Credit: Maximilian Barnes

In 2014, Mayor Ed Lee set a target of producing 30,000 housing units by 2020 with half available to low, working, and middle income San Franciscans.The City is striving to meet this target through several different mechanisms. Through the inclusionary ordinance, new affordable units are delivered through market rate housing development as new residential projects of 10 or more units pay an Affordable Housing Fee or provide a percentage of the units as “below market rate.” In addition, the affordable housing bonus program offers housing developers incentives, including increased density and height, in return for building more permanently affordable units into their projects. In addition, affordable housing units are delivered through major development projects. For example, 30 percent of the new housing units built at Pier 70 will be permanently affordable.

More information on housing efforts and policy in San Francisco is available here.