Start with the agreement version, then follow what happened under it. A developer report describes its own review period; a City response records a separate review; a later phase decision addresses another proposal. Keep those documents in separate rows even when one project page groups their links together.
Identify the San Francisco development agreement and its amendments
San Francisco Planning’s Parkmerced page links a recorded Development Agreement and describes an agreement framework alongside later phase documents. The archived 5M project page lists an original agreement and first and second amendments. Its archive notice makes it a document lead rather than a current project-status report. Use those linked titles to name what you seek, then open each instrument to read its terms.
Give the recorded agreement and each obtained amendment a separate line. Copy each document's title, project or legal-description reference, recording identifier if present, and dates. A linked title points to the document; the terms come from the document itself. A phase amendment and an amendment to the underlying agreement may sound similar, so keep their exact titles visible.
Pair each developer annual report with the City's response
Parkmerced lists developer annual reports and City compliance letters as separate documents. Its page says the agreement's required reporting trigger had not yet occurred there and describes submissions since 2016 as voluntary. That statement covers Parkmerced only and describes reporting rather than construction. The archived 5M page separately lists developer annual compliance reports and City annual reports, with different displayed year ranges. A gap in either list is a reason to ask Planning whether a response exists.
Make one comparison row per period:
- Record the developer report's stated period, date, project name, and agreement version it cites.
- Put the City's letter or report for that period in a different cell; copy its date and the period it actually addresses.
- Note the exact obligation or issue being compared and cite the page or section in each document.
- Mark a missing City response “not in this packet,” rather than upgrading the developer's statement to a City finding.
Whether the City agreed, an obligation was fulfilled or an amendment changed the question comes from the City’s response and the amendment, so a report year alone leaves those open. Mark mismatched project names or periods before comparing conclusions.
Trace the later Parkmerced-style phase decision
Planning's Development Agreement Subsequent Approval page distinguishes Development Phase Applications, building Design Review Applications, and community-improvement Design Review Applications reviewed by the Planning Director. It describes application types; each filing’s outcome is in its own decision. The Parkmerced page provides a historical example of Phase 1 approval and lists later applications and approval-titled documents with phase or block references.
For a claimed phase approval, record the phase, block, case reference, application title, and dated decision in hand. An application shows a request; read a decision for its actual scope, and keep it with the phase it names even when several phases share an agreement. Keep any building-permit number and status separately. The building permit records guide explains that a permit, inspection and closeout are separate stages.
If the City response is missing or phase numbers conflict
Imagine a fictional folder with a recorded agreement, a later amendment reference but no amendment copy, a developer report for Year 4, and a Phase B application. A cover memo calls the project “compliant and approved,” yet the packet has no City response for Year 4 and its only phase decision names Phase A. Nothing in this invented example is an actual San Francisco project result.
Make three targeted requests: the cited recorded amendment, the City's Year 4 response if one exists, and the decision tied to the Phase B application. Give the application reference and explain that the Phase A decision in the folder covers a different phase. A missing paper is an evidence gap to fill, and the agency’s answer will say what exists.
Get an older or missing copy from the Assessor-Recorder or Planning
For a recorded agreement or amendment, the Assessor-Recorder's blank recorded-document copy form, revised July 1, 2025, shows recording date, document number, reel number and image number as copy keys. Use a key actually printed on a document you hold. The form names the Assessor-Recorder at City Hall, Room 190; ask that office about online search options and how far back its records go.
For Planning-side reports, responses, and phase decisions, the Subsequent Approval page lists the Planning Counter at 628-652-7300 or pic@sfgov.org. Give the project, document title, period or phase, approximate date, and known case reference so staff can match the file. For a different recorded instrument such as a Notice of Special Restrictions, the San Francisco recorded-NSR guide explains why a recorder copy and a Planning file copy should be distinguished.
Each record answers its own step: a developer report or City compliance response covers a reporting period, a phase approval covers that phase, and building-permit issuance, final inspection and occupancy sit in DBI records. Use the comparison rows to decide which single record to request next.
San Francisco Planning and Assessor-Recorder pages checked October 8, 2026.