Mayor Lurie Introduces Family Zoning Legislation to Make City Affordable for Generations of San Franciscans

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today introduced a wide-ranging legislative package as part of his Family Zoning plan to ensure future generations of San Franciscans can afford to raise their children in the city. In unlocking the potential for new housing for families and workers, the plan will modernize parts of the Planning Code that date back more than 50 years. The plan strengthens San Francisco neighborhoods by updating laws to protect existing tenants, support small businesses, and welcome new neighbors through small and midsize housing in areas of the city that have seen little housing production.

Mayor Lurie has taken bold steps to make San Francisco more affordable and build housing. Just last week, he moved to create housing for victims of domestic violence and families that have experienced trauma, and broke ground on two new affordable housing developments for low-income families and low-income educators. He has also taken action to ease the permitting process, cutting red tape for homeowners and small business owners through his PermitSF initiative. The mayor has also encouraged the creation of new housing and foster a 24/7 neighborhood downtown—signing legislation to facilitate conversions of empty offices into much-needed homes, cosponsoring legislation that unanimously passed the Board of Supervisors to unlock potential for more housing downtown, and inviting proposals for affordable housing in the East Cut.

“Too many San Francisco parents are asking whether they can afford to raise their kids here, and too many young people are wondering if they’ll be able to stay in the city they call home,” said Mayor Lurie. “This legislation will help us create the kind of neighborhoods we all want—safe, walkable communities, with small businesses on the corners and parks down the block. Our Family Zoning plan makes room for housing for families near transit, schools, and jobs and gives our city more control, more flexibility, and more tools to get affordable housing built faster.” 

State law requires San Francisco and cities across California to undertake rezoning processes that will facilitate the creation of new housing. Mayor Lurie’s legislation allows the city to control its own destiny by meeting state thresholds while directing and shaping growth in ways that preserve San Francisco's unique neighborhoods. By satisfying state requirements, San Francisco can keep control of zoning powers at the local level and retain essential funding for transit and affordable housing.

The legislation includes base zoning changes and establishes Housing Choice San Francisco, a new local housing bonus program. An optional alternative to the state’s density bonus program, the local housing bonus program also creates opportunities for growth consistent with core city policy goals and design standards, while adhering to state requirements.

Key provisions of the family zoning plan include:

• Updated height and bulk zoning rules to support more housing and a wider range of building types
• New policies to encourage the creation of housing near public transit, including changes to parking and density standards
• A new zoning district that supports housing and small business near transit
• Greater adaptability through the local housing bonus program for projects to meet affordable housing requirements through a variety of methods, such as on-site affordable housing, paying an affordable housing fee, dedicating land or units off-site, or providing 100% rent-controlled buildings
• Simplified processes for impacted businesses seeking to relocate
• Design standards to promote high-quality architecture
• Maintained tenant protections

“This rezoning legislation is a key step toward meeting our state housing goals. We are laying the foundation for small and midsize housing projects in areas of the city where we have seen little housing production, allowing us to welcome new residents while supporting long-term tenants and small businesses,” said Sarah Dennis Philips, Director of San Francisco Planning Department. “The mayor’s Family Zoning plan effectively balances the preservation of our city's character with the necessary flexibility to ensure San Franciscans across all income levels can continue to call this great city home.” 

“The Family Zoning plan is an ambitious and balanced approach that will help facilitate thriving, mixed-income communities citywide,” said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. “By expanding opportunities for new rent-controlled housing and encouraging housing near transit, we’re reflecting our San Francisco values and building a bright future for generations to come”

“We have to build over 80,000 units to meet our housing goals, but outdated height limits make it difficult to create the dense housing necessary for families, young people, and seniors to live in San Francisco,” said District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood. “This Family Zoning proposal will help us build housing where we need it most, especially in neighborhoods that would benefit from more density.”

“San Francisco's Family Zoning plan is a concrete step to finally taking our city's crushing housing crisis seriously,” said District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter. “As a new dad raising a young family in our city, I believe that we have a responsibility to build more homes to allow everyone to afford to live, thrive, and contribute to our special city.”

“We’re proud to support the mayor’s rezoning plan as a bold and necessary step toward a more accessible and inclusive San Francisco,” said Brianna Morales, Housing Action Coalition Community Organizer. “The proposal reflects the urgent need for San Francisco to embrace growth, and it lays out a clear vision for how the city can create more housing opportunities for families, workers, and the next generation of San Francisco residents. We appreciate the mayor’s team and the Planning Department for introducing a smart, rational plan, and we look forward to continuing to work with the city to turn this vision into reality.”

“YIMBY Action applauds Mayor Lurie for pursuing an ambitious plan to allow more homes of all types throughout San Francisco, especially in the parts that have traditionally not made it as easy to build new homes,” said Jane Natoli, Organizing Director of YIMBY Action. “We strongly believe in giving families and workers more housing options in amenity-rich neighborhoods across the city, and this plan is a great step in the right direction. We have a huge opportunity to make San Francisco a more family friendly and livable city because of this legislation.”

“Public transit thrives with more riders, neighborhood small business thrives with more neighbors, and local public schools thrive with more kids. Transforming the zoning in our Western and Northern neighborhoods is the first step to building apartments in all corners of the city to lower housing prices and open up our incredible neighborhoods to renters, seniors, and young people seeking a steady future here,” said Annie Fryman, San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) Director of Special Projects. “SPUR has long supported new apartments and density in all neighborhoods. We are thrilled to support San Francisco’s step toward the future our city and region deserves.”

In addition to the rezoning legislative package, the Planning Department will work with the Mayor’s Office and Board of Supervisors over the coming months to advance additional legislation and strategies to address residential tenant protections, small business support, identifying sites for affordable housing, and infrastructure planning, among other topics. These changes reflect the city’s commitment to meeting housing goals with sustainability and urgency, while expanding access to opportunity for current and future San Franciscans.