Increasing Affordable Housing Requirement Sparks Debate in San Francisco

Planners in San Francisco are battling with city supervisors over plans to increase the affordable housing requirements for a new development -- a proposal that some planners say might scare off developers.

1 minute read

February 12, 2008, 1:00 PM PST

By Nate Berg


"A San Francisco Board of Supervisors committee debated two measures Monday aimed at squeezing more low- and moderate-income housing out of development projects at Treasure Island and in an upper Market Street area near Octavia Boulevard."

"[One] plan would lead to 6,000 new homes, hotels, shops, 300 acres of open space and a new ferry terminal. It also would require that 1,800 of the homes be within reach of households earning at or below the median income for San Francisco - which for a three-person household is approximately $82,000 a year."

"The plan came as part of a years-long process that included community meetings, input from state and local regulators and hearings at the Board of Supervisors."

"Those who led the planning effort for the city said Daly's proposal would sink the plan because no developer would be able to create that much affordable housing and still make a reasonable profit. They also said that Daly's resolution undermined the planning process that included the board's review and approval."

Tuesday, February 12, 2008 in The 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

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

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.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

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.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Flat modern glass office tower with "County of Santa Clara" sign.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing

The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

May 23 - San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial view of dense urban center with lines indicating smart city concept.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant

A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

May 23 - Governing

Pale yellow Sears kit house with red tile roof in Sylva, North Carolina.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing

Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.

May 23 - The Daily Yonder