"What's at stake is not just zoning, but the future of San Francisco's historic neighborhoods, parks, public vistas and architecture - the international character that draws millions of visitors. Tourists don't come to see a wall of anonymous mid-rises; they come for the distinct scale, green space and beauty that make San Francisco instantly recognizable. Upzoning risks erasing that identity. Once lost, it cannot be replaced."
"People are angry; Lurie is facing hostile crowds at town halls, and the Ex ran a piece saying that the city's future is at stake: Lurie is telling people he agrees: Lurie has pushed back by pointing out that if San Francisco fails to adopt a state-compliant plan to allow for 36,000 units, the state would essentially take hold of every aspect of new housing, giving builders free rein to build as tall and dense as they want wherever they want. Which is true."
"The reason the city has to allow market-rate developers to avoid local zoning laws is that Wiener, who is tenacious and has the support of not just the Yimby movement but the real estate industry, has pushed a series of bills through the Legislature that screw San Francisco. He has completely signed on with the Yimby narrative that allowing more housing for very rich people will eventually bring prices down."
Mayor Daniel Lurie proposed increased housing density on the West Side, provoking hostile town-hall crowds and warnings that neighborhood character could be erased. Lurie warns that failure to adopt a state-compliant plan to allow 36,000 units would permit the state to preempt local control and enable builders to build taller and denser everywhere. The underlying driver of the mandate is state legislation championed by Sen. Scott Wiener, backed by YIMBYs and the real estate industry, which limits local zoning authority and prioritizes market-rate development labeled as abundant and affordable near transit. Very little of the new housing will be affordable.
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