Planning Commission rejects wide citywide limits on ‘large‑home’ expansions, urges focused outreach

The San Francisco Planning Commission on Sept. 23 voted 6‑0 to disapprove a proposed Planning Code amendment intended to curb the conversion of modest single‑family houses into much larger luxury homes, but the commission attached a package of recommendations urging narrower, neighborhood‑focused outreach and technical revisions.

Jacob Bentliff of Supervisor Mandelmann’s office, the ordinance sponsor, said the measure was meant to address “a constant stream of existing 1,200 to 1,500 square foot older and relatively more affordable homes being converted into 4 or 5 or even 6,000 square foot luxury single family mansions” that “erode the city’s existing housing stock without adding any new housing supply.” The proposal would have triggered conditional use for very large expansions and included exceptions to encourage adding…