3 ms·

#1 can be tricky in SF. If you mix affordable and market rate housing in the same development, there are still "luxury" amenities in the building. The HOA fee

#1 can be tricky in SF. If you mix affordable and market rate housing in the same development, there are still "luxury" amenities in the building. The HOA fees are not capped by law and with special assessment fees could possibly exceed a BMR mortgage payment. I'm not familiar with the configuration of all-BMR developments, but I assume there are HOA fees for those as well. This situation can make affordable housing unaffordable. In SF there's no reasonable way to stabilize (let alone bring down) home prices without less restrictive zoning.

pmart123 7y ago
I remember in my control engineering classes, my professor would say that the worst buildings to construct in a high earthquake risk area are midrises (~18 stories). I'm not an expert on this matter, but if this is correct, San Francisco has a natural challenge to housing that NYC doesn't have. Building tall is expensive, and building low doesn't create optimal density.
kjdndisneinj 7y ago
That's a pretty simple regulatory change to cap HOA fees as a percentage of rent for affordable units though. Obviously the developers will fight this, and the rich tenants will never exercise or swim near poor people, but conceptually it's easy enough to solve.
- kradroy 7y ago
  Nothing regulation related in SF is "simple". They've known about this issue for years. There are stories every year in the papers about low income individuals and families being squeezed by HOA fees in their "affordable" dwelling. It hasn't been changed. Remember - this is a city where a majority of the population voted to tax business hundreds of millions of dollars to combat homelessness while in the nearly the same breath has protested against building a temporary homeless shelter. I just hope that in 5 years Captain Sisko is able to time travel back to SF ensure the Bell Riots take place. That's the only way homelessness will end in the Bay Area.

pmart123 7y ago

I remember in my control engineering classes, my professor would say that the worst buildings to construct in a high earthquake risk area are midrises (~18 stories). I'm not an expert on this matter, but if this is correct, San Francisco has a natural challenge to housing that NYC doesn't have. Building tall is expensive, and building low doesn't create optimal density.

kjdndisneinj 7y ago

That's a pretty simple regulatory change to cap HOA fees as a percentage of rent for affordable units though. Obviously the developers will fight this, and the rich tenants will never exercise or swim near poor people, but conceptually it's easy enough to solve.

kradroy 7y ago
Nothing regulation related in SF is "simple". They've known about this issue for years. There are stories every year in the papers about low income individuals and families being squeezed by HOA fees in their "affordable" dwelling. It hasn't been changed. Remember - this is a city where a majority of the population voted to tax business hundreds of millions of dollars to combat homelessness while in the nearly the same breath has protested against building a temporary homeless shelter. I just hope that in 5 years Captain Sisko is able to time travel back to SF ensure the Bell Riots take place. That's the only way homelessness will end in the Bay Area.