So far, the Planning Commission has heard close to 15 hours of testimony at four public hearings on the Affordable Housing Bonus Program (AHBP). Strong opposition claims the AHBP will “ruin neighborhood character”, “displace local businesses” and tear-down rent controlled buildings in order to build taller buildings. The SF Housing Action Coalition staff went on our own informal soft-site neighborhood tour to look at the types of properties that the AHBP will impact to see for ourselves what AHBP opponents will be preserving instead of providing a new tool to build housing outside the downtown core.
Here are 10 examples of AHBP-appropriate sites along transit corridors in four neighborhoods – Noe Valley, Castro, Bayview and Excelsior – where the current zoning discourages building housing because of density constraints. Over the next 20 years, developers opting into the local AHBP will be required to build 30% permanently affordable housing for our low and middle income wage earners in San Francisco, which could mean 9,000 new homes for this demographic. The SF Housing Action Coalition believes building housing for families and residents who want to stay in San Francisco is a better use for a limited resource than empty parking lots and one-story banks and fast-food restaurants. If you agree, please sign our petition which we will present to the Planning Commission on Thursday, February 25th. Thanks to SFHAC’s Community Organizer, Corey Smtih, for capturing the photos!
UPDATE: This blog was written before the Planning Department released their list of potential AHBP soft-site addresses.
