According to the San Francisco Chronicle, twenty-four underused parcels of land, most of which are now parking lots, in the South of Market (SoMa) district of the city could be turned into affordable housing projects. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently approved an ordinance that would allow the city to build 100 percent affordable housing units in an area that was previously reserved for light industrial use. All the lots are not suitable for housing but the zoning change could lead to 600 or more affordable units in the city.
The zoning change comes as the board negotiates the details of the Central SoMa plan, which would revamp a portion of downtown San Francisco with 8,550 housing units and a projected 32,500 jobs. The plan, which has been widely criticized — even by Kim — for not including enough affordable-housing units, is working its way through the approval process.
“It is incredibly important to get every unit of affordable housing,” said Jon Jacobo, a legislative aide for Kim. “Especially with ... Central SoMa, the community needs every unit of affordable housing that it can get.”
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the board took a big step toward expanding the city’s ability to compel homeless people suffering from debilitating mental illnesses or drug addiction into treatment.
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