San Francisco voters recently approved a ballot measure that will require residential developments of 25 units or more to include 25% affordable units, up from the current requirement of 12%.
Proponents of the new law are hoping it will be a step forward in the effort to provide enough affordable housing in a city with some of the highest home prices and rents in the country. A grandfathering provision allows developers with completed applications to take advantage of a lower requirement depending on the date applications were approved.
Critics charged that the measure will actually reduce affordable housing because the costs of compliance would be too high to make larger projects financially possible, and developers would now focus on projects with less than 25 units. A recent San Francisco Bay Area Council survey determined that more than 33% of the Bay Area's residents are considering leaving the area due to housing costs, lengthy commuting times and the increasing cost of living.
Related Stories
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | Jan 17, 2024
Waterproofing deep foundations for new construction
This continuing education course, by Walter P Moore's Amos Chan, P.E., BECxP, CxA+BE, covers design considerations for below-grade waterproofing for new construction, the types of below-grade systems available, and specific concerns associated with waterproofing deep foundations.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 15, 2024
Multifamily rent growth rate unchanged at 0.3%
The National Multifamily Report by Yardi Matrix highlights the highs and lows of the multifamily market in 2023. Despite strong demand, rent growth remained unchanged at 0.3 percent.
Adaptive Reuse | Jan 12, 2024
Office-to-residential conversions put pressure on curbside management and parking
With many office and commercial buildings being converted to residential use, two important issues—curbside management and parking—are sometimes not given their due attention. Cities need to assess how vehicle storage, bike and bus lanes, and drop-off zones in front of buildings may need to change because of office-to-residential conversions.
MFPRO+ News | Jan 12, 2024
Detroit may tax land more than buildings to spur development of vacant sites
The City of Detroit is considering a revamp of how it taxes property to encourage development of more vacant lots. The land-value tax has rarely been tried in the U.S., but versions of it have been adopted in many other countries.
MFPRO+ News | Jan 12, 2024
As demand rises for EV chargers at multifamily housing properties, options and incentives multiply
As electric vehicle sales continue to increase, more renters are looking for apartments that offer charging options.
Sustainability | Jan 10, 2024
New passive house partnership allows lower cost financing for developers
The new partnership between PACE Equity and Phius allows commercial passive house projects to be automatically eligible for CIRRUS Low Carbon financing.
Giants 400 | Jan 8, 2024
Top 60 Senior Living Facility Construction Firms for 2023
Whiting-Turner, Ryan Companies US, Weis Builders, Suffolk Construction, and W.E. O'Neil Construction top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest senior living facility general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Jan 8, 2024
Top 40 Senior Living Facility Engineering Firms for 2023
Kimley-Horn, Olsson, Tetra Tech, EXP, and IMEG head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest senior living facility engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Jan 8, 2024
Top 80 Senior Living Facility Architecture Firms for 2023
Perkins Eastman, Hord Coplan Macht, Lantz-Boggio Architects, Ryan Companies US, and Moseley Architects top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest senior living facility architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
MFPRO+ News | Jan 8, 2024
Canada turns to 1940s strategy to speed up housing construction
To address a severe housing shortage, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration has begun a housing construction strategy pioneered in the years after World War 2. The government aims to use a catalog of pre-approved home designs to reduce the cost and time to construct homes.
