SF Moves to Shield Local Zoning as State Transit Housing Law Looms

San Francisco's Land Use and Transportation Committee tackled some of the biggest forces shaping the city's housing future on April 13 — asserting local control over a sweeping new state law, advancing a long-stalled 541-unit tower at Market and Van Ness, and laying the groundwork for a permanent network of curbside electric vehicle chargers. All three items passed unanimously, though pointed questions from supervisors and divided public testimony signaled that the real debates are far from over.

• SF drafts its own playbook for California's landmark transit housing law, exempting industrial zones and low-resource neighborhoods while claiming local zoning already exceeds state requirements by 170,000 units

• 541-unit One Oak tower clears committee with wall-to-wall union support, sending the long-delayed Mid-Market project to the full Board of Supervisors

• Permanent curbside EV charging program amended to prioritize residents over commercial fleets, continued to April 20 for final vote

California's Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act — SB 79 — takes effect July 1, and without local action, it would impose mandatory minimum heights of five to nine stories and densities of 80 to 160 units per acre within a half mile of qualifying transit stops. In San Francisco, that covers roughly 120,000 parcels — more than three-quarters of the city.