What is the Family Zoning Plan and what happens if we don’t act?

Mayor Lurie has proposed the Family Zoning Plan to allow for more homes across San Francisco and to be in compliance with state law. San Francisco is required by the state to pass a compliant housing plan that creates zoning capacity to allow for an additional 82,000 homes. This plan is due no later than January 2026. 

If San Francisco’s plan is not certified by the state, we will lose significant state funding for affordable housing and transportation. Additionally, a mechanism called the “builder’s remedy” would kick in. The builder's remedy essentially allows any height and any form to be built anywhere with no input required from local governments or residents, resulting in skyscrapers where 40 foot height limits used to exist. In short, if we want to avoid seeing high-rises everywhere and want to retain local control, we must pass a compliant housing plan and we must do it soon. 

 

Why does District 3 need to be included in this plan?

As San Francisco faces this requirement to create more homes, I believe we can do our part to welcome more in District 3 too. I love our neighborhoods and want more people to be able to afford to live here. I believe we can do this well by allowing modest changes that enrich, not threaten, our neighborhood character and vibrancy. 

Much of District 3, including North Beach and Telegraph Hill, are part of the state’s designated Housing Opportunity Area. This indicates neighborhoods that are high-resourced with good schools, transit, services, and access to jobs but have not built much housing in the last few decades. The state requires that we concentrate our new homes in these areas to ensure we correct past harms from segregated zoning laws, inequitable planning practices, and a lack of creation of new homes in recent years. 

 

Will this result in more high-rises in District 3?

For District 3, our changes will mostly be subtle and gradual. You can view a draft zoning map here. Taller buildings would only be allowed in a small number of parcels along primary transit corridors like Van Ness Avenue and Geary Boulevard. Areas like Fisherman’s Wharf would allow 40-65” (about 4-6 stories) buildings to encourage new homes instead of parking lots and empty commercial spaces. Much of North Beach and Telegraph Hill would see no changes in height except for areas immediately on Columbus Avenue which would be allowed to go two floors higher. In summary, high-rises would continue to be prohibited in the vast majority of District 3.  

Some areas will adopt “density decontrol” which does not allow any additional height but does allow more living units within the same height limit. 

 

Will renters be protected in this plan?

Yes.

As a renter of almost 15 years in North Beach, I take your concerns about tenants very seriously. Let me be clear: renters are protected in this plan, rent control is not changed, and there are actually options to add new homes that will be under rent control. I’m proud to be a co-sponsor of Supervisor Chen’s tenant protections legislation that establishes the strongest protections possible under this housing plan. 

You can read more about some of the many protections and programs for tenants as part of this plan here. 

 

What about building demolitions?

Demolitions of housing are extremely rare in San Francisco, and we are working to keep it that way. Last year of more than 1,000 evictions, 3 were due to demolition. The year prior saw 0 evictions via demolitions. 

Any demolition would have to be approved by the Planning Commission and pass an objective set of guidelines. Any demolition would have to be approved by the Planning Commission, provide 1:1 replacement homes, allow first right of return for tenants, and provide a similar price of rent. Recent rezonings have shown that most new homes come via empty parcels or commercial sites, lessening pressure on existing homes. Paired with robust tenant protections (detailed above) the possibility of residential demolitions will continue to be extremely low. 

 

Will the Family Zoning Plan result in more affordable homes?

Yes. 

Affordability and new homes for families are top of mind as we shape this plan. There is a requirement for more 2 & 3 bedroom units to support families as they grow. The plan also calls for nearly 20,000 new homes for lower-income households.

 

Will the Family Zoning Plan result in more rent controlled homes?

Yes.

The Family Zoning Plan will add more rent controlled homes because it allows affordable housing requirements to be met through providing rent-controlled units in addition to the more standard options of on-site units or housing funds. This approach will help rent controlled units be added to areas of our city that have not seen a significant increase of rent control in decades.

 

How will small businesses be impacted?

I’ve started two small businesses in North Beach and have worked extensively to pass legislation that makes it easier for small businesses to open and grow. That’s why I’m co-sponsoring Supervisor Melgar’s legislation that will expand our support and protections for small businesses as part of this zoning plan. We expect impacts to small businesses to be minimal since demolitions are so rare but we want to be ready to support any small businesses impacted by new developments. This legislation includes a small business support fund, resources for possible relocations, incentives for building out new spaces for small businesses, and more. 

 

Why don’t we just build the pipeline of housing that has already been approved?

The Housing Element does give credit for San Francisco’s pipeline of housing that is already planned. 

While the overall requirement is 82,000 new homes, we are given credit for some 58,000 homes expected to be built under current conditions, including some in the pipeline. This leaves San Francisco with a requirement to adopt zoning changes to allow for the development of the remaining 32,600 homes.

 

Why are we building new housing with all our vacant units?

San Francisco’s current vacancy rate sits around 6% which is actually below the national vacancy rate. I welcome all efforts to return vacant units to the market to be rented again and have supported past ballot measures to encourage this. However, only a small portion of vacant units are truly sitting empty: most are either for rent or under renovation, so there are not enough units available to satisfy our housing goals. 

 

What has the process to gather community feedback been?

Community outreach has been conducted over the past two years. The Planning Department has held a number of workshops and presentations across the city, and we’ve had our own town halls, working groups, and many 1:1 conversations. Notifications have been sent by mail to all households in areas that would see any zoning changes. 

 

How can I get involved and make my voice heard?

We will continue to listen to feedback so that we can improve this plan before its deadline to be adopted (January 2026). Please feel free to share feedback with our office by email (SauterStaff@sfgov.org) or join upcoming community workshops and meetings.

You can find more information on the Family Zoning Plan, including maps and documents, on the Planning Department's website here.