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
Multifamily Housing | Jan 31, 2019
Student housing series: Designing a home away from home in The Golden State
California asserts building code restrictions more stringently than other states, making design challenging for student housing.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 29, 2019
Here's what $41M will buy you in the OMA-designed Avery tower in SF
A glass-enclosed, full-floor, 8,482-sf penthouse will sit more than 600 feet above San Francisco's Transbay District.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 28, 2019
Luxury townhomes rise on the site of a former office park in Irvine, Calif.
KTGY Architecture + Planning designed the project.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 25, 2019
The country's most expensive home sells for $238 million
The unit comprises four stories at 220 Central Park South in Manhattan.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 22, 2019
Caoba is the first tower to open at Miami Worldcenter
Caoba was co-developed by CIM Group and Falcone Group.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 16, 2019
Micro-units: Good for the city? Good for citizens?
Thinking more holistically about housing typologies and zoning will improve our public realm.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 7, 2019
364-unit multifamily development planned near Lake Lewisville in Texas
BGO Architects is designing the project.
Multifamily Housing | Dec 18, 2018
Redesigning the intergenerational village: Innovative solutions for communities and homes of the future
Social sustainability has become a central concern in terms of its effect that spans generations.
Multifamily Housing | Dec 11, 2018
62-story luxury rental tower provides 40,000 sf of indoor and outdoor amenities in Manhattan
CetraRuddy designed the building.
