4 ms·

I can't speak for the Bay Area, but SF Mayor Lee used to work in the planning department and has eased restrictions quite a bit from previous times. He's also g

by clsec 12y ago

I can't speak for the Bay Area, but SF Mayor Lee used to work in the planning department and has eased restrictions quite a bit from previous times. He's also got connections to bring in developers and money to work within the restrictions that currently exist.

jseliger 12y ago
has eased restrictions quite a bit That's great news—SF has been the least affordable city in the country for a couple years: http://www.citylab.com/housing/2013/10/san-francisco-exodus/7205/ http://www.citylab.com/housing/2013/10/san-francisco-exodus/... , and for years I've been reading articles from people who say they a) hate high housing costs but b) also hate any new buildings. Which is amazing, because it's like saying, "I hate that supply and demand function!" The solution to rising prices in the face of rising demand and constant supply is simple: build more, per Yglesias in The Rent is Too Damn High (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0078XGJXO http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0078XGJXO). That Lee is now doing so, on at least some level, is great!
- clsec 12y ago
  Long time San Franciscans tend to like their space and (historic) views, both of which are lost with more high rises. Ed Lee, as was the case with Willie Brown, doesn't seem to care for those things. Which in turn angers long time residents. As well, this boom and bust cycle (previous dcom era) fueled by outsiders makes it hard to live here for people who wish to make it their long-term or permanent home. The influx, transitions and seeming carelessness for our city & it's people can be very hard on families who have lived here for generations. This is why articles like this are written for multiple generations, as seen by some of the replies to the OP.
noisepunk 12y ago
Developers are also getting around the affordable housing requirement by paying money into the affordable housing fund. That way they are not actually required to make a certain percentage of there housing developments affordable.
spikels 12y ago
I've dealt with SF Planning several times in the last few years. With one exception (existing illegal units) planning restrictions have only gotten worse. For example development along the Embarcadero has been banned by ballot measure. Meanwhile the key rules continue to steadily tightened with things like the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan. And it's not just the rules but the slowness of the process that makes it so painful and costly. And that's just SF Planning. Numerous other SF Gov created problems also make development incredibly slow and costly. I'll just quickly list a few examples: SF Bulding Code does not permit plastic drain pipe; anyone can easily demand a hearing on an already issued building permit; SF Water charges $9000 for a new water meter; and rent control laws are strict and constantly changing. All of these are as strict or stricter in SF than almost anywhere in the US. The reason for the jump in building is that office and apartment rents have become so ridiculously high it now makes sense to build in the few remaining sites despite all the costs. Even these projects had to go through tortuous approval process, such as the Transbay Transit District, and unbelievably many projects started back in the last tech boom! The building boom will likely grind to a halt in a few years as builders run out of sites. Rant over. SF is a great place but this is in spite of it's crappy local government that has literally created many of its problems.

by clsec 12y ago

jseliger 12y ago

has eased restrictions quite a bit That's great news—SF has been the least affordable city in the country for a couple years: http://www.citylab.com/housing/2013/10/san-francisco-exodus/7205/ http://www.citylab.com/housing/2013/10/san-francisco-exodus/... , and for years I've been reading articles from people who say they a) hate high housing costs but b) also hate any new buildings. Which is amazing, because it's like saying, "I hate that supply and demand function!" The solution to rising prices in the face of rising demand and constant supply is simple: build more, per Yglesias in The Rent is Too Damn High (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0078XGJXO http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0078XGJXO). That Lee is now doing so, on at least some level, is great!

clsec 12y ago
Long time San Franciscans tend to like their space and (historic) views, both of which are lost with more high rises. Ed Lee, as was the case with Willie Brown, doesn't seem to care for those things. Which in turn angers long time residents. As well, this boom and bust cycle (previous dcom era) fueled by outsiders makes it hard to live here for people who wish to make it their long-term or permanent home. The influx, transitions and seeming carelessness for our city & it's people can be very hard on families who have lived here for generations. This is why articles like this are written for multiple generations, as seen by some of the replies to the OP.

noisepunk 12y ago

Developers are also getting around the affordable housing requirement by paying money into the affordable housing fund. That way they are not actually required to make a certain percentage of there housing developments affordable.

spikels 12y ago

I've dealt with SF Planning several times in the last few years. With one exception (existing illegal units) planning restrictions have only gotten worse. For example development along the Embarcadero has been banned by ballot measure. Meanwhile the key rules continue to steadily tightened with things like the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan. And it's not just the rules but the slowness of the process that makes it so painful and costly. And that's just SF Planning. Numerous other SF Gov created problems also make development incredibly slow and costly. I'll just quickly list a few examples: SF Bulding Code does not permit plastic drain pipe; anyone can easily demand a hearing on an already issued building permit; SF Water charges $9000 for a new water meter; and rent control laws are strict and constantly changing. All of these are as strict or stricter in SF than almost anywhere in the US. The reason for the jump in building is that office and apartment rents have become so ridiculously high it now makes sense to build in the few remaining sites despite all the costs. Even these projects had to go through tortuous approval process, such as the Transbay Transit District, and unbelievably many projects started back in the last tech boom! The building boom will likely grind to a halt in a few years as builders run out of sites. Rant over. SF is a great place but this is in spite of it's crappy local government that has literally created many of its problems.