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Mayor Breed tells supervisors city will clear ADU backlog; announces loan program for affordable housing preservation
Summary
Mayor London Breed appeared before the Board of Supervisors to discuss housing production and accessory dwelling units (ADUs), directed city departments to clear an ADU permitting backlog, and announced legislation with Supervisor Peskin to use Proposition C bond funds for an Affordable Housing and Seismic Safety Loan Program.
Mayor London Breed told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Sept. 11 that increasing housing production must include smaller units and accessory dwelling units. She said the city has not produced enough housing and announced actions to speed ADU approvals.
"ADUs or in-laws are an important piece to our housing puzzle," Breed said, noting ADUs can house family members or in‑home support workers and that units added to rent‑controlled buildings become rent controlled themselves. She told the board the permitting process is "overly complicated" and said an executive directive requires the ADU backlog be cleared within six months and new applications be decided within four months.
Breed also announced that she and Supervisor Peskin will introduce legislation to create an Affordable Housing and Seismic Safety Loan Program that would allow the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development to use unspent bonding authority freed by Proposition C (approved by voters in Feb. 2016) to offer loans for acquisition, rehabilitation and conversion of existing buildings to affordable housing.
Why it matters: San Francisco continues to face an acute housing shortage; the mayor framed ADUs as a way to add rent‑controlled units with less neighborhood impact than large developments. The loan program would direct voter‑authorized bond authority toward preserving at‑risk housing stock.
Details and context: Breed said San Francisco reduced greenhouse gas emissions while growing economically and framed the ADU work as part of broader efforts to expand housing supply for low-, moderate- and middle‑income residents. She said 3,707 ADU units had been approved since 2014 and that about 900 proposed ADUs were stuck in review when she spoke. The executive directive aims to resolve code conflicts and accelerate departmental review.
Next steps: Breed said her office will propose legislative changes for the Board of Supervisors to remove barriers and contradictions in local rules; those measures will return to the board for committee and vote.
Ending note: The mayor opened the discussion with a five‑minute statement and answered questions during a formal policy appearance before the board.
