California Gov. Gavin Newsom's housing division found that San Francisco was responsible for more housing roadblocks than any other city within the state.
A scathing new report revealed that building housing in San Francisco takes longer and costs more than anywhere else in California. This exacerbated the homelessness issue in the region and has prevented many workers from being able to live comfortably within the city.
San Francisco's Housing Roadblocks
The governor has previously demanded that cities approve far more construction as residents struggle to make ends meet and move to other states in search of cheaper places to live. However, some local governments give housing opponents generous leeway to slow or block projects.
The investigative report released on Wednesday is the first of its kind and is an attempt to urge San Francisco to do better. It also shows other municipalities what is needed to create a thriving, equitable city, per the New York Times.
In a statement, the state's Department of Housing and Community Development director, Gustavo Velasquez, said that the situation is egregious. He argued that this is because of the enormous constraints and barriers imposed on new housing development in San Francisco.
Velasquez added that the city's housing cost is exorbitant because there is not enough of it for people to choose from. San Francisco officials approve housing at a snail's pace because they allow anyone to object. This is true even if a project meets the city's requirements and one cranky neighbor could stifle the effort.
Additionally, the city allows far more environmental review, which sometimes quashes proposals because they would cast too many shadows. San Francisco also gives the local Board of Supervisors far more say than other jurisdictions.
Addressing the Housing Crisis
Data revealed that San Francisco has permitted less than one home per day so far this year. According to CBS News, the city has fallen far short of its Regional Housing Needs Allocation goals for building new houses.
The latest report also showed that it takes roughly 523 days for a developer to approve a housing project, compared to 385 days for the next slowest jurisdiction in the state. It was found to be even worse after the approval process. It takes San Francisco an average of 605 days to issue a building permit compared to 418 days for the next slowest jurisdiction.
It was also revealed that at least 18 city policies and practices are out of compliance with state law. The result of the situation is that many of the people who work within the city, including teachers, police officers, and firefighters, are not able to afford to live in San Francisco.
Newsom called the report "an important first step to address the decades of issues that have held back San Francisco's ability to build more housing." He added that the state's affordability crisis was self-made and has held back the city's ability to build more housing, said the San Francisco Chronicle.
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