Planning staff outlines schedule, HCD concerns and next steps for San Francisco housing element update

Planning Department staff gave the Planning Commission an update on the 2022 housing element on Sept. 29, saying the department has amended the schedule to accommodate detailed technical comments from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and to strengthen the implementation program that will match policies to funding and timelines.

Shelly, representing the housing element team, said the element is the city’s first housing plan centered on racial and social equity and stressed that the mandatory rezoning program will be “a centerpiece of the implementation program” to create capacity for the eight‑year housing targets. She told commissioners the draft has not been rejected by the state and that staff are working closely with HCD to resolve questions about the sites inventory, constraints analysis and certainty in the approval process.

Community groups and housing advocates filled the public comment period. Speakers from the Race and Equity in All Planning Coalition, Council of Community Housing Organizations and other tenant and neighborhood organizations urged the city to prioritize truly affordable, 100% affordable housing and land‑banking for affordable projects rather than relying primarily on market‑rate production. Charlie Shumas of the Council of Community Housing Organizations said the city’s affordable production “will empirically never achieve” the level needed without new resources and strategies.

Commissioners asked detailed procedural questions about HCD’s review, the so‑called regional “grace period” and the short public review windows for subsequent drafts. Staff said the first submittal had a 30‑day review period but subsequent iterative submittals will be published with seven‑day formal comment periods while staff and HCD continue an ongoing back‑and‑forth. Shelly told the commission the goal is to reach an agreement with HCD before the Planning Commission adopts so that adoption will not jeopardize certification.

On timing, staff said the department expects to publish a revised draft for public review in early October, return to the Planning Commission in November with content and a draft implementation program, share initial state feedback in mid‑December, initiate formal adoption and EIR certification in mid‑January and adopt the element in mid‑February — which would trigger Board of Supervisors actions through early May. Staff noted HCD’s concerns focus largely on technical analyses and implementation certainty; if certified by May 31 the city would have three years to complete mandatory rezoning required by state law.

The commission and callers pressed staff on how the city will secure funding and land for the large affordable housing targets embedded in the element and asked for additional transparency and opportunities for robust community engagement while the technical reviews proceed. Commissioners suggested follow‑up workshops on bold financing options, land banking and interagency implementation.

Next steps: staff said the second draft will be released for public review the week after the hearing and that the commission will receive the implementation program and revised analysis in November. The department emphasized it will continue community outreach and iterative work with HCD to preserve eligibility for state affordable housing and transportation funds.