In what could be a first, but potential not a last, the power of the California Environmental Quality Act was invoked in San Francisco with regard to concerns about gentrification.
"In a move that shocked city officials and housing advocates, the Board of Supervisors [in November] rejected a 157-unit Mission District development, claiming that city planners failed to take into account the impact the complex would have on displacement and gentrification in a district that has been the heart of the city’s working-class Latino community," reports J.K. Dineen.
The environmental review for the development at 1515 S. Van Ness Ave. will now go back to planners, but the implications of the decision were felt throughout planning and development communities in the city. According to Dineen, however, "uncertain whether the move signaled that future development proposals would be scrutinized for their impacts on gentrification and the displacement of residents and businesses from a neighborhood." San Francisco Planning Director John Rahaim is quoted in the article deferring to the city attorney about whether the decision is precedent setting.
The article includes other political leaders, community activists, and experts discussing the shocking, and rare, decision by the Board of Supervisors to uphold the project's environmental review. The decision was made all the more shocking because the developer voluntarily agreed to include 25 percent affordable housing in the development.
FULL STORY: SF supervisors reject development lacking gentrification study
Does Zoning Create a Vicious Circle—Or Can It Fix Itself?
Ideally, planners could balance homeowners' interests in zoning against the public good, liberalizing zoning when prices got too high. But this may be politically impossible.
S.F. Rezoning Plan Paused for Equity Analysis
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Developer Sues L.A. After Area Planning Commissioners Reject Multi-Family Project
A development controversy also now an expanding legal controversy, after a local planning commission rejected a controversial development proposal allowed by zoning.
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‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
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The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
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Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research