SF Hits Only 31% of Housing Goals as Funding Cliff Looms

The San Francisco Planning Commission confronted a stark affordable housing reality on April 16: the city has built just 31% of its pro-rata housing targets three years into its current RHNA cycle, and the GO bond money fueling the affordable pipeline is running out. Seven community organizations demanded new funding and land banking strategies. Earlier in the meeting, commissioners split 4-3 over whether to exempt downtown universities from institutional master plan requirements — a vote that exposed a deep philosophical divide over streamlining versus accountability.

• Affordable housing funding cliff approaches: GO bond money could run out by FY 2028-29 without new local revenue, threatening a 12,000-unit pipeline

• IMP reform passes 4-3 to exempt universities outside residential zones from master plan requirements; dissenters cite Academy of Art precedent

• Seven community groups demand land banking, expanded small sites, and dedicated affordable housing funding

• Potrero Hill project shrinks from 25 to 6 units due to construction financing crisis, frustrating commissioners

• Board of Supervisors unanimously denies illegal three-unit merger at Vallejo Street, reinforcing rent-control protections

• Union and workers push back against three Planning Department layoffs, citing strong revenue performance

The longest and most consequential discussion of the meeting centered on an informational hearing about San Francisco's progress toward its Regional Housing Needs Allocation goals — and the results were sobering.