Four developers tried, and four developers failed, until the San Francisco Board of Supervisors changed the story in August 2020.

"San Francisco’s west side will get its biggest influx of housing in several decades, after the Board of Supervisors [August 11] approved more than 1,000 new units on the Balboa Reservoir site," reports Trisha Thadani.
"The board voted to rezone the 17-acre property off Ocean Avenue. The agreement allows the developers —Bridge Housing, AvalonBay and Mission Housing — to build 1,100 units of housing, 550 of them affordable, on the lot," adds Thadani.
The property, now used as a parking lot for City College of San Francisco students, has created generations of controversy, as detailed in an article by J.K. Dineen that previewed the vote. Since the 1960s, four development proposals, by Dineen's count, fell to neighborhood opposition. "All of the proposals were blocked by a combination of neighborhood opposition and resistance from City College staff and students looking to preserve the land for future expansion," writes Dineen.
For additional details about the scope of the project, Thadano adds: "Of the 550 affordable units, 150 will be set aside for City College teachers and staff. The project will also include a community center, 4 acres of open space, a 100-slot child-care center — 50% of those would be set aside for low-income families — and $10 million in fees for transit and infrastructure improvements."
As noted in both articles, controversy followed the project right to the end, as numerous faculty and students of City College joined members of the community to urge the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors to reject the proposal.
The breakthrough for this latest, ultimately successful iteration of the development proposals for the Balboa Reservoir site came in April, when Mayor London Breed negotiated an agreement with the developers to include the affordable units in the overall development scheme.
FULL STORY: After decades of trying, SF supervisors finally approve 1,100 homes at Balboa Reservoir

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.

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

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

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.

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.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie