Welcome to the 2009 Housing Element Website! Here you will find the timeline for completing the Element, the work completed to date, ways for you to be involved in the process. The tabs to the right are there to guide you through the website's content. We are looking for your input on the Draft 2009 Housing Element! Please participate in one of the following: 1. Planning Commission Hearing Planning Department staff will be making an informational presentation to the Planning Commission on January 28th, 2010. Details about that hearing can be found here. 2. Listening Sessions Additionally, the Planning Department will be hosting two listenting session to hear your feedback concerning the Draft 2009 Housing Element. These will be drop-in sessions for the public to directly engage with staff around their comments and feedback on the draft. Please stop by at any point during the times below.Both sessions will be at at the Planning Department Office (1650 Mission St. 4th Floor). The sessions will be held on: February 16, 2010: 5:00-7:00pm and February 18th: 11:00am- 1:00pm 3. Online Comments If you are unable to attend the hearing or either of the listening sessions, please click here to read and comment on the draft. PART I Data & Needs Analysis PDF 10 MB   PART II Objectives, Policies, and Implementation Programs PDF 10 MB

Project Update

Staff will be hosting a listening session to hear directly from interested parties during the month of February (date TBD). We look forward to bringing the community’s feedback on the draft to the Planning Commission, and to holding a series of working sessions with the Planning Commission to receive your input directly. Staff will hold the first of these sessions as an informational hearing on January 28, 2010.

If you would like to be notified of the dates for the Listening Session and the Planning Commission presentation, please add your name and e-mail address to our listserve. You can do so by filling out the fields under the "Join Our Mailing List" at the top right section of this page.

Project Summary

The Housing Element is the component of the City’s General Plan that provides a five year vision for housing. San Francisco, along with all municipalities, is required by state law to update the Housing Element of the General Plan every five years. The State requires that a complete and approved draft be submitted by June 26, 2009. Additionally the Planning Department will be completing a full Environmental Impact Report on the 2009 Housing Element update.

The State of California Housing Element law, enacted in 1969, mandates that local governments adequately plan to meet the existing and projected housing needs of all economic segments of the community. The law acknowledges that, in order for the private market to adequately address housing needs and demand, local governments must adopt land use plans and regulatory systems which provide opportunities for, and do not unduly constrain, housing development.

This process will conclude with an effective housing element that provides the necessary conditions for preserving and producing an adequate supply of affordable housing. Among other things, the housing element provides an inventory of land adequately zoned or planned to be zoned for housing, certainty in permit processing procedures, and a commitment to assist in housing development through regulatory concessions and incentives.

In addition, to this fundamental framework, the housing element update process provides a vehicle for establishing and updating housing and land-use strategies reflective of changing needs, resources and conditions. The housing element also provides a powerful tool to address the special housing needs of Californians including the homeless and persons with disabilities. The inclusive planning process ensures that San Francisco promote a variety of housing types including multifamily rental units, transitional and other types of supportive housing. Finally, the housing element update process can also provide a vehicle for San Francisco to adopt housing and land-use strategies to address climate change and the reduction of green house gas emissions, by facilitating housing locations that can significantly contribute to reductions in green house gas emissions.

Public Outreach

Update

A copy of the draft 2009 Housing Element is now available. Your input on this draft is valuable to this process. Please visit the public comment page to give your feedback. All comments on the draft document will be incorporated into the 2009 Housing Element Comments and Responses Document, and considered by the Planning Commission during their deliberations on the draft 2009 Housing Element.

Summary

The Planning Department is committed to a community based planning effort that meets the State’s deadline, and intends to work closely with community leaders, stakeholders, relevant city agencies, and community members to adequately incorporate their housing policy ideas into the 2009 Housing Element update. The outreach strategy is composed of a three equally critical components:

Community Advisory Body
During the first phase of the project, this Planning Department-appointed Community Advisory Body (CAB) will advise staff on the development and refinement of policies and implementation programs. The body will be tasked with working with staff and stakeholder groups to complete a draft of the 2009 Housing Element Update. CAB members will be expected to participate in six to eight working sessions and participate in ongoing outreach to the larger community for up to one year.

Stakeholder Sessions
Stakeholder sessions will be held midway through the CAB process in order to gain an understanding of the needs and policy interests of groups and organizations related to housing or housing services– for-profit & non-profit developers, housing advocacy groups, and homelessness and social service providers. These sessions, facilitated by City staff and members of the CAB, will directly influence the draft policies written by the CAB.

Citywide Outreach
Broad neighborhood outreach focused on key goals of the draft 2009 update will be a critical aspect of the Housing Element update. Elements of the citywide outreach will be:

• A series of community conversations with neighborhood organizations on housing priorities, to guide the framework of the draft Housing Element
• Utilize Community Advisory Body members as Ambassadors to community during outreach process
• Monthly office hours providing an opportunity for interested citizens to engage with staff about housing issues
• Public hearings at Planning Commission and Board of Supervisor’s Land Use Committee
• Gathering public input through the project website.

Environmental Review

The Planning Department will be completing a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on the 2009 Housing Element. The timeline for this process is outline below.

The Planning Department hosted an EIR Scoping Meeting on October 6, 2009. The purpose of the scoping meeting was to set the parameters of study for the environmental impact report that will be completed in order to review the environmental impacts of the 2009 and 2004 Housing Elements. The materials presented at that meeting can be found here.

Calendar of Events

At this time there are no calendared events related to the Housing Element. This section will be updated when the Draft Listening Session and Planning Commission Hearings have been scheduled.

Project Timeline

This overall timeline outlines the process to date:

The timeline below details what the next steps in the process are: