The ordinance requires property owners who want to demolish residential units to replace them with at least the same number of units, and in certain areas, to ensure that a portion of these replacements are affordable for lower-income households. It also expands the Priority Equity Geographies Special Use District to include more properties and affirms compliance with environmental and planning regulations.
Ordinance amending the Planning Code to require property owners seeking to demolish residential units to construct at least as many units as will be demolished or existed on the project site within the prior seven years; to require property owners seeking to demolish certain residential units in the Priority Equity Geographies Special Use District (PEG SUD) to replace those units at an affordable rent or an affordable cost in proportion to the number of lower-income renters in the PEG SUD, and to replace a percentage of units as affordable to extremely low-income households; to require project sponsors to replace certain demolished rent-controlled units at an affordable rent or cost; amending the Zoning Map to add additional parcels south of Ocean Avenue between Ashton Avenue and Howth Street to the PEG SUD; affirming the Planning Department’s determination under the California Environmental Quality Act; making findings of consistency with the General Plan, and the eight priority policies of Planning Code, Section 101.1; and making findings of public convenience, necessity, and welfare under Planning Code, Section 302.
How it got here
This legislation originated from the need to enhance tenant protections and address housing displacement in vulnerable neighborhoods of San Francisco.
The Board adopted Ordinance No. 3-26, which included Planning Code Section 317.2, establishing replacement unit requirements for demolished residential units.
The Board adopted Ordinance No. 248-23, creating the Priority Equity Geographies Special Use District (PEG SUD) to address neighborhoods with higher densities of vulnerable populations.
The Planning Department affirmed that the proposed ordinance complies with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and referred it for further review.
The ordinance was assigned to the Board under the 30-day rule for consideration.
Reconstructed from attached documents & the official record
The ordinance amends the Planning Code to streamline housing production by exempting certain projects from review processes, removing conditional use requirements for various housing types, and adjusting zoning regulations to facilitate development. It also expands eligibility for housing programs, allows more ground floor uses in residential buildings, and updates regulations for affordable housing projects.
The ordinance requires property owners to replace any residential units they demolish and provides relocation assistance to affected tenants, especially those with lower incomes. It also establishes stricter conditions for demolition permits and enhances tenant protections against harassment and improper buyout agreements.