None other than U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, former mayor and native of San Francisco, penned an op-ed opposing a recent action by the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors to legalize short-term stays in private homes.
Senator Dianne Feinstein writes that legislation to legalize rental systems like Airbnb "is a shortsighted action that would destroy the integrity of zoning throughout San Francisco, allowing commercial and hotel use in residential areas throughout the city."
"This home-sharing legislation blurs those lines and provides for residential housing to be leased out for hotel use. As such, those of us who value the residential character of our neighborhoods and are invested in the city’s quality of life will see all of this washed away by a blanket commercialization of our neighborhoods."
In addition to arguing that rental services such as Airbnb pose a risk to neighborhood character, Senator Feinstein also argues that they also increase the cost of living in an already expensive city. Senator Feinstein urges Mayor Ed Lee to veto the legislation if it's fully approved by the Board of Supervisors.
Kim Mai-Cutler reports, however, that the Board of Supervisors approved the regulation on October 21, 2014.
H/T to Mario Trujillo for sharing news of the op-ed.
FULL STORY: Don’t hand San Francisco over to Airbnb
Does Airbnb Impact the Affordable Housing Market?
Michelle Cohen discusses whether or not companies like Airbnb, which provide platforms for room and house-sharing aimed at travelers, impact a city's affordable housing market.
Comptroller's Report Finds Massive 'Airbnb Effect' in New York City
A new report by the New York City Comptroller's Office has estimated the cost of Airbnb to the city's rental market, and the tab is a big one: $616 million in 2016 alone.
City Study Finds Lots of Illegal Airbnb Listings in San Francisco
Despite Airbnb's promises to better regulate the hosts that use their site, and despite legislation approved a little over a year ago by the city, abuse of short-term rentals is rampant in San Francisco.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
US Senate Reverses California EV Mandate
The state planned to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035, a goal some carmakers deemed impossible to meet.
Trump Cuts Decimate Mapping Agency
The National Geodetic Survey maintains and updates critical spatial reference systems used extensively in both the public and private sectors.
Washington Passes First US ‘Shared Streets’ Law
Cities will be allowed to lower speed limits to 10 miles per hour and prioritize pedestrians on certain streets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions