SAN FRANCISCO – On Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved legislation placing an 18-month pause on new outdoor laboratory uses, effectively halting DoorDash’s plans to test food delivery drones at its Mission District property.
The vote, introduced by Supervisor Jackie Fielder, stops the use of these procedures in neighborhoods such as the Mission, Dogpatch and Potrero Hill.
A press release from Fielder’s office states that any legislation requiring a proposed outdoor laboratory use must undergo additional scrutiny, in addition to a review by the San Francisco Planning Commission.
Without these newly approved procedures in place, DoorDash would have been able to begin testing delivery drones in the parking lot of its property at 1960 Folsom Street, further advancing to additional neighborhoods.
Now, the company will have to obtain a Conditional Use Authorization before conducting any outdoor drone testing.
“Any company whose innovation is equated with killing jobs, injuring or killing humans and pets, and massive privacy violations, can no longer do what they want, when they want,” Fielder said in the release.
With “DoorDash testing delivery drones” flying up to “150 feet up, 65 miles per hour next to families in an affordable housing complex,” this legislation poses threats to privacy and safety for the public.
Emphasizing the lack of transparency and regulation on these companies, Fielder raised the public’s disdain of “a free for all to line the pockets of tech billionaires.”
Tony Delorio, principal officer of Teamsters Local Union No. 665, along with other labor leaders from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in San Francisco, praised the Board’s decision, stating, “We’re grateful to Supervisor Fielder for her leadership, Supervisor Walton for his support, and the whole Board for supporting this legislation.”
DoorDash’s recent applications are seeking to convert space in the Mission’s Production, Distribution and Repair district into laboratory use, which Fielder argues warrants closer review to ensure they align with the goals of preserving PDR space.
Such conversions should be intended to support industrial jobs and community-serving uses rather than speculative tech development, and to meet “the goals of the zoning district.”
This approved measure will also require the San Francisco Planning Department to produce a report analyzing how PDR space is currently being used in San Francisco, informing longer-term or permanent controls on laboratory space in industrial neighborhoods.
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“Any company whose innovation is equated with killing jobs, . . .”
. . . is a company that is increasing efficiency/speed, lowering costs and price charged for customers, and lowering demand for housing in a given area.
I think we’ve found our “problem” here – and it’s the supervisor and the influence of the Teamsters (not the company or the service it’s attempting to provide).
And on a deeper level, a problem with the political system itself.