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 for 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 home construction costs in California, create a barrier to addressing the community's unmet affordable housing needs.
"Today's announcement demonstrates our commitment to address this housing crisis head-on by providing unprecedented funding and resources, simplifying and eliminating red tape, and most importantly, demanding greater accountability at the local level," Newsom said.
At a press conference, the official assured that “through strict state mandates with real consequences for not fulfilling their obligation, San Francisco is showing what is possible when it stops kicking the boat and begins to face the difficult decisions that are needed. to address the housing needs of Californians.”
In order to ensure that the housing element of San Francisco complies with state law, teams from the Department of Housing and Community Development ?HCD, for its acronym in English? of California worked closely with staff from the city's Planning Department, providing technical assistance.
"San Francisco is aggressively moving 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 homes our city urgently needs," the statement said. San Francisco Mayor London Breed.
In turn, he stressed that actions like these are essential for San Francisco's economy to recover, for workers to live close to their jobs, for families to grow and prosper, and for the government to address critical issues such as homelessness and climate change.
“These efforts will require strong partnerships between our state and local 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 San Francisco Area. the Bay and California," he stressed.
At the time, the director of HCD, Gustavo Velásquez, said he hoped that this cooperation model would continue and that other cities would take advantage of the resources and technical assistance offered by HCD to comply with the housing element.
He added that as the city works to untangle an outdated and stubborn system that prevents 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 few years." next eight years."
To comply with recent 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 non-discretionary, which avoids the use of tactics that have been used to stall developments.
The plan includes midterm evaluations, and if the city doesn't allow 29,000 homes within four years, they commit to immediately rezoning additional sites.
In addition, 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 Office of the Governor said. Governor in a statement.
In another affirmation of the city's commitment to increasing housing production, they have committed to incorporating the recommendations of the Review of Policies and Practices into their housing component.
Meanwhile, the Housing Responsibility Unit will continue to investigate possible housing violations. HCD will monitor San Francisco's program commitments and implementation milestones, which will need to be met to remain in compliance.
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