Next week, San Francisco voters will decide if they want to give the Board of Supervisors control over how much affordable housing private developers are required to build—thereby enabling the Supervisors’ plan to hike up the requirement higher than that of any other city in the country.
WHAT PROP C WOULD CHANGE
Right now, all new buildings with ten or more units are required to offer a portion of those units at below market rate. The requirement is 12% if the affordable units are within the building, or 20% if they’re built at another location. That rule is locked into San Francisco’s charter, which is kind of like the city’s constitution.
Prop C would take the rule out of the charter and puts it in the hands of the Board of Supervisors, making the rule more flexible. That way, the percentage of affordable housing can go up when the market is heating up, down when the market is strapped. Under Prop C, the first adjustment would happen immediately; the requirement would be hiked up to 25% for some buildings.
