Nearly 1 in 5 SF-area homes was built prior to 1940
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Despite a housing shortage that's been exacerbated over the past decade, San Francisco has struggled to build enough homes to keep up with demand, leaving the bulk of homes in its metro area built before 1940, the latest census data shows.
Why it matters: The city's long and complicated permitting process, combined with what the state calls high "procedural hurdles," has resulted in a smaller inventory and steep prices. Efforts to preserve historic enclaves have also been at odds with attempts to streamline development.
By the numbers: Nearly 20% of San Francisco metro homes were built before 1940.
- Homes built in the 1970s mark the second highest share, at almost 14%. The 1950s follow, at about 13%.
- It drops into the single digits for homes built in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
- Meanwhile, under 2% of homes were built after 2019.
State of play: The urban policy think tank SPUR has warned that City Hall's governance structure creates bloat that slows down delivery of services.
- San Francisco must meet its state-mandated goal of permitting 82,000 housing units from 2023 to 2031.
What they're saying: There are several "hoops that affordable housing developers have to jump through in order to get the project to the finish line," Lisa Gutierrez, senior vice president for affordable housing at U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance, told Axios earlier this year.
- "Trying to find a way to eliminate some of those barriers will streamline housing, will get it delivered faster and ... I think will build it more efficiently from a cost perspective."
What to watch: The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection announced Friday new guidelines that aim to reduce barriers for office-to-housing conversions.