Encourage development of housing that serves a variety of household types.

 

It is important that new housing developments accommodate a variety of household types, including families, seniors living independently, younger individuals or couples, and multi-generational households. We have been working with the Planning Department as they developed a local Affordable Housing Density Bonus Program, which provides additional incentives for developers to create a better mix of units to serve a variety of communities.

 

The Affordable Housing Density Bonus Program still requires local legislative approval. However, the details of the program were released in July 2015. The program is designed to: incentivize greater levels of onsite affordable units; improve feasibility of underutilized sites; better serve middle-income households; and facilitate the entitlement of 100 percent affordable housing projects.

 

Developers can decide to opt into a state program that provides them density bonuses when certain requirements are met, such as a certain percentage of inclusionary housing and housing offered for households of certain income levels. If adopted, the new local version of the program would serve as a second option for developers. In addition to requiring a certain percentage of inclusionary housing, there are new requirements for developing a certain percentage of housing for middle income families, as well as serving an additional population based on household income levels. If these requirements are achieved, developers would be able to build additional units based on density bonus incentives.

 

Typically, density, height, and environmental review are constraints to development. This local Affordable Housing Density Bonus Program seeks to eliminate those barriers. Our office will be supporting this program, especially given that the Planning Department also developed a Local Small Sites Program as part of this effort for buildings with less than 10 units. Generally, the Sunset District is comprised of opportunity sites that are much smaller compared to the rest of the city. Thus, offering an incentive program for development on smaller sites is important. Our office will continue to work with the Planning Department to inform community members about this new local program with hopes that this will result in additional affordable housing units that serve a better variety of households in our district. 

 

The Affordable Housing Density Bonus Program will be introduced in Fall 2015, and the Planning Department hopes to have the program adopted before the end of 2015. For updates on the Affordable Housing Density Bonus Program, please visit the Planning Department's website at: www.sfplanning.org