Across San Francisco, there are dozens of stalled projects that could represent hundreds, if not thousands, of affordable and middle-income housing units. Not a single person on the Board of Supervisors has said they are against affordable housing - but their voting record would suggest otherwise. Supervisors including Dean Preston have cited obscure fire codes, “look and feel” of neighborhoods, and countless other reasons to slow down and stall projects. Bilal Mahmood has proposed adding even more red tape to how builders get projects approved. 

We need to simplify, streamline, and accelerate the process by which affordable housing units get approved and built; this means clarifying where we are going to build affordable housing units, and then creating the right market dynamics and incentives for current owners to sell, and builders to build.

By establishing density corridors, we can create clear criteria for a streamlined project approval process - if projects meet certain requirements, they are guaranteed a fast-tracked approval and builders will receive city tax incentives for the completion of on-time, under-budget projects. By creating incentives for builders, we can stimulate market demand for buildings to sell at price points beyond current values (many of which have been depressed since Covid), helping owners achieve more desirable exit scenarios. By creating this market dynamic, we can create hundreds of construction jobs, get affordable housing built, and invigorate communities.