SF moves to relax Central SoMa zoning rules to boost housing

Driving the news: The legislation, co-sponsored by Supervisor Matt Dorsey (District 6), would eliminate zoning provisions that require a minimum amount of office space in new mixed-use projects on large sites.

• Currently, these types of projects must maintain a ratio of two-thirds commercial space to one-third residential.
• The mayor's office said the proposal would allow fully residential developments and boost residential space in mixed-use projects, enabling thousands of new housing units.
• It's "another step towards unlocking longtime barriers that have slowed us down and prevented progress," Breed said in a news release.

State of play: The zoning provisions were part of an eight-year plan to extend downtown's skyline toward SoMa and create a booming hub with 8 million new square feet of modern office space and 8,800 new housing units.

• It was meant to support higher density mixed-use developments, particularly office spaces.

• That plan experienced delays with the onset of the pandemic, leading to shuttered storefronts and stalled construction sites.

The big picture: Like San Francisco, many Bay Area cities have moved to repurpose vacant office buildings in the aftermath of the pandemic.

• Local officials have led initiatives to convert offices into housing amid an office vacancy rate high.
• Some have also sought to transform empty hotels and schools into apartments.