San Francisco’s Sunset District has faced ongoing struggles in developing affordable housing, embodying the broader challenges experienced across urban America.
In a recent documentary, the narrative unfolds around the first affordable housing project in the Sunset.
Historically, the area has resisted such developments, leading to significant hurdles for developers wishing to meet the city’s housing demands.
According to Nate Houghteling, the documentary’s narrator, the project marks the very first instance of affordable housing construction in this neighborhood, referred to as ground zero for the city’s long-standing issues concerning housing affordability.
Houghteling indicates that while a few other developments have emerged since, this specific project represents a critical milestone in the local housing landscape.
Annie Fryman, a resident of the Sunset District and a contributor to the documentary, elaborates on the unique characteristics of the neighborhood.
The Sunset is described as an idyllic blend of suburban and urban living, where two-story houses dominate the landscape and families enjoy a picturesque environment, accompanied by the sounds of chirping birds.
Curiously, zoning restrictions in place for over a century have kept the area predominantly low-rise, with few taller buildings scattered throughout.
Fryman points out that the Sunset’s history as mainly sand dunes before the 20th century contributed to its slow development.
Her insightful perspective highlights that much of the Sunset’s residential construction occurred in the post-World War II boom, reflecting a nationwide trend of suburban expansion and increased homeownership fueled by federal housing initiatives like the FHA and GI Bill.
However, the establishment of zoning restrictions in the 1970s further complicated future development efforts.
The city’s enactment of down-zoning limited height allowances for buildings, denying developers the ability to construct higher-density housing.
Interestingly, despite the predominant single-family homes, some scattered, older apartment buildings exist as remnants of a more flexible zoning period.
Fryman herself resides in a rent-controlled ten-story building in the Sunset, which serves as a tangible reminder of the neighborhood’s layered history.
As the documentary dives deeper into a specific housing project at the intersection of Twenty Sixth and Irving, tensions arise between the developer and the Mid Sunset Neighborhood Association.
Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC), the developer behind the project, faced considerable opposition from local residents, who voiced concerns about the impact of increased density.
Houghteling notes that this scenario illustrates a familiar dichotomy in San Francisco: the tug-of-war between the desire for development and community pushback.
Compounding the complexity, the neighborhood association’s demands continued to escalate, ultimately resulting in legal disputes that threatened the project’s progress.
To navigate these challenges, TNDC utilized a legislative tool known as SP 35, which allowed for streamlined processes in housing development, thus propelling the project forward amid bureaucratic hurdles.
Throughout the documentary, viewers are privy to extensive committee meetings, illustrating the painstaking efforts required for approval.
Annie Fryman, who played a pivotal role in drafting the SP 35 legislation, explains the contrast in processes pre- and post-SP 35 implementation.
Before the law’s introduction, developers faced unpredictable approval environments shaped by discretionary reviews that could derail projects at any stage, often influenced by local opposition.
In past scenarios, a proposed building that complied with existing regulations could still be rejected due to subjective judgments from city officials or vocal neighborhood opposition.
This unpredictability made it challenging for developers to commit to projects, as the risk of facing legal and bureaucratic walls loomed large over potential initiatives, especially concerning affordable housing on the city’s west side.
Fryman highlights that discretionary review processes, often employed by neighborhood associations as a means to block developments, could effectively halt projects for months, crippling any potential growth.
Fryman elaborates that any resident, or even someone without proximity to the project, could exercise their right to file for discretionary review, emphasizing the extent of influence local residents had over city planning.
This added layer of difficulty placed enormous pressure on developers to perform risk assessments before initiating any construction projects, questioning whether the endeavor was viable in the face of such opposition.
Some project attempts have left lasting impressions on developers, with Houghteling mentioning a lead developer who expressed deep concern over the unpredictability of navigating the city’s approval process.
As for the current project at Twenty Sixth and Irving, had SP 35 not been implemented, it would have faced significant roadblocks, potentially delaying or derailing it entirely.
Before the new law, complex rules regarding environmental standards, zoning, and permitting created a convoluted pathway to project completion.
As developers wrestled with the city’s bureaucratic structure and the challenge of appeasing community concerns, it was not uncommon for projects to be rejected or modified drastically.
Annie Fryman further contextualizes these challenges, detailing legislative frameworks that introduced various processes and appeals, complicating the dynamics between developers and community members.
What once appeared as straightforward regulations were entangled in a web of discretionary permitting processes and agency reviews, creating a system where the likelihood of approval was exceptionally elusive.
Such a situation left developers grappling with uncertainty as they attempted to gauge what would ultimately be acceptable to both the city and its residents.
It’s evident that within the Sunset District, the dialogue surrounding affordable housing is ongoing, particularly as tensions arise between residents’ aspirations and the demands for necessary development.
The documentary adeptly captures the multifaceted dialogue regarding these competing stakes, intertwining personal stories of residents and developers into a broader narrative about housing in San Francisco.
As the project nears completion, it serves as a symbol of hope amid a historically fraught relationship between growth and community identity, embodying the essence of San Francisco’s ongoing challenges in addressing its housing crisis.
image source from：https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101910295/the-long-reach-of-san-franciscos-housing-crisis
