It’s no secret: Downtown San Francisco’s economic recovery has been woefully slow. We need to move beyond the hope that there will be a full return to work five days per week, and instead re-envision what Downtown San Francisco can look like in a hybrid work future. 

The key to revitalizing downtown San Francisco is to make it not just the commercial hub of our economy, but also a cultural hub. And that starts with making it a desirable place to live. A recent report from the think tank San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, better known as SPUR, found that 40% of buildings in San Francisco’s Downtown would be suitable candidates for conversion due to factors such as building size, configuration and transit proximity. Converting those buildings could yield more than 14,000 housing units.

As Supervisor, I’ll work with my fellow Supervisors to:

• Identify low-tenancy Class B and Class C commercial real estate that can be rezoned to higher-density affordable and middle-income housing units, and create a streamlined approval process for the construction of new buildings and conversion of existing ones into affordable housing. 

• Get a gross receipts tax waiver program on the ballot to further incentivize builders to take on conversions, with the size of the waiver tied to the on-time completion of projects

• Create special exemption zones (including entertainment zones) in key parts of the City to stimulate the enjoyment of downtown San Francisco by more residents, while also incentivizing business owners to open downtown.