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Planning Department to accept $7 million HUD Pro Housing grant to speed permitting and preserve housing
Summary
The Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee voted 3-0 to forward a resolution authorizing the Planning Department to retroactively accept a $7 million HUD Pro Housing grant. The award will fund staff, studies, and programs to streamline post-entitlement processing, preserve single-room occupancy buildings and expand housing types.
The Budget and Finance Committee on April 23 unanimously forwarded a resolution to the full Board of Supervisors authorizing the Planning Department to retroactively accept and expend a $7,000,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Pro Housing Program.
The Planning Department told the committee the funding will support four primary activities tied to the city’s adopted housing element, including streamlining post-entitlement permitting to unlock the development pipeline, a capital-needs assessment and funding strategy for city‑funded SROs, training for faith-based institutions interested in building affordable housing, and measures to expand housing types in high-opportunity neighborhoods. The award covers a five-year period and was one of 18 awards nationwide from more than 200 applicants.
Why it matters: Planning Department staff said the grant targets barriers to production and preservation and will support both staffing and technical work to accelerate projects and preserve existing affordable stock.
What the department presented: Lisa Chen of the Planning Department outlined the four grant activities. She said $2.8 million will be used to “unlock the development pipeline,” including tools to move an estimated pipeline of projects that could include up to 13,000 affordable units through post-entitlement processing. About $1.3 million will fund SRO capital-needs assessment work and a training program for faith-based organizations. Another $1.5 million is earmarked for expanding housing types (preapproved plans and land‑use updates) and $1.1 million for outreach to equity priority geographies to design community benefits.
Budget and oversight notes: Christina Malamut of the Budget and Legislative Analyst’s office reported the grant budget shown in department exhibits is also supported by approximately $7.8 million in matching general‑fund resources over five years; the BLA recommended approval. Both Planning and the BLA told the committee that if HUD funds are not fully dispersed the department would curtail activities or seek backfill funding and that the Board could request reports on outcomes during the annual budget process.
Committee action and next steps: With no public comment, Chair Connie Chan moved the resolution to the full Board with a positive recommendation; the vote was recorded as Dorsey aye, Gardeo aye, Chan aye. The committee requested follow-up reporting during the June budget process to clarify how the grant-funded activities are producing intended outcomes.
Background: The HUD Pro Housing Program supports jurisdictions that take active steps to remove barriers to affordable housing production and preservation. The Planning Department said its successful application was informed by the city’s adopted housing element.
