4 ms·

You can't just "build up" in SF. The city prohibits it through a variety of means.

bsimpson 11y ago
Because the same people who bitch about the cost of living going up in the city where their family has lived for n generations will also flip their shit if you try to build anything that doesn't look like the 3 story Victorians they have giant fetishes for. Of course, that's a bit exaggerated (there are skyscrapers going up downtown and some neighborhoods have the occasional modern-looking condo). Still, the problem is fairly untractable in the current climate. There's an endless stream of people ready to wait in line to bitch at every one of the multi-year stretch of town hall meetings needed to do anything that meanders away from the well-established status quo. (For reference, see all the FUD spread about Polk Street that led to the eventual neutering of that project).
- cylinder 11y ago
  No, the people who have owned property for decades are not bitching about cost of living. They love the rise in property prices and they still get their quaint homes. It's newcomers and renters who struggle.
ChuckMcM 11y ago
I think you can shorten that to "You can't build in SF" :-) for a lot of reasons, mostly political. I met with the property manager of a very large REIT once who was looking at the housing market in SF. They had made a couple of runs at it (trying to get permits to build stuff both in existing lots and in the area where the old Embarcadero freeway used to be and were held hostage by the city council both times.
- deegles 11y ago
  I live in Seattle, where it seems like at any given point in the city you can see a crane or some active construction. I was struck by the relative lack of construction in SF, despite the huge demand for housing there. It's just an observation.
- hydrogen18 11y ago
  The first commandment of San Francisco: Thou shalt not construct.
fragmede 11y ago
You also can't just put a building down where the road is either. As long as we're discussing magical solutions, "build up" seems as feasible as permanently closing the 1400 block of McAllister Street.

Because the same people who bitch about the cost of living going up in the city where their family has lived for n generations will also flip their shit if you try to build anything that doesn't look like the 3 story Victorians they have giant fetishes for. Of course, that's a bit exaggerated (there are skyscrapers going up downtown and some neighborhoods have the occasional modern-looking condo). Still, the problem is fairly untractable in the current climate. There's an endless stream of people ready to wait in line to bitch at every one of the multi-year stretch of town hall meetings needed to do anything that meanders away from the well-established status quo. (For reference, see all the FUD spread about Polk Street that led to the eventual neutering of that project).

cylinder 11y ago
No, the people who have owned property for decades are not bitching about cost of living. They love the rise in property prices and they still get their quaint homes. It's newcomers and renters who struggle.

ChuckMcM 11y ago

I think you can shorten that to "You can't build in SF" :-) for a lot of reasons, mostly political. I met with the property manager of a very large REIT once who was looking at the housing market in SF. They had made a couple of runs at it (trying to get permits to build stuff both in existing lots and in the area where the old Embarcadero freeway used to be and were held hostage by the city council both times.

deegles 11y ago
I live in Seattle, where it seems like at any given point in the city you can see a crane or some active construction. I was struck by the relative lack of construction in SF, despite the huge demand for housing there. It's just an observation.
hydrogen18 11y ago
The first commandment of San Francisco: Thou shalt not construct.

fragmede 11y ago

You also can't just put a building down where the road is either. As long as we're discussing magical solutions, "build up" seems as feasible as permanently closing the 1400 block of McAllister Street.