Supervisors Vote to Legalize New Accessory Units Citywide
On Tuesday July 19, the Board of Supervisors voted to 10-1 to legalize new accessory units in buildings citywide. In May, two separate ordinances were introduced to legalize accessory units citywide. One was sponsored by Supervisor Peskin, and the other is by Supervisors Wiener and Farrell. The supervisors merged their ordinances into a compromise version, which won the support of 10…
Ridge Lane, SF’s Newest Street Park
On Saturday June 18, neighbors and city officials dedicated the first block of a new street park on Ridge Lane in the City’s Ocean View neighborhood. The project transformed a dirt path on a narrow public right-of-way into a linear park, with an accessible path, new lighting, benches, and landscaping. It was designed by Nahal Sohbati…
Planning Commission Endorses Citywide Accessory Unit Legalization
Three ordinances to legalize accessory units (also known as in-law units) citywide were approved by the Planning Commission this week. Two would allow new housing units in existing buildings citywide. The third would facilitate the legalization of existing units originally built without permits. On Thursday June 16, the Planning Commission recommended two ordinances that would permit new in-law units in existing buildings…
Livability Awards Photo Contest Photos
Click here to submit your own livability photos before June 22!!
Livable City Recommendations for the June 7 Election
For the June 7, 2016 election, Livable City recommends: Yes on A: Public Health and Safety Bond Measure A is a $350,000 general obligation bond that funds earthquake safety and fire safety retrofits at San Francisco General Hospital and the City’s neighborhood health centers, safety and resliiency upgrades to the city’s ambulance facilities and firehouses,…
SF Supervisors Advance Pro-Housing Measures
The Board of Supervisors advances several important pro-housing measures in the first few months of 2016. The Board approved two ordinances that will protect tens of thousands of units of housing built without permits. They also approved a measure to streamline affordable projects, and placed a measure on the June ballot to increase the number of…
Planning Commission Approves Better Environmental Review Standards
On Thursday March 3, San Francisco’s Planning Commission unanimously approved an essential, and long overdue, change to the way it reviews projects under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Commission replaced automobile level of service (LOS), a measure of automobile delay at intersections, with vehicle miles travelled (VMT) as their chief transportation measure for analyzing projects. This…
What Makes a Livable Neighborhood?
A livable San Francisco is a network of Livable Neighborhoods. Each neighborhood should have a distinct character, but each should be complete, supporting living, working, commerce, and culture. A Livable Neighborhood is: Compact Sustainable Livable neighborhoods conserve land, and are of sufficiently density to support frequent transit service and neighborhood-serving businesses. Livable neighborhoods provide a…
Car-Free Streets and the Poetry of the City
Poets Plaza, a proposed piazza in North Beach, has been delayed again. Supporters have started an online petition to get the project moving. There will be a public meeting about the piazza on Thursday, March 3 from 6 to 7:30 pm at the Tel-Hi Center, 660 Lombard Street near Mason. The plaza, also called Piazza Saint Francis, would…
New Greenway Connections to Link San Francisco’s Peaks
The vision of an interconnected Greenway Network of trails and parks across San Francisco’s San Miguel Hills continues to take shape, with three projects poised to move ahead in the next few months. These open spaces extend from Golden Gate Park to Glen Park. Encompassing peaks, canyons, forests, grasslands, streams, and lakes, the greenway network supports recreation, habitat and watershed restoration, and…
