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Dive Brief:
- San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie unveiled a legislative package containing sweeping permitting changes for the city, the latest in the mayor’s ongoing PermitSF plan to remove barriers and streamline San Francisco’s permitting process.
- The changes would reduce permitting fees for development projects of $100 million or more and eliminate a requirement to meet with city staff ahead of submitting a permit application for larger developments. The changes also add flexibility for how the city’s historic buildings can be used and make it easier to add accessory dwelling units, often seen as a way to increase housing availability.
- “We are continuing to push common-sense reforms that provide meaningful benefit to everyday San Franciscans as well as build a better foundation for a new wave of construction activity we hope to see in San Francisco,” Director of Current Planning at San Francisco Planning Liz Watty said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
Since a spike of new construction activity in 2020, new housing construction in San Francisco has been in a free fall. In 2024, the city increased its housing stock by 1,597 units, 30% less than in 2023 and 56% lower than the 10-year average.
The city ranked second in a recent Consumer Affairs analysis of cities that require the highest income to afford a home, at $386,359.
To help spur development, Lurie has taken aim at San Francisco's permitting process, which he described as “death by a thousand cuts.”
“We are getting rid of the nonsense and focusing on common sense,” Lurie stated.
PermitSF process changes implemented so far have included expanding permit center service hours and launching a single webpage for permitting information.
