{"id":39871,"date":"2025-02-27T23:11:16","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T07:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=39871"},"modified":"2025-02-27T23:11:17","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T07:11:17","slug":"sf-poised-to-waive-big-costs-for-office-to-housing-conversions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/02\/27\/sf-poised-to-waive-big-costs-for-office-to-housing-conversions\/","title":{"rendered":"SF poised to waive big costs for office-to-housing conversions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/Patrick_Hoge\">By Patrick Hoge | Examiner staff writer |<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Feb 25, 2025\u00a0Updated\u00a0Feb 26, 2025 (SFExaminer.com)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com\/sfexaminer.com\/content\/tncms\/assets\/v3\/editorial\/9\/7c\/97ce9e38-ddc1-11ef-a6ed-8332ab690373\/679950a5ae64c.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267\" alt=\"Mayor Daniel Lurie speaking at a press conference in support of San Francisco as a sanctuary city\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mayor Daniel Lurie, seen in January: \u201cTransforming vacant offices into housing will help drive our recovery downtown while creating new homes for San Franciscans.\u201dCraig Lee\/The Examiner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>San Francisco\u2019s Board of Supervisors is poised to take another stab at making it easier to convert empty office and other commercial buildings downtown into housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The legislative body on Tuesday gave initial approval to an ordinance that would exempt certain projects in the city\u2019s center that replace non-residential uses with residential ones from an assortment of fees and requirements, including The City\u2019s inclusionary housing fee. City staffers have estimated the measure will&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/business\/sf-office-building-sales-rising-hint-at-real-estate-rebound\/article_98d3ad78-d466-11ef-baf7-b3895b0e5b1f.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">eliminate the lion\u2019s share of city-imposed costs<\/a>&nbsp;on commercial-to-residential conversion projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sponsored by Mayor Lurie and co-sponsored by District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey and District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter, the measure passed the board on a 9-2 vote. District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder and District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton voted no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bill could be up for a second vote as soon as next Tuesday, said a spokesperson for the mayor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a press release, Lurie hailed the vote as evidence of a new epoch of cooperation in city government. The legislation will help revitalize downtown, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTransforming vacant offices into housing will help drive our recovery downtown while creating new homes for San Franciscans,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a win-win for our city.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">EX \/\/ TOP STORIES<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/image-89.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39872\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/health\/sf-researchers-warn-trump-cuts-could-hamper-cancer-fight\/article_0ae78a66-f39c-11ef-bf24-abfb38621d0e.html#tncms-source=top-stories-article\">SF researchers warn Trump funding cuts could hinder life-saving cures<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Trump\u2019s attempts to cut NIH funding could lead to layoffs at smaller research organizations and slow their efforts to develop treatments for cancer, Alzheimer&#8217;s<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/image-90.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39873\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/culture\/food-and-wine\/sf-fishermans-wharf-expects-to-land-new-barbecue-restaurant\/article_c2e0df8a-f4a7-11ef-b142-2f1962de0f9f.html#tncms-source=top-stories-article\">Oakland barbecue chain plans new location in SF&#8217;s Fisherman&#8217;s Wharf<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Everett and Jones has gotten the Port Commission\u2019s thumbs-up to take over the spot formerly occupied by Lou\u2019s Fish Shack<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/culture\/theater\/sf-ballet-raymonda-adaptation-a-rarity-in-multiple-ways\/article_bb8a22a2-f0ae-11ef-ac8c-9be764238028.html#tncms-source=top-stories-article\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/occupysf.net\/96e6a593-b597-4f29-8bba-3f049b4c586d\" alt=\"SF Ballet's \u2018Raymonda\u2019 adaptation a rarity\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/culture\/theater\/sf-ballet-raymonda-adaptation-a-rarity-in-multiple-ways\/article_bb8a22a2-f0ae-11ef-ac8c-9be764238028.html#tncms-source=top-stories-article\">SF Ballet&#8217;s \u2018Raymonda\u2019 adaptation a rarity<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Tamara Rojo choreographs for company for first time by revisiting a classic<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>San Francisco\u2019s downtown has struggled since the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks in large part to the rise of remote work and the consequent decline in the number of workers going to offices for their jobs. Since the pandemic, San Francisco\u2019s office vacancy rate has risen in all but two of the last 20 quarters to surpass 34% \u2014 with some estimates putting it at more than 36%. That is more than double the rate in New York and higher than Los Angeles, Austin and Seattle, Lurie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the goals of both housing more people and diversifying&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/housing\/sf-office-conversions-might-not-have-affordable-housing-fees\/article_f21d46fa-d218-11ef-b452-8f0283c68c37.html#:~:text=downtown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">downtown\u2019s economy<\/a>, planning advocates and developers have been pushing officials to make it easier to convert underutilized office buildings into housing. Although both&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/housing\/sf-office-conversions-might-not-have-affordable-housing-fees\/article_f21d46fa-d218-11ef-b452-8f0283c68c37.html#:~:text=approving\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The City<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/housing\/sf-office-conversions-might-not-have-affordable-housing-fees\/article_f21d46fa-d218-11ef-b452-8f0283c68c37.html#:~:text=a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the state<\/a>&nbsp;have enacted pro-conversion measures, those measures have yet to make a significant impact in San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lurie, in his press release, blamed that lack of traction on financial and bureaucratic hurdles that have inhibited office-to-housing conversion projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The legislation the board voted on Tuesday was introduced in September by former Mayor London Breed and Dorsey, whose District 6, along with Sauter\u2019s, covers much of downtown. City staff have estimated the fee and other waivers would eliminate $70,000 to $90,000 of costs per residence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Supervisors on Tuesday approved an amendment to the proposal that would cap the total square footage eligible for a development-fee waiver at 7 million square feet of floor space converted from commercial to residential use. Under the legislation, hotel space would not be eligible for conversion-fee waivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMayor Lurie and I are committed to reimagining downtown as a thriving neighborhood where people live, work, and play,\u201d Dorsey said in the press release sent out by the Mayor\u2019s Office. \u201cUnderutilized and vacant office buildings offer us incredible opportunities to unlock more units of housing and welcome new neighbors downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>San Francisco\u2019s Board of Supervisors is poised to take another stab at making it easier to convert empty office and other commercial buildings downtown into housing. The legislative body on Tuesday gave initial approval to an ordinance that would exempt certain projects in the city\u2019s center that replace non-residential uses&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/02\/27\/sf-poised-to-waive-big-costs-for-office-to-housing-conversions\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39871"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39871"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39875,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39871\/revisions\/39875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}