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Affordable housing is a hard problem to solve and it requires thoughtful and specific solutions, not massive upzoning that could forever alter our beloved San Francisco. Let's protect our waterfront neighborhood from becoming dominated by 100-foot, luxury condos.
City's Upzoning Plans
In a recent newsletter, we shared with you the City's plans to upzone the current height limit of 45' to upwards of 65' - 85' along major portions of the Cow Hollow and Marina communities (Lombard, Chestnut, Fillmore, and Union) - and this is before the State Density Bonus is applied to those projects potentially adding up to three (3) more stories, hence 95' - 115' tall buildings.
"London School of Economics and UCLA Professor Michael Storper cautions that the idea that blanked upzoning will cause affordability to trickle down is a flawed premise that will lead to bad urbanism that we will live to regret.” Read More
Meet with the Planning Department
Supervisor Stefani has arranged a meeting with Planning to present the upzoning plans and answer your questions. Your attendance is vital in preventing these permanent changes to our neighborhood. We'll keep you updated if a Zoom option becomes available.
Purpose: Chance to Let Planning Know Your Concerns
Date: December 6th
Time: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Location: Presidio Branch Library - 3150 Sacramento Street
RSVP: REGISTER HERE
How did we get here?
The State declared a housing crisis due to skyrocketing housing costs and homelessness, leading to statewide laws that override local zoning rules. As a result, California's Housing and Community Development (HCD) has imposed a mandate on San Francisco to build 82,000 new units (including 46,000 affordable units) by 2031. However, this massive housing increase could swell our population by 25% with no plans to staff and build needed infrastructure, from police and fire services to sewers, transit, and schools. To comply with this mandate, San Francisco has updated their Housing Element and proposes to upzone large swaths of the City - see proposed map.
Does upzoning SF lower housing prices?
The City lacks a clear plan to ensure more affordable housing will be built and prioritized with these upzoning changes. Before proceeding, the City should address these questions:
- How many new units are projected for Lombard, Chestnut, Fillmore, and Union streets under the proposed 65 - 85' heights? How many must be affordable?
- Does this projection consider every single lot reaching the maximum height? If not, what's the formula?
- What's the current unused capacity on these corridors, and what's the impact of the State Density Bonus?
- What type of units are planned (single-family homes, condos, apartments)? How many bedrooms? What's the average size?
- Are there infrastructure plans for the influx of new residents? Will there be an Environmental Impact Review?
Questioning RHNA
Recent revelations suggest that the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) numbers, on which these upzoning changes rely, are flawed and designed to fail. San Francisco's inflated RHNA does not account for current economic and post-pandemic realities, such as units in the pipeline, vacancies, population decrease, and construction costs.
What should the City do to make housing affordable?
To make housing more affordable in San Francisco, the City should consider these alternatives:
- Increase density within existing height limits for smaller, more affordable units
- Encourage Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) throughout the City
- Convert commercial space to residential and revitalize downtown as a live/work neighborhood
- Prioritize affordability in new construction, like modular housing
Upzoning large swaths of San Francisco, including ours, will not deliver the desired results; instead, it produces a sledgehammer approach that will not guarantee affordable housing, and yet will forever change what is most desirable about San Francisco.
REGISTER FOR 12/6 MEETING
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