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Planning Commission backs two Prop E follow‑ups to expand educator and 100% affordable housing
Summary
The commission unanimously approved two separate Planning Code amendments to increase three‑bedroom units in educator housing and to reduce parcel thresholds and add height for some 100% affordable projects, advancing supervisors’ follow‑ups to Proposition E.
The San Francisco Planning Commission on July 16 voted unanimously to recommend two separate ordinances that expand eligibility and unit mix for projects built under Proposition E’s streamlined 100% affordable and educator‑housing rules.
The first measure, sponsored by Supervisor Dean Preston (presented by Jen Lowe), would require educator‑housing projects with development applications filed after Jan. 14, 2020 to include 10% of units as three‑bedroom units within the existing requirement that 50% be two‑bedroom or larger. "We are trying to build a housing stock that could help keep families here," Jen Lowe said, urging commissioners to support a 10% three‑bedroom floor to better house educators with families.
The second ordinance, presented for Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s office by Ian Fregosi, would lower the parcel‑size minimum from 10,000 square feet to 8,000 square feet for many eligible sites, add 10–20 feet of potential height for eligible projects and allow vacant lots and surface parking lots to qualify. Planning staff recommended approval of both ordinances and proposed further modifications, including consideration of reducing the parcel threshold in future amendments; staff also said their CEQA addendum analyzed environmental effects down to a theoretical 3,000‑square‑foot parcel to avoid repeat review.
Public comment was broadly supportive. United Educators of San Francisco and labor and affordable‑housing advocates urged more family‑sized units and additional parcels to qualify for streamlining. "We need more solutions here in San Francisco — we are losing educators who can’t afford to raise families in the city," said Katie Waller, a counselor at Hoover Middle School, in a public comment urging more two‑ and three‑bedroom options.
Commissioners debated the merits of an "aspirational" lower parcel threshold versus preserving the program’s original intent to rezone larger, feasible sites. Several commissioners supported taking the ordinances as proposed and revisiting thresholds with one‑ to two‑year reviews to assess feasibility and demand. Commissioner Chan said she supported the 10% three‑bedroom requirement while reserving judgement on any immediate drop to a 3,000‑square‑foot minimum without further data.
On a single motion to approve both pieces as proposed (without staff’s more aggressive parcel‑size reduction), the commission voted 7–0 to recommend the ordinances to the Board of Supervisors. The ordinances will proceed separately at the supervisors’ level; staff and sponsors signaled they expect further discussion and potential technical adjustments as each ordinance moves through the legislative process.
