The Frisc

Sherrill's aide steps in to cut off questions, saying the church is going to be mad. (Mad as hell?) So that's it. Thanks for joining us!

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SF’s Big Housing Plan Hits the Home Stretch. These Changes Are Still Up For Debate The city must allow taller, denser neighborhoods or risk penalties. Added protections for renters and businesses have attracted odd bedfellows.

A technical question about the tenant protection bill now on the table: Why not extend the 6-month grace period for people who have to move out? Why not give them a year? ICYM our story: thefrisc.com/sfs-big-hous...

Someone asks about the plan helping with, well, everything: schools, transit, etc. Sherrill starts with schools: To stop the enrollment drop and support public schools, we need to build more housing. (He also stumps for voting for higher taxes on the ballot next year to support @sfmta.bsky.social.)

Ah yes - cars. Rachael Tanner takes over for this question. She says builders can still add parking. The difference now is that the city doesn't *require* parking. Some people clap. Some people boo.

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now more talk about "walls of buildings" blocking people views

Sherrill adds: SB 79 is just another example of complications that the state brings in. He's staying very much on message: Passing this plan will keep the state off our backs. It's a hard choice but it's an important one.

A ‘Hard-Won Victory’ for More Housing Near Transit. Will SF See Shovels Hit the Dirt? Recent California and San Francisco bills have stoked plenty of passion but not much construction.

Next Q is about SB 79 and the "exception" - if a city submits an alternative plan to SB 79's upzoning around transit, it doesn't have to follow SB 79 rules. Sherrill says certain areas, especially around @caltrain.com, might work as exception. thefrisc.com/a-hard-won-v...

Next comment is a reference to the Engardio recall and a veiled threat about "supervisors who don't listen." Sherrill responds: Listening to people doesn't mean doing exactly what everyone wants.

Building More Homes Makes Housing More Affordable. Evidence Grows Stronger Each Year Research across the U.S. shows that the age-old rule of supply and demand applies, despite some denials. But that doesn’t mean anything goes.

Some background: there's more and more evidence from across the country that building more housing at all income levels can affect prices. Supply and demand works for housing, although there are many skeptics. thefrisc.com/building-mor...

Next question gets into the weeds on inclusionary housing. Sherrill says it highlights his biggest concern: we're not guaranteeing affordability. But "this is a step in the right direction."

She also asks: Why is D2 being "targeted" with others having so much open space? Sherrill agrees to some extent - some nabes would do well with more "economic opportunity" - then notes that the blueprint focuses on making richer neighborhoods build their fare share (we're paraphrasing here)

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A moment of levity: after someone asks if the state can "veto" SF's plan, someone's dog barks and the crowd applauds

Next commenter: we're upzoning for 800K units. (Off by a factor of 10.) She also says let's think less about people who want to move here and more about people who live here now. Sherrill notes many service workers (and firefighters, everyone loves firefighters) can't afford to live here

Sherrill: We'd like more requirements for affordability, but he also realizes that the higher the req's, the harder to build anything. "We need to be serious about new mechanisms to fund affordable housing." Sherrill emphasizes that it's just as expensive to build aff housing as market-rate housing

Next up: a pro-upzoning comment and question how to add incentives to encourage more affordable housing through the inclusionary system.

Sherrill responds: the state density bonus laws probably already allow those kinds of heights in that area, although he's not 100% sure. (Not his district.) The Family Zoning Plan could also allow those heights, but with more sophisticated and sensitive design standards.

Fisherman’s Wharf Is SF’s Top Tourist Draw. More Locals Could Soon Make It Their Home Sea lions, souvenirs… and 8-story apartments? How a big housing plan might run into equity concerns and neighbors who don't like the view.

We have a story about that area of town and potential height increases thefrisc.com/fishermans-w...

We're now on to public comment and Qs. Per our typical practice, we won't record every single one, but note themes and highlights. First: a complaint about "80 foot towers" along the northeast waterfront blocking views -- like his from Russian Hill

In case you missed the flyer earlier, here's the list of properties

He's now going through a bunch of buildings, including St. Marys -- a rarer example of modern architecture that might deserve a landmarking. (AKA Our Lady of Maytag.)

Westhoff notes that some of the 25 properties ID'd have significant ties to SF's Black community.

Time for Alex Westhoff, @sfplanning.bsky.social preservation specialist. Slight correction of something we mentioned earlier: he notes that a landmarked building can still be altered. He shows a few projects, like 178 Townsend, that have gotten significant overhauls.

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These slides have triggered the first negative reaction of the night from the crowd. Someone is hissing. Or maybe someone's hose has sprung a leak.

Tanner shows a few slides with renderings of what buildings might look like. It's a subtle counter to the frequent NIMBY images of giant white boxes plopped into the middle of neighborhoods like UFO landings --> www.neighborhoodsunitedsf.org?pgid=ltrrcz1...

Van Ness Is ‘In Crisis.’ Revival Plans Hinge On Housing Towers and Chain Stores This main SF thoroughfare once had grand houses and auto palaces. Now there’s a great bus line, but empty storefronts. Can it again be a place to live and linger?

True high rise heights comprise about 7% of the plan, says Tanner. Van Ness is one of these corridors. thefrisc.com/van-ness-is-...

Up to 65 and 85 feet: along many transit and commercial corridors, such as Taraval, Noriega, Judah in the Sunset.

Tanner: The vast majority of the plan has "gentle density." No height increases, but more units allowed within "the skin" of the parcel. It's everywhere where the map shows grayish blocks. (A lot of them). No using the state density bonus to go up in these blocks.

She's going thru slides about the Family Zoning Plan. We won't go slide by slide here. She starts with basics: What is zoning? Next is the map. Orange and yellow is the "mid rise" height, allowing up to 65 and 85 feet -- 6 and 8 stories, basically. Follow along here: sfplanning.org/sites/defaul...