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Planning Department details steps to speed housing permits under Mayor—s directive
Summary
Planning Department staff told the Planning Commission that hiring for a housing ombudsman is imminent and that a new director—s bulletin clarifies how the department will review loss of dwelling units and coordinate with the Rent Board to track notices of intent to withdraw units.
Elizabeth Lotte, a planning department staffer, told the Planning Commission on May 15 that the department is continuing to implement Mayor Lee—s executive directive (issued Dec. 18) to accelerate housing production and preserve rental stock. "We hope to be moving probably within the next week on a hiring selection" for a housing ombudsman, Lotte said, a position the department expects will help coordinate interagency review and permit processing for affordable projects.
Lotte described three implementation tracks: immediate administrative changes to speed permit review for affordable housing; a director—s bulletin (in draft) to clarify how the department will interpret the directive for loss-of-unit reviews; and closer coordination with the Rent Board so planning staff receive notices of intent to withdraw rental units for enforcement follow-up. On the second track, Lotte said the bulletin clarifies that the department will target buildings already classified as apartment buildings (three legal units or more) when it requires evidence that removal of a unit is feasible to legalize rather than demolish.
Commissioners pressed staff on technical details. Commissioner Antonini asked whether concurrent review across agencies could be broadened beyond affordable projects; Lotte said the housing ombudsman will work with DBI, DPW and Fire on a policy that prioritizes affordable projects but that many principles could apply more broadly. Commissioners also asked about how ownership vs. rental status will affect dwelling-unit merger reviews; staff said ownership status is a factor the Commission may weigh when a case comes before it, but that administrative review will return demonstrably unaffordable unit mergers to staff-level processing.
The presentation said the mayor—s housing working group has three subcommittees (legislation, process improvements, resources) and expects to produce recommendations by July. Lotte also noted ongoing efforts to quantify what "feasible to legalize" means and to adapt the department—s soundness-report templates for that purpose.
Next steps: staff will return with the ombudsman hire and additional director—s-bulletin materials; the mayor—s working group will bring final recommendations later in the summer.
