I have no problem with this point of view. Highrises will likely ruin the beauty and quaintness of some of SF's neighborhoods in an irrevertable way. There's al

I have no problem with this point of view. Highrises will likely ruin the beauty and quaintness of some of SF's neighborhoods in an irrevertable way. There's also zero chance that average rental prices would go down in the short term, if ever: the market is too lucrative and there are plenty of rich people to fill all available slots. On the other hand, if there's little new development, maybe people would finally leave SF alone after a while and go somewhere else. (Or if the tech bubble bursts again.) I think what these people mean is not that SF belongs to the rich, but that arrogant startup kids have no right to reshape a city that's been theirs for decades, just because said kids really, really want to live there. I've been to many cities around the world that are practically defined by their lovely architecture, their comfortable streets, and their astounding views. Were I living in one of those cities during a tech boom, I would fight tooth and nail to prevent ugly highrises from taking over the skyline. There's no ethical mandate to permanently keep growing. (Caveat: I don't actually like SF all that much, but I totally understand where this mindset comes from.)