View this Email in Your Browser

Neighborhoods United SF

Advocating for Community-Centered Housing Solutions

Tiny Print, Major Impact

Back of the Mailer

Massive upzoning moves forward with a mailer most residents will never notice.

Next week, San Francisco residents will begin receiving an official notice from the Planning Department about the September 11 Planning Commission vote on Mayor Lurie's Upzoning Plan—a sweeping and irreversible upzoning proposal that could raise heights 6 to 14 (or more) stories and increase density limits across 13,000 acres of residential and commercial neighborhoods—with no guarantees of affordability.

The mailer is easy to overlook, and timed for mid-August, when many residents are traveling or away. It technically satisfies the legal requirement to notify roughly 400,000 residents and businesses located on or within 300 feet of an upzoned parcel—but it does little to actually inform or engage the public.

The September 11 hearing marks the first official step toward approving Mayor Lurie’s plan—one that could trigger widespread demolition, displace longtime renters and small businesses, and supercharge land speculation across the city.

If approved by the Planning Commission, the plan then heads to the Board of Supervisors for a final vote—making public pressure at every stage essential.

Mark your calendar for September 11. Show up at City Hall and tell the Mayor: This plan is misguided, excessive, and unnecessary. Stop capitulating to Senator Wiener and the YIMBY lobbyists who are selling out San Francisco to the highest bidder.

IMPORTANT: Attend the Planning Commission Hearing

Thursday, September 11, 2025

12:00pm, City Hall, Room 400

Front of the Mailer

Bulldozer Bookmarks

Fuel Conversations, Sharpen Arguments, and Stop the Demolition Agenda

One Freshman Textbook Cannot Explain San Francisco's Housing Market

“A freshman economics textbook — with its simplistic ‘supply and demand’ curves — cannot explain San Francisco.”

“When you upzone a neighborhood, the value of the land skyrockets, because the land can now be used more intensively.”

“Upzoning is not a neutral act; it creates winners and losers.”

READ FULL ARTICLE

Substack, July 2025

Yes, YIMBY-ism Is Profoundly Conservative—And Wrong on Housing Policy

“Thus, the deep conservatism of the YIMBY movement rests on its unwillingness to consider any cause of the housing affordability crisis beyond regulation.”

“Upzoning alone won’t solve the housing crisis.”

“The real drivers of unaffordability? Rising land costs, growing spatial inequality, and decades of unchecked sprawl—not zoning.”

“When deregulation becomes bipartisan dogma, and local democratic control is labeled ‘elitist,’ it’s time to rethink the narrative.”

READ FULL ARTICLE

The Planning Report, July 2025

Engardio recall is a shot across the bow of every San Francisco elected official

“Engardio promised to ‘represent the homeowners of the Sunset,’ but the first major land use initiative of his tenure has been to rezone single-family areas for multi-unit developments.”

“This recall is about accountability,” said longtime resident Maria Cheng. “We didn’t vote for bulldozers and towers. We voted for balance.”

READ FULL ARTICLE

Mission Local, July 2025

A Critical Examination of Abundance/YIMBY

"The YIMBY movement cloaks deregulation in the language of justice, while championing market solutions that serve capital."

"When policy favors property speculation, it’s not abundance—it’s extraction."

READ FULL ARTICLE

The Utah Vanguard, June 2025

YIMBYS Cashing-In on SF’s Neighborhoods

“It’s not a housing plan, it’s a land giveaway plan."

“The Mayor’s proposal is not for housing affordability—it’s for developers, investors and property owners who will see land values spike.”

READ FULL ARTICLE

Westside Observer, July 2025

Report finds US rents gaining ground on unaffordable SF

“Decades of deregulation have failed to bring housing prices down in San Francisco.”

“Housing gets built when and where it’s profitable — not when or where it’s needed.”

“Developers are not in the business of maximizing affordability. They’re in the business of maximizing returns.”

READ FULL ARTICLE

Examiner, July 2025

Actions You Can Take

Share this email with your neighbors and friends across San Francisco!

ABOUT NEIGHBORHOODS UNITED SF

Neighborhoods United SF (NUSF) has rapidly mobilized over 60 neighborhoods across San Francisco to resist extreme state-mandated, locally-implemented height and density increases.

NUSF champions community-led planning to protect vulnerable residents and small businesses from gentrification while ensuring the livability of San Francisco's neighborhoods.