SPUR's Housing Work
CURRENT TASK FORCES AND PROJECTS
Housing Committee -- San Francisco has become one of the most
expensive cities in the country. The cost of living here is driving out
the city's cultural diversity. For the vast majority of the people affected,
the problem can only be addressed through a dramatic expansion of the supply
of housing. SPUR's Housing Committee has the job of proposing policy changes
that will increase the supply -- and bring down the cost -- of housing. It has
put forward a series of policy papers that point the way out of the crisis.
Work continues on this task of generating ideas that can be implemented
today, on a local level.
Homelessness Task Force -- Homelessness is the result of a complex set of factors, including the high cost of market rate housing, inequality of wealth, de-institutionalization of the mentally ill, and other causes. SPUR’s Homelessness Task Force was formed to figure out what the city’s response to this problem should be. We found a surprising result: for the same amount of money we currently spend to treat the late symptoms of homelessness, we could actually provide housing and treatment for everyone who needs it—in short, we could solve the problem. Current projects include: responsible implementation of the “Care Not Cash” measure; increasing the availability of residential hotel rooms; increasing the supply of supportive housing; establishing realistic rules of conduct in urban public spaces; and facilitating better interdepartmental coordination of homeless services. For more information, see: Homelessness in a Progessive City.
Streamline Housing Regulations -- The process of getting planning entitlements
to build housing in San Francisco is extraordinarily difficult. People who oppose
housing have been given a long list of tools to delay, postpone, shrink, or
prevent development. People who need the housing do not have an equivalent set
of tools to compel the housing to be built. The SPUR Housing Committee is developing
legislation that will help make it easier to build housing, when it is in conformance
with the ideas of city's General Plan. SPUR contemplates changes such as making
more development "as of right" instead of discretionary; removing special disincentives
against taller buildings downtown; and regulating allowable development by height
and bulk instead of density (to encourage more and smaller units). The goal
is to provide certainty in the housing market, making it a more attractive investment,
thereby starting to address the supply/demand imbalance.
Secondary Units -- One of the most "painless" ways to provide affordable
housing is to promote the creation of secondary (or "in-law") units. These housing
units, carved from a basement, garage, or placed at the back of a lot, are a
uniquely affordable housing resource because 1) they do not cost public money,
but are instead paid for by home owners; and 2) they do not change the physical
character of the neighborhood. SPUR is promoting legislation that will make
it legal for property owners to add this housing -- provided it can meet building
code standards for health and safety, and that it is located in an appropriate
part of the city.
Reduce Parking Requirements -- Parking is expensive to build, costing
as much as $50,000 per space. Parking podiums beneath housing developments are
a major problem, making the street edge uninteresting for pedestrians. And at
the same time, San Francisco has the lowest auto ownership rates in the country
outside of Manhattan. Many people would much prefer the chance to forego car
ownership in exchange for cheaper rent or lower mortgage payments. SPUR is advocating
for a change to the city's residential parking requirements that will allow
developers to build housing with less parking in certain locations and under
certain conditions.
Neighborhood Master Plans -- In existing neighborhoods,
the only viable way to plan for serious physical change is through comprehensive
neighborhood planning. Instead of just trying to maximize housing, neighborhood
needs should be looked at comprehensively. The idea is to use a plan for new housing
as a way to leverage other positive changes in the neighborhood -- to get new
parks built, or calm traffic on the streets, or upgrade branch libraries.
Ideally, neighborhood plans will build consensus in advance about where
housing should go and what it should look like. Instead of having site-by-site
battles over every housing proposal, we can work out a vision of positive
change, and then invite developers to come and fulfill their part of the
vision. SPUR was instrumental in getting the city to undertake the Better
Neighborhoods 2002 program, which is carrying out this kind of comprehensive
neighborhood planning in three places: Market and Octavia, the Central Waterfront,
and Balboa Park. It represents one of the bright spots of planning in San
Francisco. For more information, see:
Housing Action Coalition
-- SPUR is a founding member of an unprecedented coalition of organizations
that have united to tackle the housing crisis. The Housing
Action Coalition
includes members of the business community, neighborhood organizations, environmental
organizations, and civic groups. The Housing Action Coalition's mission is to
advocate for the creation of well-designed, well-located housing that meets
the needs of present and future residents of San Francisco. It works on three
fronts: legislation to increase housing; public education; and a housing endorsements
program.
Senior Housing Task Force -- Given the demographic trend toward an aging population, the City is faced with a particular shortage of senior housing over the coming years. The Senior Housing Task Force is focused on fixing barriers in the various codes – Planning, Building, Fire, and Health – that make it hard to provide senior housing.
