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Public commenters press Planning Commission on middle-income displacement, site designation and long-term affordability
Summary
Public comment at the April 5 Planning Commission meeting emphasized loss of middle-class and working residents, called for site designation in Eastern neighborhoods and Octavia, urged long-term public ownership models over short-term deed restrictions, and asked that PDR jobs be preserved alongside housing.
Following the Mayor’s Office of Housing briefing, the Planning Commission heard extensive public comment highlighting concerns that differ somewhat from the presentation’s emphasis on the lowest-income households.
Bernie Shoden argued that the middle class has been ‘‘left out’’ of current programs and proposed new funding mechanisms, such as selling development rights and using ground rents to create sustainable revenue streams for affordable housing and public–private urban corporations to stretch public dollars.
A representative identifying himself as Calvin Council of Community Housing Organization urged the commission to distinguish among rent-controlled housing, below-market housing, affordable housing and public housing because each has different land-use implications. He urged the commission to play a leadership role in designating sites for affordable housing, saying Eastern neighborhoods have been the primary geography for production and should be treated as a critical resource.
Mark Solomon (North Mission) criticized what he called an ‘‘entitle first, benefits later’’ approach and urged city acquisition and ownership models so that affordability is preserved long term rather than relying on finite deed restrictions (he questioned 55-year terms). Julio Soro, a San Francisco schoolteacher, said many teachers and other working-class residents cannot afford to live in the city and linked displacement to declining school enrollments.
Nonprofit developers also spoke: Eric Knecht of Mission Housing Development Corporation described opportunities to expand units using the city’s existing affordable portfolio and thanked MOH for working with local nonprofits. Steve Adler urged a multipronged approach, including tax-increment and public financing and renewed emphasis on privately financed rental housing as a contributor to rental supply.
Commissioners asked for additional data (e.g., rent-controlled unit counts, Section 8 and demographic breakdowns) and requested staff provide maps and a clearer site-by-site accounting as Eastern neighborhoods planning proceeds. No formal actions were taken during public comment; commissioners directed staff to return with additional data and maps.
Ending: Public comments highlighted a policy tension the commission must weigh going forward: prioritizing deepest affordability versus expanding moderate- and middle-income options and preserving local jobs/PDR uses while adding housing.
