Mayor Breed Announces New Legislation to Allow More Housing in the SoMa Neighborhood

San Francisco, CA - Today, Mayor London N. Breed, the San Francisco Planning Department and the Office of Economic & Workforce Development (OEWD) announced new legislation that will increase capacity for residential development in the Central South of Market (SoMa) and Transbay plan areas by eliminating zoning provisions that require a minimum amount of office space in mixed-use projects on large sites.

The legislation is co-sponsored by Supervisor Matt Dorsey and would allow space to build thousands of new units of housing in and around the Downtown area, a significant step towards Mayor Breed's "Housing for All" plan which aims to add 82,000 new homes in San Francisco over the next 8 years.

As part of the Mayor's 30 x 30 initiative, which sets a bold goal to bring at least 30,000 new residents and students Downtown by 2030, Mayor Breed directed the Planning Department and OEWD to remove barriers to new residential development Downtown. The proposed legislation responds to changes in demand for office space by removing a zoning provision that currently requires new projects in the Central SoMa and Transbay areas to provide a two-thirds commercial space to one-third residential ratio for the neighborhoods' largest sites. This change would allow developments on those sites to be fully residential or significantly increase the amount of residential space provided in a mixed-use project.

"We know more housing is needed and this legislation is another step towards unlocking longtime barriers that have slowed us down and prevented progress," said Mayor London Breed. "Our Downtown neighborhoods have the potential to thrive and bring more vibrancy, and that work is happening through a number of initiatives underway. I want to thank Supervisor Dorsey, our City departments and development partners who have remained engaged with us to find solutions to fix San Francisco's housing shortfall challenges."

"I am very proud to represent Central SoMa and The East Cut, two neighborhoods that embody our City's shared values of urbanism and diversity," said Supervisor Matt Dorsey. "I look forward to seeing these thriving neighborhoods welcome even more residents as we make good on our ambitious housing element obligations and Mayor Breed's 30 by 30 strategy."

The new legislation also builds on the Mayor's Roadmap to San Francisco's Future that reimagines Downtown as a diverse, mixed-use, 24/7 destination and neighborhood, and represents the latest efforts in a series of new and ongoing initiatives that have already made great progress toward that vision over the past 18 months.

Those efforts include an ordinance that Mayor Breed introduced, and the Board of Supervisors passed in July last year, that made Downtown zoning more flexible to allow a wide variety of uses and created a Commercial-to-Residential Adaptive Reuse Program that waived a series of zoning requirements to ease the conversion of existing office buildings into housing. This legislation is another component to allowing for more housing units to be built in new Downtown developments as well.

"By allowing more new residences downtown, we are not only addressing the critical need for housing in San Francisco but also ensuring that the Central SoMa and Transbay area continues to evolve as a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable community," said Rich Hillis, Director of SF Planning. "This legislation is a testament to our commitment to smart growth and urban development that benefits all residents. We look forward to seeing SoMa flourish as a model of transit-oriented, mixed-use living in the heart of our city."

"Our office is committed to working with builders to find viable and creative solutions that will enable their projects to move forward," said Anne Taupier, Director of Development at OEWD. "We look forward to seeing some of the larger development projects that were stalled due to pandemic economics finally get underway and for our vision of a sustainable and vibrant SoMa neighborhood where people live, work and play start to take shape."

The proposed legislation amends the Planning Code to reduce commercial development requirements that were mandated as part of the Central SoMa and Transit Center District plans. Passed in 2012, the Transit Center District Plan expanded the 1985 Downtown Plan to increase density and expand the City's stock of offices and homes while also generating revenue for public projects. In addition to landmark job spaces like Salesforce Tower, this plan added thousands of housing units around the Transit Center in what is now the East Cut neighborhood.

In 2018, the Central SoMa Plan was unanimously adopted with a vision to create a sustainable neighborhood through changes to zoning to support higher density mixed-use developments, including residential, commercial, and particularly office spaces.

"Mayor London Breed has once again demonstrated why she is a true housing champion," said Corey Smith, Executive Director of the Housing Action Coalition. "The new units enabled by this legislation will provide centrally located homes for those who need them and will help to ensure the Central SoMa area can continue to grow and flourish. It also brings San Francisco one step closer to meeting our housing goals. Thank you, Mayor Breed, for your leadership!"

"SF YIMBY is proud to support Mayor London Breed's transformative legislation to bring new units to Central SoMa," said Jane Natoli, San Francisco Organizing Director for YIMBY Action. "Mayor Breed is walking the walk when it comes to ensuring San Francisco meets its housing goals. This legislation will, crucially, add housing to one of San Francisco's most central and transit-connected neighborhoods. This means more homes and more neighbors in San Francisco's Downtown."

"The Mayor has been laser-focused on knocking down barriers to housing production and this is another smart move in that direction. The City has invested billions in transit infrastructure in Central SoMa and the East Cut over the last decade, so these neighborhoods are really the perfect places to add more housing," said Jesse Blout, Founding Partner, Strada Investment Group. "We are currently building 500 units in Central SoMa and, with this change, we will certainly look to do more."

"I am pleased to see the Mayor's Office and Planning Department contemplate changes to the planning code that will provide more flexible zoning and potentially permit more housing development on large sites in Central SoMa," said Aaron Fenton, Senior Vice President, BXP Development. "The Central SoMa Plan was conceived to facilitate future growth, and with the current challenges in the office market, lifting restrictions to enable the construction of much-needed housing is logical and may help San Francisco meet its state-mandated housing goals."

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