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Planning Department reports 2017 housing inventory: 4,441 net units, affordable share rises
Summary
The Planning Department said San Francisco added a net 4,441 housing units in 2017, with affordable housing making up 32 percent of new units; commissioners and advocates discussed gaps between entitled and built units and proposed better public dashboards and a rental registry.
The Planning Department presented its 2017 Housing Inventory Report to the Planning Commission on April 19, telling commissioners the city added a net 4,441 housing units in 2017 and that 32 percent of new units were affordable.
Sweta Ambati of the Department’s Information and Analysis group summarized the report’s key findings: about 4,500 units were constructed in 2017, roughly 70 units were lost to demolition or conversion, and about 4,270 units were completed as new construction. The department said ADU activity included 23 newly completed ADUs and 76 legalized ADUs in 2017.
The report also showed a sharp increase in permits: DBI permitted about 6,730 units in 2017 (a jump from 2016), and the pipeline of entitled units remained large — about 7,680 units entitled as of year‑end. Staff and commissioners discussed the discrepancy between entitled and built units and how construction financing and costs are delaying projects.
Members of the public and housing advocates praised the report’s data but urged greater dashboard visibility and easier public access to the pipeline. Peter Cohen of the Council of Community Housing Organizations and others urged that the department publish the pipeline dashboard as a live link on agendas and consider sampling or a rental registry to better track occupancy and actual use of new units.
Staff said the department will publish further ADU analysis and the housing balance report in May and will continue to improve dashboard access on SFPlanning.org and dataSF.
