A San Francisco supervisor today introduced legislation that seeks to encourage the construction of more affordable housing in the city by removing density limits for certain projects.
Under the legislation proposed today by Supervisor Scott Wiener, new developments with 20 percent or more affordable units will not have those units count against the project’s density limits.
Under current city laws, developers must provide at least 12 percent affordable housing for any new project of 10 or more units or must pay a fee to the city for the construction of affordable housing elsewhere.
Wiener said his legislation would provide another alternative that will encourage the creation of more affordable units without reducing the number of market-rate units being built.
The proposal would also eliminate all density limits for projects with 100 percent affordable housing, according to Wiener.
Current San Francisco law counts all units—affordable or market-rate—against density limit totals.
“We are in the midst of a severe housing crisis, a crisis that threatens our city’s diversity and livability, and we need much more permanently affordable housing,” Wiener said.
“There is never one magic bullet” to solve the city’s shortage of affordable housing, but “this legislation will move us in that direction,” he said.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
