State legislators are decrying the Board of Supervisors' decision to reject a proposal to build a 495-unit apartment building on a downtown San Francisco parking lot.
As California's housing crisis deepens, local decisions about density and development are being closely watched by housing advocates and legislators across the state. As Alexei Koseff reports, the rejection of a 495-unit housing development in San Francisco has brought fierce criticism from state legislators who want California to mandate higher density requirements to meet housing goals.
For some of the leading supporters of those efforts, the confusing collapse of the project in an alley near the corner of Sixth and Market streets — which San Francisco supervisors sent back to the drawing board after it won approval from the city Planning Commission, citing concerns about gentrification, shadows and seismic safety — is a stark example of why state intervention is not only necessary, but should escalate.
The development at 469 Stevenson would have replaced a surface parking lot with a 27-story tower housing 73 affordable units, a number that some Supervisors called inadequate. Supporters of the project argue that market-rate housing relieves pressure on the housing market and provides funding for affordable housing via the city's inclusionary housing program.
Some California legislators believe statewide mandates are crucial to easing the housing crunch and slowing the rise of housing costs in the state's major metropolitan areas, while others worry that urban centers like San Francisco are evading responsibility by rejecting projects like 469 Stevenson and focusing blame on single-family neighborhoods. In the last legislative session, the state passed multiple bills aimed at preventing cities from hindering new housing construction, incentivizing higher density, and eliminating single-family zoning that include a new 'Housing Accountability Unit' dedicated to enforcing housing production targets.
FULL STORY: Why state lawmakers are fired up over a derailed S.F. housing project
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.