Business journalist David Cay Johnston pitches the idea of building high-density apartment buildings at Candlestick Park instead of planned retail, offices and hotels. He says “Manhattanizing” the area could bring down housing prices across the city by adding 14,000 new units of housing.
Category: Housing Solutions
At a time when the median two-bedroom apartment rent, $3,550, now consumes about half the average resident’s wages, most news coverage in San Francisco has made the crisis in housing affordability sound insurmountable.
Posted inCity Hall, Housing Solutions, Land use, Neighborhoods
Housing Solution: Increase Density in Western Neighborhoods and Fix Transit
New housing construction is blazing through the city’s eastern side, but not the west. Why? Residents say existing public transit is too poor to accommodate denser housing, which might also disrupt the neighborhood’s character. But minor tweaks to zoning regulations could add thousands of new apartments, and many would be priced below the market rate.
Posted inCity Hall, Housing, Housing Solutions, Land use
Housing Solutions: Affordable Tenant Co-ops Could Protect Buildings From Speculative Market
Cooperative housing managed by nonprofit organizations could substantially increase the availability of affordable housing in San Francisco, but progress has been stimied for years by lack of capital to buy buildings. Now policymakers in the city and at the state capital are devising ways to help them grow. Part of a special report on solutions for housing affordability.
Posted inBay Area, California, Housing, Housing Solutions
Housing Solution: Allow Denser Housing in Exchange for Affordable Units
If San Francisco adhered strictly to state laws that grant residential developers considerable flexibility, it could increase housing density in upcoming projects by up to 35 percent. Part of a special report on solutions for housing affordability.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Housing, Housing Solutions
Housing Solution: Update Local Rent Control Law to Prevent Mass Displacement
By extending rent-control status to all existing apartments, like it did 35 years ago, the city could save the residents of as many as 50,000 apartments from today’s ballooning rental costs. But doing so might not make the city more affordable for the most economically vulnerable residents. Part of a special report on solutions for housing affordability.
Posted inHousing, Housing Solutions, Land use
Housing Solution: Build Dorm-Style Nano Apartments for Newly Arriving Tech Workers
In Seattle, developers are racing to build miniature studios that average 150 square feet to absorb skyrocketing housing demand from young professionals. San Francisco could follow that example — but first, it would have to strike down a law passed two years ago. Part of a special report on solutions for housing affordability.
Posted inCity Hall, Housing, Housing Solutions
Housing Solution: Activate S.F. Ballot Box Again to Fund Affordable Housing
Nonprofit housing developers across the city say they have been waiting for years to begin building more than 800 planned, permanently affordable homes. A housing bond could get those projects off the ground, but politicians have other priorities. Part of a special report on solutions for housing affordability.
Posted inArts & Culture, Housing, Housing Solutions
Housing Solution: Revisit the Much Maligned Live-Work Loft to Build Nonprofit Artist Housing
What if San Francisco took another stab at promoting live-work lofts by effectively targeting actual working artists? With enough funding, nonprofit organizations could house them in old, retrofitted commercial properties. Part of a special report on solutions for housing affordability.
Posted inCity Hall, Housing, Housing Solutions, Politics
San Francisco and New York Affordable Housing Plans Compared
San Francisco is not the only city in a housing crisis. The multi-year plan proposed by Mayor Ed Lee bears some similarities to those proposed by Bill de Blasio, the new mayor of New York, where even last week a major initiative advanced to fix older affordable buildings. Part of a special report on solutions for housing affordability.
Posted inHousing, Housing Solutions, Media, Neighborhoods
Working Groups Envision Plans for an Affordable San Francisco
City residents, advocates and experts gathered at “Hack the Housing Crisis” to come up with ways to make San Francisco more affordable and create space for new tenants. Possible solutions included building portable houses and creating social media websites where renters and landlords could connect. Part of a special report on solutions for housing affordability.