San Francisco Halts Tiny Home Project

Citing ‘absurd’ costs and community concerns, city supervisors are reevaluating a plan to build a ‘tiny home village’ for unhoused residents in the Mission District.

2 minute read

February 14, 2023, 12:00 PM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Google street view of tiny home village behind see-through green fence at 33 Gough St. in San Francisco with brick building in background

Site of San Francisco's first tiny home village at 33 Gough Street. | Google Maps / Tiny home village at 33 Gough Street, San Francisco

San Francisco’s Mission District may not get a proposed ‘tiny home’ village after all, reports Trisha Thadani for the San Francisco Chronicle. The proposal faces backlash from local residents and concerns that its costs, projected at $100,000 per unit, are out of line with similar projects, which reportedly cost as low as $10,000 per unit. While not a panacea for the housing crisis, tiny home villages are viewed as a cost-effective and fast way to build additional shelter and get people indoors and connected with services.

“The drama over the project provides a window into just how hard it is for the city to scale its housing and shelter system, even as a recent report from the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) estimated it would take more than 6,000 extra temporary and permanent beds to solve the crisis on the streets.”

The vacant city-owned lot where the community would be sited will be developed into affordable housing starting in 2025, Thadani points out. “Until then, officials hoped they could use the site to shelter those who are currently homeless in the Mission, which has struggled with a rise of people living in tents, drug use and illegal vending over the past few years.” The village would be the city's second such community. But local residents spoke out against the project, prompting county supervisors to put the plan on hold. The project was allocated $7 million, a price tag officials say could come down. Meanwhile, the difficulty of finding financially viable locations that won’t encounter neighborhood opposition makes the process of building affordable and supportive housing in San Francisco painfully slow.

Monday, February 13, 2023 in San Francisco Chronicle

Black and white Rideshare Pick-Up Zone sign

The Slow Death of Ride Sharing

From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.

June 1, 2023 - Human Transit

Urban sidewalk shaded by large mature trees

Cool Walkability Planning

Shadeways (covered sidewalks) and pedways (enclosed, climate controlled walkways) can provide comfortable walkability in hot climates. The Cool Walkshed Index can help plan these facilities.

June 1, 2023 - Todd Litman

Traffic on the 405 interstate freeway through the Sepulveda Pass at Getty Center Drive in Los Angeles, California

Congestion Pricing Could Be Coming to L.A.

The infamously car-centric city is weighing a proposed congestion pricing pilot program to reduce traffic and encourage public transit use.

May 30, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

Wildfire threatening hillside homes in Yucaipa, California

Home Insurers Are Fleeing California

Homeowners in the state are finding it increasingly difficult to secure insurance policies thanks to the growing risks of wildfire, drought, and other climate threats.

June 7 - Curbed

Aerial view of terminus of Los Angeles River and port infrastructure in Long Beach, California

Los Angeles County Initiates Effort to Advance Equity in Infrastructure

L.A. County Public Works has launched an initiative to center equity in all of its processes, programming, and services as it plans, designs, builds, and maintains modern infrastructure that uplifts all communities of the county.

June 7 - Los Angeles County Public Works

Aerial view of pickleball court with players illuminated for nighttime play

Addressing the Noise Impacts of Pickleball

Pickleball may be America's fastest growing sport, but it is not universally loved because of the noise it causes. Learn one expert's ideas for mitigating the noise impacts.

June 7 - The Hustle

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.