Sign the petition supporting the maximum number of subsidized affordable housing in the Haight-Ashbury!
As plans for the McDonald’s site on 730 Stanyan at the foot of Haight Street develop, I encourage all project proposals and the City to maximize the number of homes on the site. San Francisco is in the midst of an affordability crisis brought on by a housing shortage, the solution to which is building more homes across the city. We believe this site is a great place to make the most homes!
If you didn’t see the news, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development announced that they’re accepting proposals for the much-publicized 730 Stanyan Street project, the former McDonald’s in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. As a resident of the neighborhood, I felt it was important to participate in the community process since the city announced the purchase of the site a few years back. I also thought it was important to be a strong advocate for the site to include the maximum allowable amount of subsidized affordable housing, especially in my backyard.
I published an op-ed, started a petition and even ran a poll on Nextdoor asking how tall the building should be. To my pleasant surprise, the majority of my neighbors supported a seven or eight story building in our neighborhood.
It’s not lost on me that being a community organizer and advocate for housing means I need to be strongest when it’s impacting my neighborhood. It’s also important that the development community understands that the neighborhood wants as much subsidized affordable housing as possible. If you spend time online, you also understand that the anti-housing voices are loud, but even my unscientific pro-housing polling results show that the voices seeking to block new housing don’t speak for all.
So my ask to you is simple: support the most affordable housing the projects in your neighborhoods and portfolios allow, not the minimum. If your organization is working on an RFQ, please maximize the number of homes that zoning allows. We can do better than minimum; we must work together to maximize subsidized affordable housing in every neighborhood. Pro-housing advocates stood up for homes in the Mission at 1950 Mission Street — let’s do it in the Haight-Ashbury. This site is across the street from Golden Gate Park, and I’d love to have more neighbors join me on a sunny afternoon.
