By Olivia Verde. Bay City News.
California is launching an unprecedented review of San Francisco's housing approval process, with the goal of analyzing and removing obstacles to the construction of new residential developments.
The state Department of Housing and Community Development said Tuesday it would focus on San Francisco in its first "review of housing policies and practices."
The process aims to analyze why the city has the longest timelines in the state for housing projects. It also receives the majority of complaints to the state's Housing Accountability Unit, which was created last year to combat California's housing shortage by working with cities to ensure they comply with state laws when permitting new housing.
Tuesday's announcement came a day after state housing officials informed the city that the department had rejected San Francisco's first draft of the Housing Element. The state legally requires the document once every eight years to establish how and where California cities will build housing, and calls for San Francisco to build more than 82,000 new housing units by 2031.
The city should revise the housing element plans based on comments from the state Department of Housing and Community Development.
On Tuesday, state Sen. Scott WienerThe San Francisco Democrat, expressed his support for the state's decision.
"For too long, San Francisco has failed to comply with state housing laws and made it difficult or impossible for us to build the housing we need. It's time for San Francisco to comply with state law and create a system that actually prioritizes building enough housing," said Wiener.
"I applaud the governor and state housing officials for holding San Francisco city government accountable for complying with the law. This unprecedented step by the state, a top-to-bottom review and evaluation of San Francisco's failed approach to housing, will send a strong message throughout the state that housing is a priority," he stressed.
Mayor of San Francisco, London Breedechoed the desire for change in the city's efficiency in approving housing.
"For years, San Francisco has made it too difficult to approve and build new homes. That must change," Breed wrote on Twitter.
The review will last at least nine months and state housing officials will collaborate with researchers at the University of California Berkeley Institute for Urban and Regional Development, according to a housing department release.
"We are deeply concerned about processes and policy decision-making in San Francisco that delay and impede housing creation and want to understand why this is the case," Department of Housing and Community Development Director Gustavo Velasquez wrote in a statement.
"We will work with the city to identify and remove obstacles to the construction of all types of housing, and when we find policies and practices that violate or circumvent state housing law, we will pursue those violations along with the Attorney General's Office."
In response to the pending investigation, the Race and Equity in all Planning Coalition (REP-SF) also expressed support and encouraged San Francisco planning officials to focus more on equity than profit when it comes to housing.
The coalition of 35 grassroots organizations is comprised of representatives from San Francisco neighborhoods who advocate for affordable housing. They agree that the current draft of the Housing Element does not present a solution to years of inadequate housing production, but agree with its focus on fair housing.
They caution that the city's recent efforts to plan for such housing may be disrupted by the state's investigation. Either way, they are dedicated to working with state and city agencies to craft a comprehensive plan toward a more equitable city.
"While the state may criticize San Francisco for not being more aggressive with its strategies to meet its mandated housing development goal of 82,000 new units over the next eight years beginning in 2023, REP-SF feels this criticism would severely undermine what Planning has stated is its goal to focus its housing policies on equity," they wrote in a statement.
"It is time to reverse this trend and commit to an aggressive development plan for truly affordable housing."
You may be interested in: Mayor Breed signs $14 billion budget to spur SF economic recovery
