Richmond Residents Want More Housing Policy Input

By Carol Dimmick

Residents from the Richmond and Sunset districts told members of the S.F. Planning Commission at a March 27 meeting to delay adopting a new housing policy they say makes sweeping changes to the city's planning codes to allow for more neighborhood input.

"No one has consulted anyone from the neighborhood groups on this final plan. Don't try to rush this through," warned Marianne Miller, a board member for the Sunset Parkside Education and Action Committee (SPEAK).

Judith Berkowitz, a board member for the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods, also urged the city to do more public outreach before making a decision.

"There has not been enough public outreach. Land use needs to be considered side-by-side with the housing element," she said.

Others, like Danny Burks, a resident of West Portal, were concerned that sweeping changes to the planning code recommend increasing height and bulk requirements along transit corridors would adversely impact residential neighborhoods.

"The report proposes sweeping changes to the planning code .... The waiver of the off-street parking requirement would double cars on the streets," Burks said.

At the center of the controversy is a report by the SF Planning Department, entitled "Housing Element," that would, if adopted by the commissioners and the S.F. Board of Supervisors, replace the housing element in the city's General Plan.

The report paints a gloomy picture. It warns that unless the City takes immediate steps to increase its housing stock by 2,700 new homes each year - more than twice the annual average of 1,200 currently being produced - it will not make a goal set by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) to create 20,374 units by 2006. At least 62 percent of the new units should be affordable for low- and moderate-income households, according to the report.

Contained in the report are sweeping policy changes to the city's planning code that would create special districts along transit corridors with expanded height and bulk requirements. The report also proposes to eliminate parking requirements for new developments and conditional use hearings it says slows down the development process.

But contrary to the neighbors, city officials warned commissioners that the city stands to lose millions of dollars of state funding to build low-income housing if it fails to enact a policy in time to meet a July1 deadline.

"San Francisco is behind in having an approved and compliant housing element that the state will accept," warned Daryl Higashi, director of the Mayor's Office of Housing. Higashi said the state has $2.1 billion in funds available for affordable housing.

Alston Lee, an assistant deputy director at the SF Redevelopment Agency, told commissioners that adopting a housing policy would extend the life of the Redevelopment Tax Increment Fund, which provides financing for affordable housing.

After hearing from city officials and the public, the commissioners voted to hold a second public hearing May 1 where more public comments will be taken and the policy will be discussed in further detail.

The only commissioner that gave any indication of how he might be leaning on the issue was Commissioner Michael Antonini, who asked whether it might not be a good idea to hold off spending money for an environmental review on a report that may have to be substantially changed.

"Some of the basic assumptions in the report have to be addressed because some of them are erroneous," he said.

Gerald Green, director of the SF Planning Department, said he will hold meetings with neighborhood groups before the May 1 meeting.

Editor's note: Copies of "Housing Element" can be obtained from the SF Planning Department.