignified working class jobs in our communities,” Fielder said. 

This month Supervisor Fielder, along with District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, put forward legislation that would require companies to obtain a conditional use authorization from the Planning Commission to change the designated use of a city property to “laboratory use.” The legislation, subject to approval from the Board of Supervisors, would apply for 18 months.

Although the legislation enforces additional vetting for companies, Ana Herrera, Fielder’s legislative aide, said that it does not impose a barrier to the projects like the DoorDash drone testing site. “If anything it’s an opportunity for any company to show how it’s further benefiting the district,” she said.