SAN FRANCISCO
THE AFFORDABILITY GAP
Despite this, many new homes remain
out of reach for local workers and
residents. A 2008 study by the California
Budget Project found that to afford a
median-priced home, a San Francisco
family would need an annual income of
$196,878; the city’s median household
income in 2005 was $73,180.
To help create more homes, the city has
undertaken several neighborhood planning
efforts. The Eastern Neighborhoods
program could potentially create a
total of 10,000 new infill homes in
four historically industrial areas—the
Central Waterfront south of Mission
Bay, Eastern SoMa, the Mission, and
Showplace Square/Potrero Hill. The
Better Neighborhoods program includes
the Market and Octavia neighborhood,
Japantown, the Central Waterfront (also
part of the Eastern Neighborhoods plan),
and the Balboa Park BART station area.
A Major Transit Hub
The city is now planning for a new high-density
neighborhood around one of the
largest multi-modal transit stations in the
entire country. Under the Transit Center
District Plan, the aging and underutilized
Transbay Terminal will be transformed
into a major transportation hub, where
MUNI, BART, and the future high-speed
rail will connect with the Caltrain line
that now ends several blocks away. The
entire surrounding neighborhood will
fill with new offices and homes. Coupled
with the nearby Transbay and Rincon
Hill neighborhoods, this has the potential
to create a vibrant urban neighborhood
while making transit more efficient for
riders all over the region.
San Francisco is a world-class city that has been doing infill development for a long time. If it can achieve growth that balances the needs of current residents with those of new residents, it could offer a model of sustainability to the region and the nation.
Heart of the Region San Francisco is the cultural heart of the
Bay Area and a major job center. With the
densest transit infrastructure in California,
the city can support significant increases
in population and jobs. According to the
Association of Bay Area Governments’
regional housing allocations, over the
next several years San Francisco should
add more new housing than any city but
San Jose. Several large infill projects are
now underway, although unfortunately,
the city’s neighborhood plans have been
plagued by delays, slowing the creation
of needed homes. An ambitious plan for
a new downtown core around a major San Francisco’s Mission Bay project
is one of the Bay Area’s largest infill
developments. When completed, the
former Southern Pacific railyards will To the northwest of Mission Bay, the
addition of new housing and office space
has transformed the historically industrial
South of Market (SoMa) area, and will |
