Housing costs in San Francisco contribute to so many problems, including homelessness, minority flight, financial pressures that lead to social problems, and the failure of businesses to locate and remain in the city. We need to intelligently increase supply.
I support Prop A, although I would prefer revenue bonds to spur first-time homeownership. I would like to try to get some of the vacant Ellis Act apartments back on line to increase supply; there are at least 10,000 of them. The Housing Authority has many units that still need rehabilitation to bring them up to standard for rent and I will insist on that. The Sunnydale family site could better utilize the 50 acres of property it covers; this property alone could yield 20,000 units of well-planned housing. I support Community Land Trusts as a way to provide low-cost housing, and the success of Community Housing is clearly demonstrated in San Francisco's St. Francis Square Cooperative, which has provided affordable homeownership for four decades.
|
