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Not only is this rank NIMBYism par for the course throughout the *entire* city, but it is enabled constantly by San Francisco's Board of Supes unwillingness to reform the entitlement process for building housing
Let's break this infuriating letter down, bullet point by point. https://twitter.com/SFCitizen/status/1350506905228120064
Let's break this infuriating letter down, bullet point by point. https://twitter.com/SFCitizen/status/1350506905228120064
First, what is the actual proposal?
It's a proposed subsidized housing development. The apartment building, built by @TNDC (a nonprofit that mostly operates out of the Tenderloin but has buildings EVERYWHERE) would offer rents pegged based on incomes: https://www.tndc.org/property/2550-irving
It's a proposed subsidized housing development. The apartment building, built by @TNDC (a nonprofit that mostly operates out of the Tenderloin but has buildings EVERYWHERE) would offer rents pegged based on incomes: https://www.tndc.org/property/2550-irving
It adds badly needed subsidized housing (subsidies come from a mix of sources, but predominantly these are funded by local SF dollars + CA dollars + federal LIHTC dollars) to one of the most exclusionary neighborhoods, the Sunset District, where apartments are banned
Again, this proposal has barely begun going through the "process" for approvals...and yet, considering that all of the money is mostly coming from governments, and the government CONTROLS THE APPROVAL PROCESS you'd think we would establish some kind of ministerial process here...
...but nope, we're going to take the precious tax dollars we've set aside for housing proposals like this and burn them, slowly...on a series of community meetings aimed at trying to mollify neighborhood opposition...
Well, we see how well that's going right out of the gate...
Well, we see how well that's going right out of the gate...
So, to the first point:
"Inappropriate Location - This is a family oriented location, and this apartment building is oversized and does not fit within the community"
Lol...guess what's diagonally across the street from 2550 Irving...A BIG APARTMENT BUILDING
"Inappropriate Location - This is a family oriented location, and this apartment building is oversized and does not fit within the community"
Lol...guess what's diagonally across the street from 2550 Irving...A BIG APARTMENT BUILDING
Also, I take objection to the notion that apartments / multi-family housing isn't for families. It's completely bunk.
Hundreds of thousands of families in San Francisco live in apartment & condo buildings. Are they not families? Do they not deserve somewhere to live?
Hundreds of thousands of families in San Francisco live in apartment & condo buildings. Are they not families? Do they not deserve somewhere to live?
Second point:
"Parking Problem - This building will only provide 11 parking spaces for up to 300 renters, this will create more parking issues"
First off, the proposed apartment is ONE BLOCK AWAY from a highly valued, highly utilized light rail line!
https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/pdf_map/2019/06/sfmta-metro-06.12.2019-web.pdf
"Parking Problem - This building will only provide 11 parking spaces for up to 300 renters, this will create more parking issues"
First off, the proposed apartment is ONE BLOCK AWAY from a highly valued, highly utilized light rail line!
https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/pdf_map/2019/06/sfmta-metro-06.12.2019-web.pdf
Secondly, this city has already passed a "climate emergency" resolution urging us to take all necessary steps to tackle climate change:
https://www.sfweekly.com/news/s-f-seeks-new-aggressive-game-plan-to-tackle-climate-change/
Advancing transit oriented development, incentivizing people to get out of their cars, that is our STATED POLICY!
https://www.sfweekly.com/news/s-f-seeks-new-aggressive-game-plan-to-tackle-climate-change/
Advancing transit oriented development, incentivizing people to get out of their cars, that is our STATED POLICY!
Frankly, Mayor @LondonBreed put it more succinctly than I think anyone else has in recent memory: https://twitter.com/HereSayMedia/status/1350135828110950400
Third point:
"Safety Concern - Increased homeless presence in the community"
This...GAH..this makes no fucking sense in the world.
"Safety Concern - Increased homeless presence in the community"
This...GAH..this makes no fucking sense in the world.
Homeless people are homeless because...THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH HOMES.
Building more homes doesn't make more people homeless, perpetuating our chronic housing shortage another 30 years makes people lose their homes:
https://projects.sfchronicle.com/sf-homeless/homeless-questions/
Building more homes doesn't make more people homeless, perpetuating our chronic housing shortage another 30 years makes people lose their homes:
https://projects.sfchronicle.com/sf-homeless/homeless-questions/
Fourth point:
"Loss of home value"
Nevermind the fact that this categorically *isn't true* "building subsidized housing near your home will not lower the value of your home...if anything, it's been proven to slightly IMPROVE the value of your home..." https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/06/a-surprising-way-to-increase-property-values/
"Loss of home value"
Nevermind the fact that this categorically *isn't true* "building subsidized housing near your home will not lower the value of your home...if anything, it's been proven to slightly IMPROVE the value of your home..." https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/06/a-surprising-way-to-increase-property-values/
But, again, why exactly should I care about preserving the values of a bunch of homes in San Francisco in the stratospheric levels of 1.5 - 1.7 million dollars?
Housing in this town is out of reach! You cannot reasonably earn a living with $50k - $90k salary and ever save enough to come REMOTELY close to getting to a place where you can put a downpayment down
Why would we want to perpetuate this nonsense?
https://www.bayareamarketreports.com/trend/3-recessions-2-bubbles-and-a-baby
Why would we want to perpetuate this nonsense?
https://www.bayareamarketreports.com/trend/3-recessions-2-bubbles-and-a-baby
So yes, you can put me in the column of "I could care less about your property values. The entire city's homelessness challenges is tied directly to your home values": https://twitter.com/IDoTheThinking/status/1349961497296818180
Point number 5:
"Congested sidewalks - There are another 135 homes proposed at 43rd & Irving and combined, both projects will bring 700+ people to the sidewalks, this is overcrowd"
"Congested sidewalks - There are another 135 homes proposed at 43rd & Irving and combined, both projects will bring 700+ people to the sidewalks, this is overcrowd"
Well, I'm not exactly a scientist or an urban planner, but not all of these people will be out an about at EXACTLY the same time every day...nevermind the fact that our sidewalks are currently congested and plagued by a different menace...people parking their cars on them:
So you want our sidewalks to be less congested? Let's charge more for parking, and take that money and plow it into sidewalk widening and traffic calming measures.
Wider sidewalks, & fewer people dying from senseless automotive killings. Seems like a win win to me.
Wider sidewalks, & fewer people dying from senseless automotive killings. Seems like a win win to me.
Point #6:
"Decreased views - This building is four times larger than a 100 years old apartment in the sunset and it will definitely block all views for many homes"
I'm sorry...views? Views of what? @fog_karla?
"Decreased views - This building is four times larger than a 100 years old apartment in the sunset and it will definitely block all views for many homes"
I'm sorry...views? Views of what? @fog_karla?
It's the SUNSET District. It's foggy half of the time, and the other half of the time your view is of other single family homes on the same block!
Also, you're not entitled to block homes for other humans just so you can have a nice view! We're in a housing shortage god dammit!
Also, you're not entitled to block homes for other humans just so you can have a nice view! We're in a housing shortage god dammit!
Point #7:
"Public Transportation Issue - Overcrowded, this creates problems and inconveniences for current seniors and children who need to rely on public transit in their daily life"
Yes, I agree, this will add more daily riders to the N Judah and the 7 bus route...
"Public Transportation Issue - Overcrowded, this creates problems and inconveniences for current seniors and children who need to rely on public transit in their daily life"
Yes, I agree, this will add more daily riders to the N Judah and the 7 bus route...
...we should address that by doubling down on our investments in @sfmta_muni and reshaping our streets to prioritize running more buses and trains *more frequently*
Gatekeeping people out of the Sunset will not solve this, investing in transit will: https://www.sfmta.com/blog/data-driven-transportation-recovery
Gatekeeping people out of the Sunset will not solve this, investing in transit will: https://www.sfmta.com/blog/data-driven-transportation-recovery
Point #8:
"No benefits for existing residents - Current Sunset residents should 100% benefit from this rental housing project, not 40% but 100% goes to current Sunset renters"
I think I hate this most of all. San Francisco is not a collection of 11 fiefdoms, we are ONE CITY
"No benefits for existing residents - Current Sunset residents should 100% benefit from this rental housing project, not 40% but 100% goes to current Sunset renters"
I think I hate this most of all. San Francisco is not a collection of 11 fiefdoms, we are ONE CITY
What happens in Chinatown affects us in Forest Hill
What happens in the Bayview affects us in the Richmond District
What happens in SOMA affects us in the Sunset District
Building homes on the westside will reduce suffering CITYWIDE
We are one city, we should act like it
What happens in the Bayview affects us in the Richmond District
What happens in SOMA affects us in the Sunset District
Building homes on the westside will reduce suffering CITYWIDE
We are one city, we should act like it
Most importantly, (and completely lost on almost everyone in the city) is that we're part of a REGION and that REGION has been underbuilding housing for decades.
What we do (or don't do) impacts people in Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, San Mateo, San Leandro, Hayward, and beyond
What we do (or don't do) impacts people in Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, San Mateo, San Leandro, Hayward, and beyond
Will 40% of the homes in this project go to people who were displaced from the Sunset and nearby neighborhoods? Yes.
That's because of a program that then Supervisor Breed fought for back in 2016:
https://missionlocal.org/2016/08/supervisor-to-meet-with-feds-over-citys-anti-displacement-plan/
Could we revisit this concept in later legislation? Sure
That's because of a program that then Supervisor Breed fought for back in 2016:
https://missionlocal.org/2016/08/supervisor-to-meet-with-feds-over-citys-anti-displacement-plan/
Could we revisit this concept in later legislation? Sure
...but does that mean we shouldn't build the badly needed housing?
HELL NO.
HELL NO.
The last point:
"Sets a bad precedent"
Oh, really? And what precedent is that? That people deserve homes and we should build them?
"Sets a bad precedent"
Oh, really? And what precedent is that? That people deserve homes and we should build them?
What exactly is the bad precedent we're setting?
That we might consider undoing the apartment ban that we've let fester in this city for 50 years?
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/demolishing-the-california-dream/
That we might consider building enough housing that our homelessness epidemic starts to wane a little bit?
That we might consider undoing the apartment ban that we've let fester in this city for 50 years?
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/demolishing-the-california-dream/
That we might consider building enough housing that our homelessness epidemic starts to wane a little bit?
The only bad precedent that we continue to reinforce is by entertaining these frivolous & broken processes, and hosting 4 dozen community meetings & several appeals to try and ameliorate a public that is resistant to any and all change https://sf.curbed.com/2013/4/17/10252934/what-the-heck-is-discretionary-review
The SF Board of Supervisors sets this bad precedent every day they refuse to act to streamline this process in the name of "community input" even though they know it leads to delays that stretch into decades: https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/SF-teacher-housing-suddenly-gains-momentum-11165409.php
The only bad precedents that I see are the ones that are created and reinforced by the SF Board of Supervisors every damn day with their unwillingness and inability to look at this process honestly:
...and conclude what every other professional and passerby knows to be true...that this process is completely broken, and it is slowly hollowing out our city from the inside out:
https://www.ebar.com/news/news//300552
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3345
https://belonging.berkeley.edu/racial-segregation-san-francisco-bay-area-part-5
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/San-Francisco-trade-unions-at-odds-over-modular-15755264.php
https://www.ebar.com/news/news//300552
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3345
https://belonging.berkeley.edu/racial-segregation-san-francisco-bay-area-part-5
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/San-Francisco-trade-unions-at-odds-over-modular-15755264.php
This flyer is a Frankenstein's monster of objections that I've heard over and over and over again since getting involved in SF's housing politics in 2015:
https://www.berkeleyside.com/2018/02/27/proposed-el-cerrito-housing-10-affordable-units-meets-opposition-locals
https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/neighbors-question-housing-development-concerns-about-height-impact-of-habitat/article_e3b2bbcb-c54e-51bd-a646-9d9bf9c8dc0e.html
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/In-a-wealthy-SF-neighborhood-residents-fight-10617213.php?t=cf3371ab15
https://hoodline.com/2017/05/neighbors-say-no-to-proposed-supportive-housing-development/ https://sf.curbed.com/2017/12/21/16806658/hanc-haight-mcdonalds-housing
https://www.berkeleyside.com/2018/02/27/proposed-el-cerrito-housing-10-affordable-units-meets-opposition-locals
https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/neighbors-question-housing-development-concerns-about-height-impact-of-habitat/article_e3b2bbcb-c54e-51bd-a646-9d9bf9c8dc0e.html
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/In-a-wealthy-SF-neighborhood-residents-fight-10617213.php?t=cf3371ab15
https://hoodline.com/2017/05/neighbors-say-no-to-proposed-supportive-housing-development/ https://sf.curbed.com/2017/12/21/16806658/hanc-haight-mcdonalds-housing
and yes, here's another slew of URLs I just keep bookmarked to demonstrate how pervasive the NIMBYism is here in the SF Bay Area and beyond:
https://www.thebaycitybeacon.com/politics/aaron-peskin-s-power-play-at-broadway/article_4b1bc49c-e09b-11e7-82f7-f79e94682791.html
https://sf.curbed.com/2016/10/6/13189882/1296-shotwell-affordable-housing-opposition
https://sf.curbed.com/2019/11/20/20974785/appeal-block-3945-judah-mike-murphy-leavitt-nimby
https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2019/04/10/sf-supervisors-folsom-russ-63-units-housing.html
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/09/26/six-story-walnut-creek-mixed-use-project-set-to-push-out-old-mcdonalds/
https://www.thebaycitybeacon.com/politics/aaron-peskin-s-power-play-at-broadway/article_4b1bc49c-e09b-11e7-82f7-f79e94682791.html
https://sf.curbed.com/2016/10/6/13189882/1296-shotwell-affordable-housing-opposition
https://sf.curbed.com/2019/11/20/20974785/appeal-block-3945-judah-mike-murphy-leavitt-nimby
https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2019/04/10/sf-supervisors-folsom-russ-63-units-housing.html
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/09/26/six-story-walnut-creek-mixed-use-project-set-to-push-out-old-mcdonalds/
I think that any elected official who bemoans this flyer has an OBLIGATION to propose legislation to reform this absolutely batty process, because San Francisco and the Bay Area cannot keep going on like this.
Something has to give:
https://www.thebaycitybeacon.com/multimedia/planning-process-cartoon-map---bad-side-of-the-bay/image_4f0e7592-c7f7-11e8-9468-5f13e7f3dc8b.html
Something has to give:
https://www.thebaycitybeacon.com/multimedia/planning-process-cartoon-map---bad-side-of-the-bay/image_4f0e7592-c7f7-11e8-9468-5f13e7f3dc8b.html
If you want to do something to change this infuriating status quo, join me at @SFyimby where we're fighting to get these proposals approved, but we're also fighting to get these LAWS reformed and to elect lawmakers like @LondonBreed @DavidChiu @Scott_Wiener and others who GET IT.
Sign up at @yimbyaction, and help out by keeping an eye out for alerts to give public comment, write letters of support, phonebank & knock on doors for pro-housing politicians & most of all, connect with a growing community of folks who say YES to housing! https://yimbyaction.org/join/
