S.F. Boosts Affordability

By Alan Mallach

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom recently signed into law an inclusionary housing policy aimed at creating more affordable homes in the city. Fifteen percent of units in new residential developments must be rented or sold below market rates, as opposed to the previous standard of 12 percent. If developers choose to build the affordable units elsewhere, the market-rate and affordable sites have to be within a mile of each other and the number of affordable units must be equal to 20 percent of the units in the market-rate development. City leaders are hoping to not only address the city’s lack of affordable housing, but also help maintain a diverse population. (San Jose Mercury News, 8/10)

Alan Mallach, senior fellow of the National Housing Institute, is the author of many works on housing and planning, including Bringing Buildings Back and Building a Better Urban Future: New Directions for Housing Policies in Weak Market Cities. He served as director of housing and economic development for Trenton, N.J. from 1990 to 1999.

Published by the National Housing Institute