Neighborhoods United SF

In This Issue

Mayor Vetos NE Waterfront Protections -- email to override veto

Planning Commission Hearing: April 4th -- mark your calendar

Articles Countering YIMBY's False Narrative - read and share

Please forward this newsletter to your neighbors!

Override Mayor's Veto of NE Waterfront Protections

Proposed projects in the NE Waterfront that immediately exploited the inadvertent code change.

Neighborhoods United SF (NUSF) strongly supports Board President Aaron Peskin’s legislation aimed at reinstating vital components of our planning code and preserving the integrity of San Francisco's iconic waterfront against the threat of high-rise development.

The legislation, introduced by Board President Aaron Peskin, seeks to rectify inadvertent changes made during the rezoning of downtown areas for office-to-housing conversions in Commercial Business Districts (Board File No. 231079). We were encouraged by the Board of Supervisors' approval of this legislation by a vote of 8-3. Notably, Supervisors Engardio (D4), Dorsey (D6), and Melgar (D7) cast the dissenting votes.

However, our optimism was dampened when Mayor Breed vetoed the legislation on March 14, 2024. As the legislation heads back to the Board of Supervisors for a vote to override the Mayor’s veto, we urge the Supervisors who previously voted in favor of the amendments to maintain their support. Specifically, we call on Supervisors Chan (D1), Stefani (D2), Peskin (D3), Preston (D5), Mandelman (D8), Ronen (D9), Walton (D10), and Safai (D11) to uphold their yes votes.

President Peskin's response and key points we wish to emphasize include:

• Supervisor Peskin’s legislation ensures that any density increases along the waterfront are carefully planned and appropriate, rather than allowing for oversized skyscrapers catering to the wealthy.
• The Mayor’s actions, including her recent veto, underscore a broader trend of implementing policies that prioritize developer profits over people, endangering affordability, renters, small businesses, and the needs of our communities.
• The Mayor's veto represents politics over policy, evident in her dissent despite the approval of her appointee to the head of the Planning Department and the affirmative votes of her Planning Commission appointees.
• The allegations of the legislation violating the Housing Element are baseless given the unanimous approval of the amendments by the Planning Commission, City Attorney, and the review by Supervisor Catherine Stefani, a knowledgeable legal expert on the Board.

Important Planning Commission Hearing: April 4

Click here to view interactive upzoning map

The City's Upzoning Plans are proceeding and we need your voice to halt these State mandates that have led to unnecessary, unwarranted, and unwanted height increases in many parts of the city (refer to the attached map). These mandates have stifled local voices, favoring luxury condo developments over affordable housing. If you're concerned, here's how to get involved:

Mark Your Calendar

Planning Commission Informational Hearing

Thursday, April 4^th, 12:00 noon, City Hall Room 400

This hearing presents the latest iteration of the Upzoning Plans by the Planning Department. While no vote will be taken, it's crucial for the Commissioners to hear from residents opposing these unnecessary and excessive height increases.

Your voice is essential in addressing our affordable housing needs - please attend!

Articles Countering YIMBY's False Narrative

YIMBY (yes-in-my-backyard) loyalists are lobbyists. YIMBY is backed and funded by real estate developers and corporate interests, and works to suspend cities' development standards and zoning laws, and silences the voice of residents and small businesses. They exert pressure on legislators, financially support candidates, and file lawsuits to advance the YIMBY narrative as California law.

In contrast, the grass-root movements of Neighborhoods United SF and Our Neighborhood Voices rely on citizen volunteers to protect and preserve their neighborhoods while addressing affordable housing shortages.

Below are three articles by experts exposing the profit-driven motives behind YIMBY advocacy:

• Why the Wiener housing bills will never work—and could destroy the coast. A detailed primer by Michael Barnes, Economist (a must read!)

• The Mayor’s upzoning plans will deeply damage SF’s neighborhoods by Dennis Antenore, Former SF Planning Commissioner

• The Case Against YIMBYism by Michael Friedrich, The New Republic