Multiplying San Francisco’s housing inventory by means of duplexes

From Sonja Trauss

SB 9 was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom and is now state law. Will the impact in San Francisco be as bad as opponents predict? Hopefully the answer is yes.

The opponents of SB 9 promise that exclusive, expensive single-family quarters will suddenly be overrun by cheap apartments and the neighborhood will be opened up to every Tom, Dick, Harry, Lisa, Angela, Pamela, Renee, Fatima, Muhammad or Kofi. This wonderful result could become a reality with the support of the San Franciscans on the ground.

The first thing new and exciting about SB 9 is that it is specifically for Single Family Zones (also often referred to as “RH-1 Zones”). Most land use laws, which allow denser, cheaper housing, expressly exclude single-family zones. This is because our land use and zoning laws are primarily concerned with creating and maintaining economic segregation. The requirement that each residential unit be equipped with a large piece of land makes living more expensive.

SB 9, on the other hand, specifically targets single-family homes and says cities must allow maisonettes that are the same size as the largest single-family home in the neighborhood, or at least 1,600 square feet (800 square feet per apartment), whichever is larger.

SB 9 would enable maisonettes in many of the purple lots that are currently designated for single family homes. (Image courtesy Robert Fructman)

Another exciting aspect of this journey to housing production is that maisonettes are being built all over the city, and not just neighborhoods like SoMa, Mission and Bayview. In the past 10 years, a shocking 80% of new homes have been built in just two regulatory districts: Districts 6 and 10, represented by Matt Haney and Shamann Walton, respectively. This means that only 20% of the new residential construction production is spread across the other nine districts. This is clearly unfair and absolutely nothing can justify this injustice.

The passage from SB 9 offers the possibility of a massive increase in residential construction distributed throughout the city, but its implementation can still be sabotaged. SB 9 grants exemptions for individual family areas that are historic districts (and fire zones, but that doesn’t affect San Francisco). Local housing opponents, both inside and outside the local government, will seek to use this exemption and existing procedures to tackle, delay and discourage the big houses in their leafy, exclusive neighborhoods from becoming maisonettes.

You can help with housing construction by joining a local YIMBY group like SFYIMBY or just being careful of what is happening in your neighborhood. When the opportunity arises, speak to you about an apartment. Post in the comments on Nextdoor that, no, you don’t think a new planned maisonette is going to ruin the neighborhood. Click on everyone on your neighborhood list and say that you think San Francisco needs more housing of all kinds and that no, we shouldn’t be organizing to stop a local housing offer. Write your supervisor an e-mail and let him know that you like SB 9, that you want it to be implemented quickly and that you are looking forward to more apartments in your neighborhood.

These messages are really important. Most of the voices in the housing debate support a reason why housing should not be built. We need voices that say YES.

Sonja Trauss is the managing director and co-founder of Yes In My Back Yard.