The Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that the state of California has certified San Francisco's Housing Element plan, which calls for more than 82,000 homes in SF over the next eight years, more than half of them affordable to low- and moderate-income families.
According to state data, San Francisco has some of the longest timelines and highest process hurdles for bringing housing projects to construction. These delays, combined with some of the highest housing construction costs in California, create a barrier to addressing the community’s unmet affordable housing needs.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to addressing this housing crisis head-on by providing unprecedented funding and resources, streamlining and eliminating bureaucracy, and most importantly, requiring greater accountability at the local level,” Newsom said.
In a press conference, the official assured that "through strict state mandates with real consequences for not fulfilling its obligation, San Francisco is showing what is possible when it stops kicking the can down the road and starts facing the difficult decisions needed to address the housing needs of Californians."
To ensure that San Francisco’s housing element complies with state law, teams from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) worked closely with City Planning Department staff, providing technical assistance.
“San Francisco is moving aggressively forward not only with the passage of our Housing Element, but also with the critical work to reform our laws and processes to remove barriers to housing and deliver the housing our city urgently needs,” said San Francisco Mayor London Breed.
He stressed that actions like these are essential for San Francisco's economy to recover, for workers to be able to live close to their jobs, for families to grow and prosper, and for the government to address critical issues like homelessness and climate change.
“These efforts will require strong partnerships between our local and state governments, and we stand ready to continue working with the Governor, the Legislature, and the state Department of Housing and Community Development to make a real difference in housing in San Francisco, the Bay Area, and California,” he said.
At the time, the director of HCD, Gustavo Velásquez, said he hopes that this model of cooperation continues and that other cities take advantage of the resources and technical assistance offered by HCD for compliance with the housing element.
He added that as the city works to untangle an antiquated and stubborn system that impedes the production of housing for all income levels, “HCD will continue to closely monitor, research and provide technical assistance that can help them reach the goal of 82,069 units over the next eight years.”
To comply with recently enacted legislative changes, San Francisco has planned the development of more than 82,000 homes, with at least 30,000 approved through a process known as nondiscretionary, which avoids the use of tactics that have been used to stall development.
The plan includes midterm reviews, and if the city does not permit 29,000 homes within four years, it pledges to immediately rezone additional sites.
Additionally, if the city's housing production for low-income residents is delayed, San Francisco will specifically rezone additional sites that are suitable to meet the housing needs of low-income households and other support programs, the Governor's Office detailed in a statement.
In a further affirmation of the City’s commitment to increasing housing production, they have committed to incorporating the recommendations of the Policy and Practice Review into their housing element.
In the meantime, the Housing Accountability Unit will continue to investigate potential housing violations. HCD will monitor San Francisco's program commitments and implementation milestones, which must be met to remain in compliance.
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