Public splits sharply over Draft 2 of San Francisco’s housing element; commission seeks more detail

The Planning Department presented Draft 2 of the 2022 Housing Element at the Jan. 27 Planning Commission meeting, framing the plan as the city’s first housing element centered on racial and social equity and as a response to sharply higher state housing targets.

Director Hillis and staff described a plan built around five goals and 15 objectives with more than 200 actions. Staff emphasized the need for interagency coordination, additional funding to implement priority actions, a racial and social equity impact analysis, and a concurrent environmental impact report (EIR). The department committed to publishing Draft 3 and the required site inventory in coming months and to provide the commission more detailed materials before subsequent hearings.

Public comment ran for hours and split largely along two lines. Community organizations in the Race and Equity in All Planning (REP) Coalition, CARE CLT, United to Save the Mission and other coalitions urged the commission to strengthen the plan’s binding measures: they asked for more explicit public investment in permanently affordable housing, stronger anti‑displacement metrics and actions, expanded resident control and community‑led reparative strategies, and at least three weeks for community review of Draft 3.

Housing advocates and YIMBY organizations urged robust upzoning — particularly on the West Side — to meet RHNA requirements, to accelerate permitting (objective standards and streamlining) and to ensure the city is compliant with state law and avoids state intervention. Multiple speakers pressed for strong tenant protections (objective demolition controls, anti‑displacement investments) to accompany any upzoning.

Commissioners thanked staff for the work and asked for further specificity: concrete steps and timelines for funding (how to convert advocacy asks into projected revenues), an explicit site inventory meeting HCD requirements, and proposals to reduce entitlement timelines so approved projects are more likely to be built. Staff said they were working with HCD and will release the site inventory with Draft 3, will scope the racial/social equity impact analysis, and will coordinate with implementation agencies including the Mayor’s Office for Housing and Community Development and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing.

Next steps: staff committed to a two‑week review period for the next draft (and to attempt a longer public review), release of the site inventory and draft EIR schedule, and ongoing targeted outreach. The commission did not take a final vote on the housing element at this hearing.