Land Use Committee advances 100% affordable density-bonus plan, splits mixed-income proposal

SAN FRANCISCO — The Board of Supervisors' Land Use & Transportation Committee on Tuesday adopted a set of amendments to the Affordable Housing Bonus Program and moved a stand-alone 100% affordable option to the full Board of Supervisors while continuing work on a broader mixed-income version.

Supervisor Katie Tang, the bill's author, read a package of changes into the record that the committee accepted without objection. Tang said the amendments prohibit demolition of existing residential units for projects seeking the bonus, require commercial tenants to receive at least 18 months' notice and direct the city to explore small-business relocation and first-right-of-refusal tools.

"We are prohibiting the demolition of existing residential units," Tang said after public comment, adding that early notification to commercial tenants would be sent to both the tenant and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

Why it matters: City planning staff and housing officials said San Francisco's housing market faces severe pressure — "about 43% of San Francisco's households pay more than 30% of their income for housing," Planning Department Director Gil Kelly told the committee — and that the bonus program is intended to create a faster path for certain affordable projects while aligning with the state density-bonus law.

What the committee did: The meeting produced several formal actions. The committee accepted Tang's amendments and then used a duplicated file process to forward a version limited to the 100% affordable bonus to the full Board for consideration; the broader mixed-income package was left in a separate, duplicated file for further refinement. A motion to amend the duplicate with a competing "density done right" substitute failed in a roll-call vote.

Public reaction: The meeting drew dozens of public commenters. Tenant advocates and seniors groups urged prioritizing the 100% affordable option and protecting existing housing from demolition. Deepa Varma of the San Francisco Tenants Union said, "We thought that today we were gonna come together to talk about how these two plans could work together," and expressed frustration that mixed-income elements were presented late to the public. Business and development advocates, including the Chamber of Commerce and SPUR, argued the bonus program would add supply and make some projects financially feasible without direct subsidy.

Key numbers and mechanics: Planning staff described two local options: a mixed-income path that would require roughly 30% affordable units and offer two additional stories in height, and a 100% affordable path that could allow up to three additional stories and regulate unit counts by building form rather than lot-area ratio. Staff estimated the combined program could produce roughly 5,000 affordable units over time from identified "soft" development sites, while acknowledging that the program would be only one tool among many needed to address regional underproduction.

Next steps: The committee forwarded the 100% affordable bonus ordinance to the full Board and continued the duplicate file containing the larger mixed-income proposal to the call of the chair, leaving open further amendments and environmental review. Several supervisors said they expect additional amendments and debate at the full Board.

The committee also continued two unrelated grant items and an ordinance on fare evasion to later Land Use meetings earlier in the agenda.