City passes Family Zoning Plan as pushback grows against high rise apartment in Marina
Proposed high rise in the Marina sparking controversy
A new ordinance to make building housing easier in San Francisco passed Tuesday, but the mayor said the new project in the marina is a "violation of the spirit of that work."
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - A new ordinance to make building housing easier in San Francisco passed Tuesday, called the Family Zoning Plan.
The plan brought forth by Mayor Daniel Lurie could bring some 36,000 new units, but he said a recently proposed project in the Marina is a "violation of the spirit of that work."
25-story project proposed to bring nearly 800 new units
One real estate developer, Align, has ambitious plans for more than one Safeway in San Francisco and for the former Safeway site in the Fillmore-Japantown area. These plans are not linked to the so-called Family Zoning plan. The proposal for one of the Safeway stores targeted for redevelopment is the Safeway off Marina Boulevard. The plan would be to build a 25-story apartment complex on top of it.
The backstory:
The project is still in the early stages, as the developer has only submitted a preliminary application, but it’s causing controversy between housing advocates and neighbors in the charming district.
The proposal includes a sloped tower for nearly 800 living units of varying sizes using Senate Bill 330 to streamline approval, without the city’s input, and state law to increase residential capacity by 39%.
Neighbors worry about the impacts that temporarily closing the store would have on the community.
What they're saying:
"We definitely need housing. My big thing is when they build, it’s never affordable. It’s always expensive housing," said neighbor Alison Wetherall.
Wetherall also said the wealthy neighborhood doesn’t need a dramatic change to the skyline.
"It’s too high" she said. "If you look around, it’s just going to stick out like a sore thumb."
Another neighbor, Briana Dow, said, "I think it’s going to take away some of the charm from the neighborhood, like it still has a small town vibe even though it’s in San Francisco."
City passes separate housing plan
At a Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, the Family Zoning Plan officially passed.
Mayor Lurie said this ordinance will make it easier to build housing in the city by changing the rules to build. The new plan allows for more dense buildings, but not as tall as this.
The Family Zoning Plan takes a less conspicuous approach.
A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office said, "A developer trying to sneak in a project before our plan takes effect is a complete violation of the spirit of that work."
Lurie said on Friday at a press conference, "That's just a developer playing a game, because that won't be possible once our Family Zoning Plan goes into practice. We'll work with anybody to do the right kind of building and that one is just not in line with what we're doing here in San Francisco."
The other side:
Yes In My Backyard, or YIMBY Action, a housing advocacy group that was in favor of the Family Zoning Plan also supports the new Marina Safeway development.
Executive Director Laura Foote said state work-arounds incentivize developers to include some subsidized housing and all new housing is good for the city.
"Every unit we build in San Francisco…that's another person who's not going to be pushed out, you know, to Stockton," said Foote.
Foote said the underutilized lot will be more affordable housing than the Marina’s seen built in more than a decade.
"The fact that we have not built in the Marina for decades is part of what is causing problems in the Mission. That's part of what is pushing people further and further out," she said.
What's next:
We reached out to Align Real Estate, but did not hear back in time for this report.
In the meantime, the Mayor’s Office said his administration will continue to fight to make the project here work better for the community.
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