Mayor Lurie Takes Major Step in San Francisco's Comeback, Appoints New Leaders to Key Economic Development Positions

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today marked a major milestone in San Francisco’s recovery, naming a new leadership team to critical economic development roles. To implement his vision for the city’s comeback, Mayor Lurie is appointing Sarah Dennis Phillips as director of the San Francisco Planning Department, Anne Taupier as executive director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD), and Elizabeth (Liz) Watty to lead the multi-agency PermitSF initiative. In decades of combined city service and nonprofit and private sector experience, these three leaders have driven critical work to lay the groundwork for a thriving city for future generations of San Franciscans.

The new economic development team will help implement Mayor Lurie’s vision for San Francisco’s economic recovery by cutting red tape, supporting small businesses, adding housing, and revitalizing downtown. The mayor’s Family Zoning proposal will help ensure the next generation of San Franciscans can raise their kids in the city, and just today, he broke ground on two new affordable housing projects. Last month, the mayor delivered on key pieces of his PermitSF initiative, announcing legislation to cut red tape and drive economic recovery for business owners and residents. He has moved to encourage the creation of new housing and foster a 24/7 neighborhood downtown—signing legislation to facilitate conversions of empty offices into much-needed homes and inviting proposals for affordable housing in the East Cut while establishing entertainment zones across the city to create vibrant communities in every neighborhood.

“Sarah Dennis Phillips, Anne Taupier, and Liz Watty have served our city for decades, and they have the leadership, experience, and track record to drive our city's economic recovery," said Mayor Lurie. "Throughout their years as leaders at Planning, OEWD, and in the nonprofit space and private sector, Sarah, Anne, and Liz have helped generate billions of dollars in economic activity, create thousands of new homes across the city, open small businesses in every neighborhood, and support major initiatives downtown. I’m thrilled to continue working with each of them in their new roles to cut red tape, revitalize downtown, and drive San Francisco’s comeback.”

“I am honored to be tapped by Mayor Lurie to support his vision for San Francisco and direct the Planning Department in accelerating housing development across income bands through his Family Zoning plan, unlocking pipeline projects, and incentivizing adaptive reuse of commercial properties,” said Sarah Dennis Phillips, incoming Director of Planning. “It has been an incredible privilege to lead the Office of Economic and Workforce Development these past two years. Our team has worked tirelessly to lay the foundations of our economic recovery, and with new energy from emerging sectors like AI, a wave of businesses returning to downtown and investing in our neighborhood corridors, and the vibrant success of street parties and night markets, the momentum is real—and growing. I’m excited to help guide the city into its next phase of revitalization—one focused on long-term transformation, regulatory reform, and building the foundation for the kind of sustainable, inclusive innovation that defines San Francisco at its best.”

“I am beyond excited for this opportunity to expand my role helping residents and workers, our builders and businesses, thrive and grow in this great city,” said Anne Taupier, incoming Executive Director of OEWD. “I have always loved serving San Francisco, and I am honored to be appointed by Mayor Lurie to advance initiatives that streamline processes, eliminate bureaucratic barriers, and create more opportunities for the creative solutions and investments that will accelerate the revitalization of our neighborhoods and downtown.”

“As the lead of PermitSF, I am excited to fundamentally improve the City’s permitting process and bring departments together around a shared goal of making the permitting process faster, easier, and more transparent for our customers,” saidLiz Watty, Director of Current Planning at San Francisco Planning and incoming lead of PermitSF. “I look forward to leading with a spirit of collaboration, curiosity, and accountability as we continue to improve how we deliver services to San Franciscans.”

Sarah Dennis Phillips began her service to San Francisco in 2005, first at San Francisco Planning and then at OEWD as deputy director of development. After a period in the private sector with Tishman Speyer, Phillips was appointed executive director of OEWD in 2023. Under her leadership at OEWD, the office made it easier for businesses to start, stay, and grow in San Francisco, launched the Vacant to Vibrant program to fill more than 20 storefronts downtown, created the state’s first entertainment zone downtown, supported lively city events bringing vibrancy back to downtown, and advanced major zoning reforms to spur construction and create a downtown where people live, work, and play. 

Anne Taupier began her city career as an investigator for San Francisco City Attorney Louise Renne before moving to then-Mayor Gavin Newsom’s office in 2006 and then joining OEWD in 2009. In 2020, she was appointed director of development to oversee the management and entitlement of large public-private mixed-use development and housing projects on behalf of San Francisco. Taupier and her team also advance housing and development policy work on behalf of the Mayor’s Office, including legislative initiatives that remove obstacles to construct new housing and convert commercial buildings to residential uses downtown. During her tenure, she has played a critical role in advancing many key San Francisco projects, including 2013 America’s Cup, 5M, the Plumber’s Union, the Conservatory of Music, India Basin, the Flower Mart, Potrero Power Station, Balboa Reservoir, Treasure Island including Bay FC’s new training facility, Stonestown Galleria, and 3333 California Street—projects that will deliver over 30,000 new residences to the city, including more than 4,500 affordable units.

Liz Watty brings nearly two decades of experience in public service in San Francisco to her new role as lead of the PermitSF initiative, including five years as director of current planning at San Francisco Planning and already four months on the PermitSF multi-agency leadership team. Watty has extensive experience overseeing development reviews, historic preservation, code enforcement, design review, and more. Her deep relationships with the city’s development, architecture, permit consulting, and construction communities—combined with her strong track record of operational leadership—make her qualified and ready to drive forward this critical effort to streamline and modernize San Francisco’s permitting process.

“Sarah embodies the bold, visionary leadership that San Francisco needs to meet the urgency of our housing and planning challenges. We applaud the mayor’s appointment of an exceptional city leader who understands how to work in partnership with the private sector and nonprofits to deliver on community priorities,” said Sujata Srivastava, SPUR Chief Policy Officer. “Alongside the new appointments of Anne Taupier to helm OEWD and Liz Watty to lead PermitSF, San Francisco has a leadership team in place that can bring innovation and reform to tackle the city’s challenges head on.”

“Sarah’s work in the public and private sector gives her the tools to be an effective planning director. Her understanding of the policy and the underlying economics will help make sure San Francisco’s rezoning is successful and will result in more homes for all San Franciscans. She’s got a track record of managing stakeholders, finding and building consensus, and delivering results,” said Corey Smith, Housing Action Coalition Executive Director. “With Anne Taupier and Liz Watty alongside her as established leaders in the city, the future is bright. We’re excited to continue to work with her in this new role and be able to confidently say: San Francisco has a dream team.”

“After serving on the San Francisco Planning Commission for eight years, I’m confident that Sarah Dennis Phillips—with her extensive experience in both the public and private sectors—is the ideal leader for our Planning Department,” said Rodney Fong, President and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and former President of the San Francisco Planning Commission. “Our city faces unprecedented and unique opportunities for revitalization, and I’m thrilled Sarah will be leading us through this process.”

“Sarah and I came together over a decade ago with a common goal of addressing the city’s affordable housing shortage, a collaboration that helped spawn the innovative financial tools that SF HAF now uses to build and preserve needed units,” said Rebecca Foster, Housing Accelerator Fund CEO. “Her appointment is a clear sign that Mayor Lurie wants this city to speed up the delivery of housing, especially permanently affordable housing; I'm confident that will be strong thrust of Planning's work under her leadership.”

“Sarah's ability to navigate the complex economic realities facing our city has helped to guide downtown's resurgence. Her leadership at OEWD played a major role in bringing new vitality to Yerba Buena in support of our renowned arts, hospitality, and entertainment scene through innovation, collaboration, and originality,” said Scott Rowitz, Yerba Buena Partnership Executive Director. “We're excited that she will be leading the Planning Department. Her strategic thinking will benefit residents, businesses and community organizations to further improve our city's incredible collection of diverse and dynamic neighborhoods.”

“As someone who has worked with Anne in both a public and private sector perspective, I am extremely confident she is exactly the right person for this important role. Anne is uniquely adept at navigating the slew of public policy, financial and regulatory issues that must be managed to achieve meaningful progress in San Francisco,” said Michael Cohen, Former OEWD Director and Strada Founding Partner. “She has earned an impeccable reputation for hard work, integrity and problem solving inside City Hall and across the city’s business community, especially in the context of complex real estate development projects.”

“Anne Taupier showed up with a clear understanding of what the San Francisco Flower Market means—not just as an historic institution, but as a daily economic engine powered by small businesses and a blue-collar workforce. Her ability to collaborate, problem-solve, and advocate with heart reflects the very best of public service,” said Jeanne Taggart Boes, San Francisco Flower Market Executive Director. “Anne has always championed the people who keep San Francisco working, and I can’t think of a better person to lead OEWD.”

“Liz has been an overwhelmingly effective collaborator—her level of professionalism, understanding of complex issues, and her unwavering dedication to improving how the city serves its residents,” said Lev Weisbach, Weisbach Architecture and Design President. “Her leadership consistently elevates the work of those around her and reflects a deep commitment to public service. Her appointment to lead PermitSF is an outstanding choice, and AIA is excited to continue working with her to drive meaningful improvements and streamline the city’s permitting process.”