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Commission adopts detailed Inclusionary Housing procedures; asks mayor's office to tighten 'work in San Francisco' and enforcement language
Summary
The commission unanimously adopted a rewritten Inclusionary Housing Program monitoring and procedures manual and recommended an ordinance to set minimum qualifications for firms marketing BMR units; commissioners asked the mayor's office to return with stricter definitions of ‘work in San Francisco,’ occupancy rules and enforcement details.
The Planning Commission voted unanimously to adopt an updated Inclusionary Housing Program Monitoring and Procedures Manual that standardizes how below‑market‑rate (BMR) ownership and rental units are marketed, sold and monitored in San Francisco.
Myrna Melgar, director of homeownership programs at the Mayor’s Office of Housing, and Chandra (Shaundra) Egan, inclusionary program manager, presented the new manual as a comprehensive replacement of a 1992 procedures document. The manual adds clarifications and new requirements: a preference that applicants live or work in San Francisco at the time of application; a mandatory 4–8 hour first-time home‑buyer workshop for BMR purchasers; household-size/occupancy standards (one person per bedroom minimum); an asset test to exclude high‑asset households that meet the income test; and a requirement that initial sales and initial rentals be awarded by lottery.
Commissioners praised the increased transparency and standardization but asked staff and the Mayor’s Office of Housing to return within roughly 30 days with tightened language on three points: a clear definition of what constitutes "work in San Francisco" for eligibility, a practical definition of occupant “occupancy” (utility and residency requirements), and explicit enforcement provisions and penalties for fraudulent applications. Commissioner Bill Lee and others pressed for stronger public description of enforcement powers so applicants and neighborhoods know how violations will be addressed. The commission approved the manual subject to those clarifications and asked staff to provide a follow-up report.
Separately, staff introduced an ordinance proposed by Supervisor Sandoval to require minimum qualifications for firms that market BMR units. Planning staff recommended approval of a resolution directing the Mayor’s Office of Housing to promulgate marketing qualifications. Commissioners approved that resolution unanimously and asked the Mayor’s Office to return with the specific qualifications for the commission's review.
