In the past few months, one of the challenges HAC has been working to address is financial feasibility. If you’re a Bay Area homebuilder, you know that since the pandemic, multifamily housing construction and feasibility haven’t exactly gone hand in hand. With recent hikes in interest rates, skyrocketing construction costs, and exorbitant impact fees, projects haven’t been able to receive financing because they simply don’t pencil out.

Fehr & Peers’ Principal Matt Goyne and Transportation Engineer Nina Price presented about the intersection of transportation, housing, and the climate crisis. Their presentation focused on how higher density housing goes hand-in-hand with more public transportation access, less parking, and less vehicle miles traveled (VMT).

This month, HAC hosted our quarterly Members Only Breakfast Briefing, where Executive Director Corey Smith shared an overview of the organization’s progress and priorities. Throughout the year, HAC has been active with multiple pieces of legislation making its way through Sacramento. HAC Sponsored Bills Assembly Bill 281 (permit review timelines), Assembly Bill 1114 (ministerial building permits), and Assembly Bill 1485 (clarifying AG’s ability to intervene in housing lawsuits) are all still alive and we expect them to be signed into law. On the other hand, HAC sponsored bills Senate Bill 83 (timelines for utilities), Assembly Bill 990 (streamlining protections), and Assembly Bill 1630 (ministerial approval + density bonus for off-campus student housing) did not proceed this session.

The Housing Action Coalition is continuing to work with the Mayor’s office, other city leaders and allied advocacy groups as San Francisco works to implement its Housing Element. Last week, in a 10-1 vote, the Board of Supervisors passed two pieces of legislation that deferred and reduced inclusionary requirements and impact fees. The legislation came after the City’s Technical Advisory Committee met for months in an effort to determine an economically feasible inclusionary rate. While HAC pushed for 100% of all fees to be waived as means to help projects ‘pencil’, we understand the political reality. The reduction in fees, according to the feasibility analysis done by HAC member Century Urban, will not be enough to get entitled projects moving. Therefore, the City of SF must continue to explore creative ways to reduce the timeline and cost of construction for new housing.

Housing elements are no longer just a paper exercise. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has made it clear that in order to meet the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) cities need to do more than just plan to build, they also need create the zoning and financial feasibility conditions that will help the Bay Area reach its ambitious housing goals.

In California, students are one of the demographics most affected by the state’s housing shortage and affordability crisis. This is especially true for San Francisco-based students as they must grapple with living in one of the country’s most expensive and inaccessible housing markets.

The past couple of years have been rough for public transit in the Bay Area. With the pandemic decimating ridership, transit agencies across the region have seen a severe decrease in the revenue they generate through fares. BART for example, which is heavily fare-dependent, saw its ridership drop by 90% to 95% during the pandemic. As a result, many of these agencies are on the brink of a potentially disastrous fiscal cliff.

Kate Hartley joined the HAC Regulatory Committee to discuss the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority’s (BAHFA) projects, progress and future plans. Established in 2019, BAHFA is a regional authority governed by the Association of Bay Area Government’s (ABAG) executive board. Kate provided insights and status updates on BAHFA’s most well-known project: the Regional Housing Bond Ballot Measure, which will be on the November 2024 ballot.

Ari Baranian, CEO of Pirros, joined the committee to discuss his company’s efforts to design a Detail Management System for Architects and Engineers that makes managing projects easier. Through this centralizing software, Pirros has saved 2 weeks of individual employee time per year, helping to lower costs and improve work efficiency.

With the theme of Innovation in Housing, our 17th Annual Spring Symposium featured conversations with housing experts from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors exploring new solutions to our region and state’s longstanding housing shortage and affordability challenges.

On May 31st, Carli Paine, BART’s TOD Manager, presented on BART’s land use plans, including updates on a variety of specific projects, including those at the North Berkeley, Ashby, and El Cerrito Plaza stations.

On May 10th the Committee was joined by San Francisco Planning Commission President Rachael Tanner, who provided insights into housing element implementation, downtown revitalization efforts, and economic factors impacting housing production. San Francisco is undergoing its fair set of challenges, but President Tanner expressed optimism at the sense of urgency and progress the city is making.

On Tuesday, May 2, The Berkeley City Council passed a first-of-its-kind – called, Helping Achieve Responsible Development with Healthcare and Apprenticeship Training Standards or “HARD HATS,” creating new health insurance requirements for construction workers and new apprenticeship programs.

HAC’s Regulatory Committee was joined by Daniel Simons, HAC Board Member and Principal at David Baker Architects (DBA) where he presented on the firm’s recent book: 9 Ways to Make Housing for People. The book captures various principles and frameworks (9, to be exact) that guide DBA’s work in creating thriving communities through quality housing and architecture.

On March 26, HAC’s Regulatory Committee welcomed Preston Prince, the Executive Director of the Santa Clara Housing Authority and Muhammad Alameldin, Policy Associate at the UC Berkeley Terner Center.

With pro-housing momentum building at the state and local levels, 2023 has been a hectic year so far at HAC.

At the state level, we’re co-sponsoring five pieces of legislation that will remove significant barriers to housing production and help propel California toward its goal of building 2.5 million homes by 2031.

The San Francisco Planning Commission just helped to right a major wrong. On April 20th, the proposed housing project at 469 Stevenson Street was once again approved by the San Francisco Planning Commission. After it was infamously shot down in 2021 by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the project quickly became the poster child for San Francisco’s housing dysfunction.

Five years after the city of San Francisco acquired the site on the corner of Haight and Stanyan, the largest affordable housing complex in the history of the neighborhood is set to finally break ground in June. The project, located at the eastern entrance of Golden Gate Park, will create 160 permanently affordable apartments for low and moderate-income individuals and families.

Exciting news from Sacramento! Today three HAC-sponsored bills successfully passed out of the California State Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee and are moving on to their next respective committees.