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City outlines "Public Land for Housing" goals and initial sites; stakeholders press for deeper affordability
Summary
An interagency team laid out a Public Sites program to identify public parcels for housing, targeting 4,000 buildable units by 2020 with 50% affordable; community groups and labor pushed for higher affordability targets, local hiring and stronger site-level affordability commitments.
Planning Department staff and partners from the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development, OEWD, SFMTA and SFPUC briefed the commission on a new Public Sites initiative (rebranded "Public Land for Housing") that aims to identify public agency land suitable for housing and prioritize public benefits.
Staff said the program will prioritize sites that can deliver 100% affordable projects in the 50'200 unit range, target a portfolio of buildable sites totaling roughly 4,000 units by 2020, and aim for an initial portfolio where 50% of units are affordable to low and moderate incomes. Candidate Tier 1 sites listed in staff materials included air rights over the Fourth & Folsom Central Subway station, 1950 Mission, Upper Yard (SFMTA), Balboa Reservoir (SFPUC) and Seawall Lot 322-1 (Port).
Speakers from housing advocates, community groups and labor strongly urged higher affordability percentages (many urged 100% on smaller sites or 50%+ on large sites), neighborhood distribution, prevailing wage and local-hire requirements, and clear site-level commitments. MOHCD staff explained subsidy constraints (per-unit production and acquisition costs and the large public subsidy required for 100% affordable projects) and said staff will continue feasibility work, community meetings and requests for proposals with the goal of selecting developers for initial sites in 2015.
What happens next: staff will do more site-level analysis, continue community outreach in early 2015 (including dedicated meetings on Balboa Reservoir), refine financial strategies with the housing working group and return with solicitations for developer partners.
