The backbone of San Francisco is our horizontal infrastructure; the streets, water, power, and sewer systems that make living in a city possible. Many of these projects function outside of the visibility of many residents. They run underground, are walked over, and are turned on with the flick of a switch or turn of a faucet. Many of the infrastructure systems that the City invests in provide not only basic services, but contribute to City-wide goals of environmental sustainability, pedestrian safety, and a more beautiful and livable City. 

It is imperative that the City maintain these assets in a state of good repair given the essential nature of these systems. Proactive maintenance not only ensures the steady provision of services, but is less costly than fixing problems that have degraded beyond repair.

Programs addressed in this chapter are delivered by the San Francisco Public Works and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Among the key programs implemented by Public Works are Street Resurfacing, Sidewalk Repair, and Street Tree Planting. SFPUC provides San Francisco with water, power, and wastewater systems, with multi-billion dollar programs designed to prolong the life of these assets. Together, these two agencies provide tangible results that affect the lives of each and every San Franciscan.

Public Works Streets and Rights-of-Way

The City has been able to make significant improvements when combining proceeds from the Road Repaving and Street Safety 2011 Bond Program with existing revenue sources for streets and right-of-way. The third and final bond sale was completed in the spring of 2016, rounding out the $248 million program dedicated to street resurfacing, streetscape, and traffic signal upgrade projects. 

In order to continue to improve streets and public right-of-way assets, the Plan recommends pursuit of dedicated long-term funding sources for street resurfacing as the General Fund lacks capacity to fully meet these needs. 

Since the last Capital Plan, the City has committed to Vision Zero with a goal of zero traffic fatalities and critical injuries in San Francisco by 2024. San Francisco’s expenditures in streets and right-of-way infrastructure improve safety in myriad ways. Roadway repaving creates a smoother surface and renews street and crosswalk markings, which improves the safety of drivers, bicyclists, and people in crosswalks. Additionally, the City continues to reaffirm our commitment to safe and accessible paths of travel for people with disabilities by making capital improvements to curb ramps, sidewalks, street crossings, and roadways across the City.

Public Utilities Commission

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) provides and distributes water to 2.6 million customers, treats wastewater, and supplies electric power to operate Muni streetcars and electric buses, street and traffic lights, and municipal buildings. The SFPUC includes three utility enterprises: Water, Wastewater, and Power. 

The Water Enterprise consists of over 389 miles of pipeline, over 74 miles of tunnels, 11 reservoirs, five pump stations, and three water treatment plants located outside of the City (the “Regional Water System”) and over 1,235 miles of pipeline, 11 reservoirs, eight storage tanks, 22 pump stations, eight hydropneumatic stations and 17 chlorination stations located within the city limit of the City (the “In-City Distribution System”). 

The Water Enterprise is responsible for the distribution of high quality water to its customer in San Francisco and other Bay Area communities. Hetch Hetchy wastershed, located in Yosemite National Park, provides approximately 85% of San Francisco’s total water needs, with the remaining 15% produced by the Alameda and Peninsula watersheds. The drinking water provided is among the purest in the world; the system for delivering that water is almost entirely gravity fed, requiring almost no fossil fuel consumption to move water from the mountains to your tap. Hetchy Water operates, maintains, and improves water and power facilities, smaller dams and reservoirs, water transmission systems, power generation facilities, and power transmission assets. 

The Wastewater Enterprise operates and maintains the City's water pollution control plants, pumping stations, and collection system in order to protect public health and the environment. The Wastewater Enterprise maintains the 900-mile long combined sewer system and 27 pump stations that collect sewage and storm water, moving wastewater to treatment plants for eventual discharge into the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The SFPUC is undertaking a Sewer System Improvement Program (SSIP) to modernize its systems and help meet its Levels of Service goals. The SSIP is expected to take place over the next 20 years. 

The Power Enterprise is responsible for providing reliable, clean, high-quality electric energy to the City. The Power Enterprise’s 100% GHG-free electric supply portfolio consists of hydroelectric power from three power plants in the Sierra Nevada mountains, solar power generated at SFPUC and other City facilities, and bio-methane power produced at SFPUC wastewater treatment facilities.

The backbone of San Francisco is our horizontal infrastructure; the streets, water, power, and sewer systems that make living in a city possible. Many of these projects function invisibly to many residents. They run underground, are walked over, and are turned on with the flick of a switch or turn of a faucet. The basic infrastructure systems that the City invests in provide basic services and also contribute to City-wide goals of environmental sustainability, pedestrian safety, and a more beautiful and livable city.

It is imperative that the City maintain these assets in a state of good repair given the essential nature of these systems. Proactive maintenance ensures the steady provision of services and is less costly than fixing problems that have degraded beyond repair.

Programs addressed in this chapter are delivered by the San Francisco Public Works and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Among the key programs implemented by Public Works are Street Resurfacing, Sidewalk Repair, and Street Tree Planting. SFPUC provides San Francisco with water, power, and wastewater systems, with multi-billion dollar programs designed to prolong the life of these assets. Together, these two agencies provide tangible results that affect the lives of each and every San Franciscan.

Public Works Streets and Rights-of-Way

The City has been able to make significant improvements in its street condition since the 2011 Road Repaving and Street Safety Bond Program. The third and final bond sale was completed in the spring of 2016, rounding out the $248 million program dedicated to street resurfacing, streetscape, and traffic signal upgrade projects. Since then General Fund, State dollars from SB1, and other sources have contributed to continued street condition improvements. The City's Pavement Condition Index (PCI) score at last measurement in 2017 was 74, continuing the upward trend.

San Francisco also continues its commitment to Vision Zero SF and its goal of zero traffic fatalities and critical injuries in San Francisco by 2024. San Francisco’s expenditures in streets and right-of-way infrastructure improve safety in myriad ways. Roadway repaving creates a smoother surface and renews street and crosswalk markings, which improve the safety of drivers, bicyclists, and people in crosswalks. Additionally, the City reaffirms our commitment to safe and accessible paths of travel for people with disabilities by making capital improvements to curb ramps, sidewalks, street crossings, and roadways across the City.

Public Utilities Commission

The SFPUC provides and distributes water to 2.6 million customers, treats wastewater, and supplies electric power to operate Muni streetcars and electric buses, street and traffic lights, and municipal buildings. The SFPUC includes three utility enterprises:  Water, Wastewater, and Power.

The Water Enterprise consists of over 389 miles of pipeline, over 74 miles of tunnels, 11 reservoirs, five pump stations, and three water treatment plants located outside of the City (the “Regional Water System”), and over 1,235 miles of pipeline, 11 reservoirs, eight storage tanks, 22 pump stations, eight hydropneumatic stations, and 17 chlorination stations located within city limits (the “In-City Distribution System”).

The Water Enterprise is responsible for the distribution of high quality water to its customer in San Francisco and other Bay Area communities. Hetch Hetchy wastershed, located in Yosemite National Park, provides approximately 85% of San Francisco’s total water needs, with the remaining 15% produced by the Alameda and Peninsula watersheds. The drinking water provided is among the purest in the world; the system for delivering that water is almost entirely gravity fed, requiring almost no fossil fuel consumption to move water from the mountains to your tap. Hetchy Water operates, maintains, and improves water and power facilities, smaller dams and reservoirs, water transmission systems, power generation facilities, and power transmission assets.

The Wastewater Enterprise operates and maintains the City's water pollution control plants, pumping stations, and collection system in order to protect public health and the environment. It also maintains the 900-mile long combined sewer system and 27 pump stations that collect sewage and storm water, moving wastewater to treatment plants for eventual discharge into the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The SFPUC is undertaking a Sewer System Improvement Program (SSIP) to modernize its systems and help meet its Levels of Service goals. The SSIP is expected to take place over the next 20 years.

The Power Enterprise is responsible for providing reliable, clean, high-quality electric energy to the City. The Power Enterprise’s 100% GHG-free electric supply portfolio consists of hydroelectric power from three power plants in the Sierra Nevada mountains,  solar power generated at SFPUC and other City facilities, and bio-methane power produced at SFPUC wastewater treatment facilities.

San Francisco’s Health and Human Services programs are delivered at facilities throughout the city and reach many of San Francisco’s most vulnerable residents, including individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Providing high quality and accessible health care and human services are critical to eliminating racial disparities in health and welfare that affect San Franciscans, including stress, nutrition, heart disease, maternal mortality, life expectancy and more. Our major medical campuses, neighborhood clinics, children’s resource centers, workforce and family support services offices, shelters, navigation centers, permanent supportive housing, and associated administrative space all play a part in providing these essential services. With the COVID-19 crisis, demand for these services has increased and the City has adapted buildings to new, temporary uses during the pandemic, but these are permanent functions for the City, and the need to plan for their long-term future remains.

Overview

San Francisco’s health and human services agencies provide high-quality, culturally sensitive services for residents in need of public care. The projects for this service area are estimated to create over 3,700 jobs over the next 10 years.

Public Health

The San Francisco Department of Public Health’s mission is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans, and the department’s hospitals, clinics, and administrative offices all contribute to the success of that mission. DPH’s organization falls into two divisions, the San Francisco Health Network, which provides direct health services to insured and uninsured residents, and the Population Health Division, which addresses public health concerns including consumer safety and health promotion. The department’s central administrative functions support the work of both divisions and promote integration.

With the completion of the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG) in 2015, DPH is now focusing on the renovation of existing hospital campus buildings and community-based clinics, as well as the relocation of staff from the seismically vulnerable building at 101 Grove Street. The 2016 Public Health and Safety G.O. Bond funded the seismic strengthening of Building 5 at the ZSFG campus, as well as improvements at the Southeast, Castro-Mission, and Maxine Hall Health Centers. In 2016 DPH completed master planning efforts to move staff out of 101 Grove. The majority of this effort has been funded through the General Fund Debt Program, and the last piece is expected to come from the planned 2023 Public Health G.O. Bond, pending voter approval. The proposed solution involves relocating some staff to the ZSFG campus, others to finger buildings on the Laguna Honda Campus, and the rest to City-owned properties in and around Civic Center.

Human Services and Homelessness and Supportive Housing

San Francisco has two human services departments: The Human Services Agency (HSA) and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH). Through assistance and supportive services programs, HSA promotes well-being and self-sufficiency among individuals, families, and communities for San Francisco residents. HSA is also responsible for three child-care center facilities. HSH strives to make homelessness in San Francisco rare, brief, and one-time through the provision of coordinated, compassionate, and high-quality services. HSH operates three City-owned shelters and a growing portfolio of Navigation Centers that play a critical role in helping vulnerable populations permanently exit the streets. HSH also administers locally and federally funded supportive housing to provide long-term affordable housing with on-site social services to people exiting chronic homelessness (Permanent Supportive Housing). San Francisco’s Permanent Supportive Housing portfolio includes a variety of housing options, including renovated Single Room Occupancy hotels, newly constructed units and apartment buildings that operate under a master-lease between private property owners and the City.

San Francisco’s Health and Human Services programs are delivered at facilities throughout the city and reach many of San Francisco’s most vulnerable residents, including individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Providing innovative and compassionate health care, delivering safety net services, and creating and preserving housing for families and residents at every income level are top priorities for the City. Our major medical campuses, neighborhood clinics, shelters, children’s resource centers, supportive housing sites, Navigation Centers, and associated administrative space all play a part in providing these essential services.

San Francisco’s health and human services agencies provide high-quality, culturally sensitive services for residents in need of public care.

Public Health

The San Francisco Department of Public Health’s mission is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans, and the department’s hospitals, clinics, and administrative offices all contribute to the success of that mission. DPH’s organization falls into two divisions, the San Francisco Health Network, which provides direct health services to insured and uninsured residents, and the Population Health Division, which addresses public health concerns including consumer safety and health promotion. The department’s central administrative functions support the work of both divisions and promote integration.

With the completion of the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG) in 2015, DPH is now focusing on the renovation of existing hospital campus buildings and community-based clinics, as well as the relocation of staff from the seismically vulnerable building at 101 Grove Street. The 2016 Public Health and Safety G.O. Bond funded the seismic strengthening of Building 5 at the ZSFG campus, as well as improvements at Southeast, Castro-Mission and Maxine Hall Health Centers. In 2016 DPH completed master planning efforts to move staff out of 101 Grove. This effort will be funded through the General Fund Debt Program. The proposed solution involves relocating some staff to the ZSFG campus, others to finger buildings on the Laguna Honda Campus, and the rest to a combination of City-owned and leased properties in and around Civic Center.

Human Services and Homelessness and Supportive Housing

Francisco has two human services departments: the Human Services Agency and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. Through assistance and supportive services programs, HSA promotes well-being and self-sufficiency among Capital Plan FY2020-29 111 Health + Human Services individuals, families, and communities for San Francisco residents. HSA is also responsible for three child-care center facilities. HSH strives to make homelessness in San Francisco rare, brief, and one-time through the provision of coordinated, compassionate, and high-quality services. HSH operates three City-owned shelters and a growing portfolio of Navigation Centers that play a critical role in helping vulnerable populations permanently exit the streets. HSH released a five-year strategic framework in 2017, outlining its goals to achieve a significant and sustained reduction in homelessness in San Francisco by 2022.

Public and Affordable Housing

The responsibilities of San Francisco’s housing agencies have been evolving in recent years. The San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA) has converted the majority of its public housing units to private, non-profit management to enable the use of tax credits as a funding for those properties. SFHA will continue to ensure compliance with eligibility and other programmatic requirements at these sites, but the management of the facilities will no longer be SFHA’s responsibility.

Housing development at all income levels is changing the face of the city in important ways. Supporting San Francisco’s low- and middle-income residents caught in the Bay Area’s housing crisis is top of mind for the City’s entire Administration, coordinated through the Mayor’s Office of Community Development (MOHCD). In particular, there is an emerging need for additional long-term housing for people with mental illness, including Board and Care facilities and cooperative living apartments or single family homes that are designed for individuals who have successfully exited substance abuse and/or mental health residential treatment programs. MOHCD’s affordable housing development projects are discussed in the Economic and Neighborhood Development Service Area chapter.

Coordinated Services Center for San Francisco’s Homeless

In 2017 the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development acquired for one dollar a federal surplus property in SoMa to build permanent supportive housing at 1064-1068 Mission Street. The development will provide studio apartments for more than 250 households experiencing chronic homelessness, with 100 of these new units designated for formerly homeless seniors, age 62 or older. It will also include a dedicated Homeless Services Center. The Tom Waddell Urgent Care Clinic, Street Medicine team, DPH Dental Services, and Homeless Outreach Team will all co-locate on the first two floors, improving the integration of DPH and HSH services for homeless persons. The co-developers are Mercy Housing California and Episcopal Community Services, with a long-term ground lease from the City.

The Health and Human Services Service Area includes a broad range of facilities that provide direct public health and social services to many of San Francisco’s most vulnerable residents, including individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Providing innovative and compassionate health care, delivering safety net services, and creating and preserving housing for families and residents at every income level are top priorities for the City. Our major medical campuses, neighborhood clinics, homeless shelters, children’s resource centers, supportive housing sites, Navigation Centers, and associated administrative space all play a part in providing these essential services.

San Francisco’s health and human services agencies provide high-quality, culturally sensitive services to many of the city’s most vulnerable residents.

Public Health

The San Francisco Department of Public Health’s mission is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans, and the department’s hospitals, clinics, and administrative offices all contribute to the success of that mission. DPH’s organization falls into two divisions, the San Francisco Health Network, which provides direct health services to insured and uninsured residents, and the Population Health Division, which addresses public health concerns including consumer safety and health promotion. The department’s central administrative functions support the work of both divisions and promote integration. 

With the completion of the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG) in 2015, DPH will focus on the renovation of existing hospital campus buildings and community-based clinics, as well as the relocation of staff from the seismically vulnerable building at 101 Grove Street. The 2016 Public Health and Safety G.O. Bond will fund the seismic strengthening of Building 5 at the ZSFG campus, as well as improvements at Southeast, Castro- Mission, Maxine Hall, and Chinatown Health Centers. In 2016 DPH completed master planning efforts to move staff out of 101 Grove. This effort will be funded through the General Fund Debt Program. The proposed solution involves relocating some staff to Buildings 5 and 9 on the ZSFG campus, others to finger buildings on the Laguna Honda Campus, and the rest to a combination of City-owned and leased properties in and around Civic Center.

Human Services and Homelessness and Supportive Housing

San Francisco has two human services departments: the Human Services Agency (HSA) and the newly formed Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH). Through assistance and supportive services programs, HSA promotes wellbeing and self-sufficiency among individuals, families, and communities for San Francisco residents. HSA is also responsible for three homeless shelter facilities and three child care center facilities. These shelters are expected to be transferred to HSH beginning in 2018 to help San Francisco’s homeless population permanently exit the streets. With a mandate to end homelessness for at least 8,000 people by 2020, HSH is currently engaged in a rigorous strategic planning process that will guide capital and operating efforts in the years ahead. Among HSH’s known capital priorities are improvements to the existing shelter facilities and the expansion of the Navigation Center program. 

The November 2016 election saw the loss of Proposition K, a proposed three-quarter-cent sales tax increase that would have generated around $50 million annually for homeless services. Addressing San Francisco’s homeless crisis remains a top priority, however, and the City has identified sources that can be redirected towards HSH priorities. These funds will complement the $20 million already approved by voters for homeless service sites in the 2016 Public Health & Safety G.O. Bond.

Affordable Housing

The responsibilities of San Francisco’s housing agencies have been evolving in recent years. In 2012 staff from the City and the San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA), along with representatives of 72 different community organizations, met over a four-month period to re-envision the roles and responsibilities of SFHA. One of the primary goals of that process was addressing the $270 million backlog of deferred maintenance needs in the public housing stock. The resulting strategy addressed critical immediate and long-term rehabilitation needs while preserving affordability and improving conditions for very low-income residents. 

As part of this strategy, SFHA set out to convert the majority of the its public housing units to private, non-profit-led ownership and management to enable the use of tax credits as a funding source for these properties. The conversion program is funded through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program as well as a combination of other sources including but not limited to: HUD rental subsidies, Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) funding, low-income housing tax credits, tax-exempt bond financing through the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee, long-term ground leases from SFHA, and seller carry-back financing. SFHA will continue to ensure compliance with eligibility and other programmatic requirements at these sites, but the management of the facilities will no longer be SFHA’s responsibility. It is expected that 4,575 housing units, including those at HOPE SF sites, will be converted through this process, leaving approximately 1,460 public housing units along with partnership interests in HOPE VI sites in the SFHA portfolio. 

The mission of MOHCD is to coordinate the City’s housing policy; provide financing for the development, rehabilitation, and purchase of affordable housing in San Francisco; and strengthen the social, physical, and economic infrastructure of San Francisco's low-income neighborhoods and communities in need. MOHCD administers the HOPE SF initiative and the RAD program, and it also manages the funding available through the 2015 Affordable Housing General Obligation Bond and the Housing Trust Fund. Additionally, MOHCD serves as the Successor Housing Agency, responsible for all former San Francisco Redevelopment Agency affordable housing assets. 

HOPE SF is Mayor Lee’s signature anti-poverty initiative that works to revitalize San Francisco’s largest and most distressed public housing sites as mixed-income developments. This effort calls for a wide variety of capital improvements, beginning with horizontal infrastructure improvements that pave the way for new homes, community facilities, and open spaces. The HOPE SF public housing sites are Hunters View, Alice Griffith, Potrero Terrace and Annex, and Sunnydale and Velasco. All of these projects are former San Francisco Housing Authority sites, now being converted to private management. 

The real estate and infrastructure component of HOPE SF requires the complete demolition and rebuilding of the four sites along with new streets, parks and open spaces, and community space that will physically reconnect these sites to their surrounding neighborhoods. HOPE SF also includes family-focused community building, neighborhood-based health and wellness supports, integrated neighborhood education supports, targeted early care supports, economic mobility pathways for youth, and community policing. In total, the City’s HOPE SF initiative will replace 1,904 public housing units, add 1,026 new affordable housing units serving low- and very-low income households, and provide 2,357 workforce units for sale and for rent. 

RAD is a HUD program for the voluntary, permanent conversion of public housing to Section 8 housing. San Francisco was an early adopter of this program and is the largest RAD conversion site in the country. Unlike public housing properties, converted properties are eligible for low-income tax credits, a more reliable and adequate source of funds to support the capital needs of these facilities. RAD funds are used for both HOPE SF developments and for gut rehabilitations on smaller properties throughout the city. 

Altogether MOHCD’s portfolio of affordable housing now includes more than 26,000 units for seniors, families, formerly homeless individuals, and people with disabilities. The affordable housing that MOHCD supports is developed, owned and, managed by private non-profit and for-profit entities that leverage City subsidies with state and federal resources to create permanent affordable housing opportunities for low-income households.

Key Housing Terms 

AMI: Area median income; for 2018 100% of AMI for an individual is $75,400, and for a family of four it is $118,400 

Affordable Units, also referred to as Tax-Credit Affordable Units: Affordable to low- and very-low-income households, defined as up to 60% AMI 

Inclusionary Units: Affordable to households with income restrictions subject to Section 415 of the San Francisco Planning Code 

Market-Rate Units: No income limit restriction 

HUD: United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the federal agency responsible for affordable housing programs 

Public Housing: Affordable to households with incomes of up to 80%, and rent is set at 30% of income 

Section 8: HUD housing choice voucher program, the major federal program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market 

Section 18: HUD disposition program that allows the conversion of properties found to be economically or functionally obsolete to mixed finance developments 

Tenant Protection Vouchers: Vouchers available through HUD and issued directly to eligible tenants to ensure that a Section 18 disposition does not harm existing residents in a property slated for disposition 

Workforce Units: Available to households earning roughly between 60% and 120% AMI but priced below market, typically part of Inclusionary Units

Services Area Facility Map

Services Area Facility Maps

Services Area Facility Map

Services Area Facility Map

Services Area Facility Maps