Category: News

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Downtown S.F. revitalization funding group to be led by affordable housing executive

By Laura Waxman : sfchronicle – excerpt

A decade ago, Shola Olatoye was asked by New York City’s mayor to help turn around the city’s beleaguered public housing system. Now, the former affordable housing executive has been pulled into another high-stakes mission: steering millions of dollars in private investment toward projects aimed at bringing San Francisco’s downtown back to life.

The East Coast native has been tapped to serve as the CEO of the San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation, a new privately funded nonprofit tasked with raising the necessary capital to help boost Mayor Daniel Lurie’s vision for revitalizing the city’s faltering downtown core.

Olatoye, who served as the CEO of New York City’s Housing Authority prior to the pandemic before becoming chief operating officer of East Bay affordable housing developer Eden Housing, will start her term at DDC on Oct. 1.

Though quietly formed earlier this year, the organization was given a spotlight last week when Lurie announced that it had raised $40 million from unidentified sources. The announcement left many wondering about the forces shaping downtown’s next chapter — and any potential conflicts. Olatoye promised transparency moving forward: As a private nonprofit, DDC is beholden to bylaws and annual reporting requirements, she said, adding that its backers will be made public in the coming months… (more)

Makes sense if you want to turn SF into NYC to hire someone who already did it.

 

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Attorney Letter Warns City About Mayor Lurie’s ‘Family Zoning Plan’

Neighborhoods United San Francisco – westsideobserver – excerpt

Not Compliant with the City’s State-Approved Housing Element or General Plan

This week, Neighborhoods United SF (NUSF) has put the City of San Francisco on notice that Mayor Daniel Lurie’s “Family Zoning Plan” is not compliant with the City’s own 2022 Housing Element or its General Plan.

In its letter to Planning Commission President Lydia So, attorney Richard Drury, of Lozeau Drury, LLP, on behalf of NUSF states:

“The Rezone is flatly inconsistent with the General Plan. The 2022 Housing Element Amended the General Plan.The Rezone creates new building heights, density and development intensity that is flatly inconsistent with the 2022 Housing Element. Since zoning must be consistent with the General Plan, the Rezone creates an unlawful General Plan inconsistency.”

Further, Drury adeptly points out that:

“The proposed Rezone is vastly different from the zoning studied in the 2022 Housing Element and its associated 2022 EIR. Nevertheless, the Planning Department proposes to rely on the 2022 EIR. A rezoning of this magnitude requires thorough environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) so that the City’s residents and decision-makers can be aware of its impacts, can consider all feasible mitigation measures and alternatives, and can have a robust and open discussion prior to making irreversible changes to San Francisco’s landscape for all time.”

This plan would reshape San Francisco for generations without clear predictability on what gets built or where. San Franciscans deserve full transparency about the land‑use decisions that will shape every neighborhood.”

NUSF contends that the Rezone includes significant additional areas of the city, including areas within the so-called protected “Priority Equity Geographies,” vastly taller height allowances, density decontrol and excessive development that was not envisioned in the 2022 Housing Element or its associated EIR. The City has not thoroughly assessed the impacts of these actions on key environmental factors such as Air Quality, Wind, Historic Resources, and Biological Resources. Further, in its limited Addendum, the City has not fully analyzed how its Rezone would greatly increase tenant and small business displacement. Lastly, the Rezone would significantly impact transit lines and this has not been given enough credence in the minimal EIR Addendum issued by the City.

Lurie’s proposed Rezone would change the face of our city forever and thanks to 2019 legislation SB-330 supported by State Senator Scott Wiener, the so-called “Housing Crisis Act” once San Francisco upzones, it can’t downzone. The Rezone would be permanent and irreversible. NUSF is asking the Planning Commission and Mayor Lurie to listen to our over 60 neighborhood and community groups and organizations. The Mayor should pull back on the proposed extreme heights and density that would be allowed in the Rezone. Additionally, a vast number of San Franciscan’s are not aware of this proposal. Unfortunately, the proposed Rezone has no guarantees of affordability and will in fact only fuel speculative, luxury development that will not solve our affordability crisis.

“This plan would reshape San Francisco for generations without clear predictability on what gets built or where. San Franciscans deserve full transparency about the land‑use decisions that will shape every neighborhood.” says Lori Brooke, Co-founder of NUSF… (more) 

NUSF Supports:

  • Context-fit housing: Build new homes at a reasonable, human scale that complements surrounding blocks.
  • Real height limits: Set reasonable, enforceable caps, no routine waivers. Extreme increases would erode neighborhood livability and fabric.
  • Responsible density decontrol: Allow added units only where height limits remain unchanged and the State Density Bonus does not apply.
  • True affordability plan: SF Planning must publish a realistic, fundable plan with timelines to meet affordable housing goals.
  • Protect historic resources: Safeguard designated landmarks and surveyed-eligible sites.
  • Impact first: Require a comprehensive infrastructure and environmental analysis for the projected 20–25% population growth tied to the mandate.

More information about Neighbors United SF can be found at: neighborhoodsunitedsf.org
neighborhoodsunitedsf@gmail.com

 

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OPPOSITION GROWS TO LURIE’S ZONING PLAN THAT WOULD TRANSFORM SAN FRANCISCO

By Tim Redmond : 48hills – excerpt

Tonight at the PAR meeting in the Richmond, I learned that people had not received the notices regarding upzoning and they were hearing about it for the first time the day before the Planning Commisioners are considering approving the over 400 pages of legal writings and maps that supposedly define the new zoning parameters.
We also learned a bit more about the only options that are so far offered to mitigate some of the negative effects the rezoning map may have on existing residents and businesses. People are concerned and angry people when they learn about the plan. They are really upset with Senator Wiener who has been relentless in his efforts to usurp control over the entire state by removing single family zoning. Trust in government is at an all time low for a reason.

Tenants, neighborhood groups, and some supes are saying the plan will hurt renters and small businesses—and needs more environmental review

Opposition to Mayor Daniel Lurie’s plan to upzone much of the city is emerging on several fronts, from tenants, small businesses, and a neighborhood group that argues the sweeping plan never got a valid environmental review. There’s also a serious problem with providing transit service to the new residents.

Meanwhile, two supervisors are pushing legislation to address some of the displacement concerns, and Lurie has already said he will support one of those bills…

At Question Time today, Sup. Myrna Melgar told Lurie that a lot of people are worried about the displacement of small businesses and rent-controlled housing units.

Lurie said “we will not leave rent-controlled units and small businesses behind.” He insisted that “most new housing is built on vacant land,” which may be the case now—but there’s no way to build the tens of thousands of units his plan envisions without demolishing existing residential and commercial structures.

Melgar has introduced legislation that provides incentives to developers and landlords to protect housing and small business:..

Meanwhile, Sup. Chyanne Chen has introduced a broader bill. The Race and Equity in All Planning Coalition issued a statement saying that it will work with Chen to make sure the bill:

  • Requires disclosure of plans to demolish and early noticing of rights to tenants;
  • Prevents wrongful evictions and holds landlords accountable for bad behavior;
  • Guarantees the maximum possible relocation assistance allowed under the law; and
  • Enforces tenants’ rights to return to a comparable unit should their building be redeveloped…

RELATED:
The six fatal flaws in Mayor Lurie’s so-called ‘Family Zoning Plan’
Mayor will face opponents to zoning plan at rallies outside of City Hall
Engardio recall is a shot across the bow of every San Francisco elected official

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Can S.F. Mayor Daniel Lurie’s ‘family zoning’ plan survive political backlash?

By J.D. Morris, J.K. Dineen, sfchronicle – excerpt

One of many signs popping up in windows around the city as the plan is the “Family housing Plan” is introduced.

As his sweeping plan to allow 36,000 new homes in San Francisco advances, Mayor Daniel Lurie faces a difficult question: Can he usher in a seismic shift in local land-use rules without triggering massive political backlash?

The answer won’t be known for months, but an inflection point will arrive Thursday, when the planning commission takes up what Lurie calls his “family zoning” plan. It’s a far-reaching proposal that seeks to expand the city’s housing supply by allowing taller residential buildings from Fisherman’s Wharf to the west edges of the Richmond and Sunset districts.

Commissioners are expected to approve the plan, but they don’t have the final word. The plan will be taken up next by the Board of Supervisors, where some members are pushing for changes amid an outcry from critics who fear the rezoning would lead to the displacement of small businesses and allow rent-controlled housing and historic buildings to be demolished.

Lurie will have to balance competing interests as he works to ensure supervisors approve the plan by a state-mandated January deadline.

San Francisco is legally required to permit 82,000 new homes by 2031, though it will take far longer for all those units to get built. More than half the total will come from development that’s already approved; the remainder would come from the zoning plan. The stakes are high: If San Francisco doesn’t show it’s making a good-faith effort toward meeting the 82,000-home goal, the state will take control of the city’s housing approval process.

While Lurie tries to avoid a state takeover on housing, he must also grapple with political considerations…

A coalition representing organizations with concerns about the plan met with Lurie last week and sent him a letter afterward saying that the rezoning “risks fueling speculation, inflating land costs, driving demolitions, and making it harder for mission‑driven developers to build.”…

Separately, small business leaders have signed onto another letter to Lurie warning that the plan could “force closures of businesses that have served San Francisco for generations.” That letter asked the mayor to work with neighborhood groups to identify locations for denser development “without destroying existing corridors.”

At a news conference last week, Lurie told reporters that his administration was “always happy to discuss” the plan with critics. He promised to “work tirelessly to protect our small businesses,” and his planning director, Sarah Dennis Phillips, said the administration was receptive to “helpful modifications” embraced by the San Francisco Small Business Commission…

Dennis Phillips also said the mayor was working with Supervisor Chyanne Chen on legislation to strengthen protections for tenants whose homes may be torn down...

Mandelman said he wants Lurie’s administration to commit to a plan for preserving some of the city’s older buildings, either by creating new historic districts or designating individual landmarks…

Some of the same people pushing for the recall are also outraged about Lurie’s zoning plan — a fact that may weigh on the mayor if he is tasked with appointing a replacement for Engardio…(more)

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What you should know about the Upzoning

If you live in SF, or in the state of California you have probably heard something about Upzoing plans. If you are confused about the maps and the plans, you are not alone. See the September meetings listed on the calendar for where you may go to learn more: https://csfn.net/csfn-events/

People who try to follow it are constantly finding themselves running down another rabbit hole that leads back to Sacramento and our most controversial State Senator Wiener. After Wiener and Newsom removed the authority of the California Coastal Coastal Commission to control development on the California coast, Wiener is pushing SB 79 to remove single family zoning from the entire state. See the map below that attempts to illustrate the effects of SB 79 on the SF Zoning map

This iMap is supposed to indicate he targeted areas for SB 79

Wieners enemies may outweigh his friends, but his friends hold a huge,  powerful purse and they are shifting him toward Washington. Some would like to see him go just to get him out of Sacramento, but others want him permanently out of politics. Given his close ties to the most unpopular SF Supervisor in SF, and the disdain hundreds of cities and communities around the state have for him, Scott may need more than money to win the Washington post he covets.  But we are here to look a the maps.

The SF Planning Department has created many maps and overlays and new ones are popping up all the time.  Everyone appears to be confused.

The below map that indicates where density decontrol may be applied  is perhaps the most disturbing as it covers the entire city, including those neighborhoods that were already up zoned in the Eastern Neighborhoods.
Density decontrol is a new term that applies to the minimum size of a unit. It appears there is no minimum requirement where destiny decontrol is applied.

We understand the height limits along the pink areas are also open to density decontrol.

Given all the various maps and re-zoning at the state and local levels, the one question no one can answer is, how do all the state and local density laws affect each other? Can developers apply state density bonuses on top of city height limit increases? No one seems to know the answer.

Find out more by attending one of the September meetings where discussion will be held and SF Planning explains the plans and the public gets to ask what is means to them.

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High Drama at Bayview Opera House

By John Crabtree : substack (excerpt)

Supervisor Joel Engardio loses again, but by the narrowest of margins at SF DCCC

It had all the makings of a grand political soap opera, when the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee gathered for their monthly meeting at the Ruth Williams Bayview Opera House on Wednesday night. The true excitement, the high at the old Opera House, was down the agenda a bit at #7 and innocuously labeled — 7. Endorsement of Local Measures for the September 16, District 4 Special Election.

That is, of course, the matter of the recall of Supervisor Joel Engardio. After hours of public testimony and a lengthier that usual debate among the DCCC members, a vote on whether or not to endorse the special recall election, the body ended up deadlocked 11 to 11 and the San Francisco Democratic Party officially took no position.

Now that may not sound like high drama, but it was. Most political observers expected the county Democratic Party, which is dominated by political moderates and conservatives, to side with Engardio. Without a doubt Engardio and his campaign were counting on it. And the Recallers spared no effort to keep the party on the sidelines, as many of them who testified said, “let The Sunset decide” or some variation on that theme…

“Time and again, candidates in the city have come to the Chinese community when they need votes. They come when they need campaign volunteers. They come when they want to win. But when it comes to policy, when it comes to listening to our concerns and our voices, too often we are ignored.”

Wilson Chu, Chinese American Democratic Club, in support of Engardio Recall…

… I believe this recall is more justified than earlier ones. As so many have stated this evening and over the past year, Supervisor Engardio misled voters about one of the most contentious issues in our district, presenting one position in order to get elected and then reversing himself once in office. Not only that but he then led the effort to put a citywide measure on the ballot, without input from the constituents he had misled. And while much of his campaign for Supervisor was built on fueling the divisiveness and anger around the 2022 recalls, he now argues that he shouldn’t be subject to similar anger when it comes to neighborhood street issues. That contradiction has not gone unnoticed in our community.”

Gordon Mar, DCCC member and former District 4 Supervisor…

Below the screenshot of Engardio’s voter intimidation video I have shared excerpts from California DOJ Division of Law Enforcement Bulletin #2024-DLE-11. I share it because I think it is important to understand what violations of these laws can mean.

…(more)

Could this be a case of a desperate man who will stoop at nothing to save his career? Or is he just not very smart enough to follow campaign laws? Either way, he is winning a prize for the most egregious politician. He should lay off the nasty.

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The next steps if Joel Engardio is — or isn’t — recalled

By Adam Shanks : sfexaminer – excerpt (audio)

The Great Highway with cars had a clear clean island of plants separating the modes. Widely spaced cross walks provided safe passing for pedestrians.
Sunset and Parkside residents will now decide the political fate of San Francisco Supervisor Joel Engardio.
Voting by mail and in person has begun for the Sept. 16 recall election of Engardio, who was elected to a first term representing District 4 in 2022 but has faced criticism for his support of Proposition K, a 2024 ballot measure that closed part of Great Highway to cars.
Though the recall debate and campaign have centered on Engardio’s actions in office that have led to this point, here we discuss what will happen if Engardio is — or is not — recalled by his constituents next month.
The first results will be posted on Election Day on Sept. 16, although the numbers will continue to be updated in the following days as mail-in ballots trickle in. The election must be certified by Oct. 16.

Here’s what you need to know about next month’s election, and what might come next month… (more)

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New SF economic and workforce head predicts brighter times

By Patrick Hoge : sfexaminer – excerpt (audio)

Anne Taupier, the new executive director of San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development: “We want to be a partner with our businesses and with our citizens and with everyone who wants to be doing business in San Francisco.”…

Anne Taupier said she feels fortunate — not just to have been named the new executive director of San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, but because she’s been given the job at this moment in history, as she believes The City is heading into a brighter future.

“I really do feel this energy and excitement,” said Taupier, the agency’s former director of development, who was appointed in mid-June to the top job by Mayor Daniel Lurie. “I feel like I’m lucky, because I am stepping into this role when you can feel that change in the air.”

Taupier’s optimism comes despite a decrease of millions of dollars to her agency’s budget in the recently adopted two-year city budget that closed a deficit of about $800 million, and a downtown that among other things has been grappling with high office-vacancy rates since the COVID-19 pandemic that stood at 34.8% in the second quarter, according to the real-estate firm CBRE…

In 2009, Taupier joined the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, where she worked on real estate, and she was appointed director of development in 2020 to oversee large projects, including the Treasure Island, Stonestown Galleria and Potrero Power Station developments, among others. She also worked on housing and development policies on behalf of the Mayor’s Office.

Taupier succeeds Sarah Dennis Phillips, whose appointment to be The City’s planning director was announced at the same time as Taupier’s move within OEWD.

The agency Taupier now leads has 151 budgeted full-time employees in multiple divisions, including a business-development team that works to attract and retain companies, and another that focuses on supporting neighborhood commercial corridors. Its biggest division — the workforce development unit — performs various tasks that include working with organizations that provide job training and placement services.

The agency’s budget declined by $54.9 million in the fiscal-year 2025–26 budget. About $26 million of that decrease is due to the transfer of community-ambassador programs to the Department of Emergency Management, which now provides oversight for certain city-funded community-safety ambassadors in neighborhoods that include Mid-Market, the Tenderloin and the Mission…(more)

RELATED:
SF leaders work to loosen rules to fill vacant storefronts.
Chinatown Muni ambassadors honored as program ends amid budget cuts

Apparently the priority is to build the economy rather than protect the residents and businesses. We suspect there are a few places that $26 million could come from for the neighborhoods who want to keep their ambassadors.  If we believe the AI media, the estimated pay range for a Community Ambassador at City and County of San Francisco is $21–$32 per hour, which includes base salary and additional pay. A lot less than most city employees, yet they are the first to go.

Why does the  government keep piling on improvements that destroy the programs people like and support? Will someone please figure this out and stop the practice?

 

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The looming threat to hundreds of small businesses in San Francisco

By Tim Redmond : 48hills – excerpt

Almost a third of all the small businesses in the city’s neighborhood commercial districts could face displacement under Mayor Daniel Lurie’s plan to allow more and denser housing in neighborhoods, data from the City Planning Department shows.

In some neighborhoods—the Geary corridor, for example—nearly half the small local merchants are endangered, the data shows.

That’s because the so-called “family housing” plan would encourage developers to demolish small buildings to put up larger ones—and many of those small buildings have small commercial tenants.

City planners tell me that they will discourage the demolition of existing rent-controlled housing (although SB 79)  a bill by Sen. Scott Wiener would encourage that practice.)

But 1,769 small businesses are in vulnerable places (sites that are prime for new development where there are no existing residential units)—and 47 are officially recognized “legacy businesses.”

As the planning report notes:.. (more)

The Small Business Commissioners agreed at their meeting on Monday. They took no action, pending plans to talk to neighborhood merchants and consider legislative remedies. They do not fee that any of the current Board of Supervisors are working on anything of substance yet. (July 28, 25 meeting)