Committee advances special-use district to prioritize family housing over new SROs in Chinatown and Tenderloin

The Land Use & Transportation Committee on June 6 advanced an ordinance to create a group housing special-use district (SUD) in Chinatown and the Tenderloin intended to prioritize family-sized housing over new market-rate group housing (SRO-style developments). Committee members described the measure as a tool for “density equity” to direct housing growth toward permanent family units that serve existing low-income residents.

Supervisor Eric Peskin and other sponsors acknowledged that city attorney guidance does not view the SUD as a downzoning but said the SUD will target outcomes so upzoning benefits are distributed equitably across neighborhoods. Dozens of remote callers and representatives — including the Chinatown Community Development Center, Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, Tenderloin People’s Congress, Race & Equity in All Planning coalition and multiple tenants and SRO residents — provided testimony during the remote queue. Callers described overcrowded family use of SROs, children forced to study on beds, and urged that new group housing not further displace families; community planners asked for systematic reporting on who benefits from upzoning.

Supervisor Peskin moved to forward the ordinance to the full Board with a positive recommendation; the committee recorded Peskin, Preston and Melgar voting aye and advanced the item. Sponsors and many advocates asked that the ordinance be paired with other measures (fourplex/multiplex legislation) and recommended continued monitoring via equity reporting.