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Board enacts HomeSF amendment to Planning Code to expand affordable-housing bonus options
Summary
The Board of Supervisors approved an amendment to Planning Code Section 206 to add HomeSF and state density-bonus options to the 100% affordable housing bonus program, a change supporters said would help produce more middle‑income and 100% affordable housing.
The Board of Supervisors on June 6 adopted an ordinance amending Planning Code Section 206 to expand which affordability programs qualify for the 100% affordable housing development bonus. The measure adds the HomeSF program and referenced state density‑bonus programs to the list of programs eligible for development bonuses and zoning modifications.
Supervisor Katy Tang, the item sponsor, framed the ordinance as a continuation of work aimed at enabling more affordable housing production for a range of incomes. Tang thanked Planning Department staff, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and city staffers who worked on the two‑year effort to refine the program. The clerk recorded the ordinance’s final passage as unanimous.
Several supervisors spoke in favor during the floor discussion. Supervisor Sandra Fewer expressed concern about racial equity in access to new programs, noting African American household incomes and the need for outreach; Supervisor Tang said planning staff had analyzed program eligibility and found black households were as likely to qualify for HomeSF units as citywide households, and noted that negotiations secured at least 12 percent of units for very‑low‑income households in the program design. Supervisor Katy Tang and Supervisor Norman Yee described outreach and neighborhood protections such as legacy‑business considerations that were discussed during negotiations.
Supervisor Norman Yee had voted against an amendment at an earlier hearing but said he would change his vote to support the ordinance after reviewing the program’s benefits for the city and his district.
Nut graf: The amendment changes the Planning Code’s bonus‑program eligibility so developers using HomeSF and certain state density bonus mechanisms can seek the 100% affordable housing bonus. Supporters said the change will expand options for building middle‑income housing while preserving set‑asides for very‑low‑income households; opponents or concerned speakers pressed for stronger legacy‑business protections and robust outreach to historically underrepresented communities.
Background and next steps: The HomeSF program was developed as a local affordability tool; the Planning Code amendment does not change inclusionary requirements but allows additional bonus mechanisms to be used in conjunction with the 100% affordable bonus. The ordinance passed unanimously on final passage; implementation will be coordinated by the Planning Department and MOHCD.
Ending: With the code amendment adopted, staff will proceed with implementing the HomeSF bonus pathway while the board and advocacy groups continue discussions about outreach and protections for legacy businesses.
