Lurie Looks to Spur Housing, Spread Density With New Zoning

New mayor, new brand for residential development in San Francisco.

Recently elected Daniel Lurie plans as much under the banner of “family zoning,” which would allow higher buildings and greater densities along major thoroughfare in the city, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

A release of Lurie’s full plan is imminent, and will aim to foster 36,000 new residential units and bring new development to sections of the city that have hardly seen new development in decades.

“For too long San Francisco has treated new housing as something to be feared instead of something to be welcomed,” Lurie told the Chronicle. “We want to build housing for the next generation of San Franciscans so kids who grow up here can have the same opportunity to raise their own children in this beautiful and special place.”

The plan will require the approval of the 11-member San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Lurie is touting the “family zoning” moniker, meant to supplant the rage of “upzoning” that has generally been meant to cover efforts to increase the number of units for residential projects in any given area. Such moves often come with the condition of a certain number of units being affordable.

The mayor said the plan is to focus on “high-resource” stretches of the streetscape along east-west commercial corridors.

It would allow 65-foot buildings on California, Clement and Balboa streets while height limits on Geary, Taraval and Judah streets as well as parts of Noriega Street, would be raised to 85 feet.

Various trade and residents’ advocacy groups have begun weighing with kudos and catcalls for the plan.

Annie Fryman, director of special projects at the urban think tank SPUR, said she was especially happy to see the rezoning focused on four- to six-story buildings in “low density residential areas.”

State Sen. Scott Wiener called the plan “thoughtful” and “focused.”

— Jerry Sullivan