Commission backs Planning Code amendment to track owner move-in evictions in housing-balance report

The Planning Commission on July 7 recommended that the Board of Supervisors approve an amendment to the Planning Code requiring the housing balance report to explicitly track withdrawals of units from the rental market due to owner move-in (OMI) evictions.

April Ang, representing Supervisor Kim’s office, told commissioners the change is intended to clarify the original legislation tied to Proposition K and the city’s targets for permanently affordable housing. Ang said the housing balance report is a “useful metric” to guide policy and that OMIs are a category showing an upward trend that the city should explicitly track. The office asked that hearings be timed to feed into the budget process and suggested an April 1/October 1 publishing schedule and an annual hearing no later than April 15 so the data can inform the mayor’s budget submission.

Planning Department staff (Diego Sanchez) said the department supports the added language and recommended changing publication dates to coordinate with other required reports (moving March to April and September to October); staff also noted buyouts are tracked separately by the rent board and are not currently included in the housing balance report.

Commissioners debated how the report’s aggregated categories can mask differences between rent-controlled units and income-restricted affordable units. Commissioner Antonini urged distinguishing rent-controlled units from income-restricted housing in reporting. Commissioner Hillis and others pushed for aligning reporting so the data can better inform budget and acquisition policy, and Commissioner Johnson moved to recommend approval with modifications (inclusion of OMI language in the housing-balance definition and revised report dates). The motion passed unanimously. Commissioners noted the report can support future policy discussions about buyouts, demolition, and conversions.