San Francisco’s Family Zoning Plan sparks fierce debate ahead of public hearing

By Da Lin

A major rezoning proposal from San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has divided the city ahead of its first board of supervisors public hearing on Monday. Supporters said the so-called Family Zoning Plan would add thousands of new homes and help lower housing costs. Opponents argued it would destroy neighborhood character and force out small businesses.

To comply with a state housing mandate, Lurie’s plan would allow denser development on the city’s west side and in northern neighborhoods, including the Sunset, Richmond, and Marina Districts. The proposal aims to create about 36,000 new housing units in those areas.

Supporters held a family picnic on Sunday to drum up enthusiasm for the plan — complete with a bounce house and arts and crafts activities. Community organizer Jordan Tirona said he believes the changes are critical to keeping San Franciscans from being priced out.

“We’re trying to build more housing so people can continue to live here,” said Tirona.

The 24-year-old said the only reason he can afford to stay in San Francisco is because he lives with his grandmother.

“My grandma moved from the Philippines in 1969, and that’s the only reason why I’m able to live here,” Tirona said. “She moved here, she bought a house in ’69 when the market was low.”

Tirona, who works with the housing advocacy group Abundance SF, said making it easier to build taller residential buildings would help relieve pressure on rents.

“If we can build one more floor, that can really help bring communities together, families together,” he said.

Lurie has promoted the Family Zoning Plan as a way to add “high-density, family-friendly housing” in areas long dominated by single-family homes. But opponents said the plan gives too much power to large developers and risks erasing the unique character of some neighborhoods.

Richard Corriea, a retired San Francisco police commander and west side community activist, said he supports more housing in principle — but not without limits.

“We need more density. We need young people in this town to spend money and go out at night, all those things are very important,” Corriea said. “I just don’t think you need to open the whole city to developers to say, ‘build what you want, where you want’ to heights that maybe don’t fit the character of the city.”

Corriea said he could see six-story buildings along major corridors like Geary Boulevard, but not next to single-family homes. He also worries that bulldozing older structures could displace small businesses that lease in those areas.

“A lot of people don’t think this one-size-fits-all [plan] pays the proper respect to people and their culture,” he added.

But some elected leaders believe the rezoning plan provides the right balance.

“The character of the neighborhood is not just the buildings, it’s the people.  And when you don’t build housing, it means you push people out,” said State Senator Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco.

Mayor Lurie has defended the proposal, arguing that the state’s housing mandates leave the city little choice. If San Francisco fails to meet its housing goals, it could lose control over its own zoning decisions — a claim Corriea dismisses as a “false dilemma.”

Despite the opposition, Tirona said he remains hopeful that adding more housing will help make San Francisco a place where working people can stay.

“I’m optimistic that one day I will be able to easily rent an apartment.  I don’t know about buying a house in San Francisco,” he said.

The Board of Supervisors’ Land Use and Transportation Committee will discuss the Family Zoning Plan at its meeting Monday. No vote is expected, but more hearings are planned in the coming weeks, with a possible decision later this year or early next year.