Transit-Oriented Housing Development Plan Falls Flat in San Francisco

The Home SF plan was supposed to usher in a wave of new housing development on transit corridors in San Francisco. Now, 2.5 years later, that promise might finally be ready to become reality.

1 minute read

December 4, 2019, 9:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


San Francisco

Andrey Bayda / Shutterstock

J.K. Dineen reports on the progress with the Home SF program, adopted two and a half years ago in San Francisco to add 16,000 housing units along transit corridors by 2037.

"The program lets developers exceed height and density limits in exchange for including more affordable housing in their projects, and the idea was to push more projects in historically development-wary neighborhoods," explains Dineen.

So far, however, the plan has yet to live up to its ambitions. "Not one Home SF project is under construction and just three have been approved," according to Dineen. The sluggish pace of development is blamed on the "one-size-fits-all" legislation that enabled the program, but there is evidence that developers are starting to Home SF as an attractive alternative to the state's development bonus incentives.

The article includes a lot more details about a wave of new projects seeking approval under the program.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019 in San Francisco Chronicle

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

3 hours ago - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

4 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

5 hours ago - Los Angeles Public Press