File under Horses, Beaten with Sticks: conservative politicians have Gay Marriage; San Francisco pols have Affordable Housing. The Supes have voted for a six-month limit on residential demolitions, coming close to a full-on moratorium:
The board adopted 6-5 a resolution by Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, who argued that the measure is needed to protect affordable housing from being knocked down and redeveloped for sale at prices out of reach of most San Franciscans. "The majority of market-rate homes for sale in San Francisco are priced out of the reach of low- and moderate-income households," Maxwell said.Note to Sophie: market-rate housing is by definition already out of reach of low- and moderate income households. All you're doing is adding another layer of delay for new projects and allowing sub-standard housing to remain standing. Current demolition restrictions are difficult enough that people just renovate until the original building is gone. How about a little more density instead?
· 6-month limit on demolishing homes [SF Gate]