An alliance of affordable-housing and progressive groups is preparing to propose a ballot measure that would declare a temporary moratorium on market-rate housing in the Mission. A group called the San Francisco Latino Democratic Club told the San Francisco Business Times that they will propose to delay market-rate housing construction in the Mission District for up to 18 months. A draft of the measure reportedly covers the entire Mission, and not just the portion around the 24th Street BART station that Supervisor David Campos had been eyeing for a freeze on new market-rate housing.
If such a development hiatus were to go into effect, it would stall all projects larger than 20 units. That includes the controversial 331-unit building Maximus Real Estate Partners wants to put up near 16th Street BART and the 117 units Axis Development Group is proposing for Folsom and 23rd streets, among other projects. To get on the November ballot, the initiative would need to gather about 9,400 signatures.
"Our goal is not to stop all development. Our goal is to stop incredibly large development that focus exclusively on market-rate housing," the Latino Democratic Club's Edwin Lindo told the Business Times. "We need a pause to ensure that if developers are going to build in our city they're going to figure out a way to build affordable housing."
The idea is for the moratorium to create a development-free period in which the Planning Department would study how to balance out housing development in the neighborhood by creating more affordable housing and reexamining zoning and funding sources. Moratoriums have failed in Walnut Creek and Emeryville, but those were city council measures that ended in defeat, not ballot-box initiatives.
· Mission District housing moratorium may head for November ballot [SF Business Times]
· David Campos Might Propose Moratorium on Market-Rate Housing in the Mission [Curbed SF]
· 'Monster in the Mission' Recap: The Night Everyone Yelled at PowerPoint Slides [Curbed SF]
· Mission Protesters Fight for Housing By Fighting Against It [Curbed SF]
· Walnut Creek Housing Moratorium Gets the Boot; Housing Still Faces Obstacles [Curbed SF]
· Turf Wars [Curbed SF]
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