Take Action for a Livable City: Better Market Street and Parking Reform
In March, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors declared a Climate Emergency, calling for “immediate and accelerated action to address the climate crisis.” We’re urging City government to walk its talk, and join a growing number of cities making bold moves to address the climate crisis – and become more healthy, livable, equitable, and green…
San Francisco removes minimum parking requirements citywide
On December 21, the Mayor signed Supervisor Jane Kim’s ordinance eliminating minimum parking requirements citywide. The ordinance goes into effect on January 20. In October, the City’s Planning Commission unanimously recommended removing citywide parking requirements as part of their review of legislation to limit new driveways along the City’s most important transit, walking, and cycling…
The Perils of Planning by Exception
Two big private developments won important approvals in the last month – one from the voters, and the other from the Board of Supervisors. Voters approved Proposition D, approving a height limit increase for the Mission Rock Development on San Francisco’s waterfront, as well as a host of policies related to the development. The Board of Supervisors approved…
Livable Downtown Initiative
Livable City’s Livable Downtown Initiative seeks to make Downtown San Francisco a more vital, sustainable, and livable place. It has been over twenty years since the city’s landmark Downtown Plan was adopted. The Downtown plan set out to create a vital downtown office and shopping district oriented to walking and public transit. The vision of…
A Brief History of Parking in San Francisco
1955: San Francisco established its first residential parking space requirements of one space for each newly created dwelling unit. 1960: Revisions to the Planning Code were adopted which continued the residential requirement but allowed one of the required spaces to be a tandem space, and added requirements for commercial and industrial off street parking and…
Converting Garages in San Francisco
In a city where housing is increasingly scarce and expensive, and where commercial rents are skyrocketing, converting garage spaces to new housing and storefronts can help make space for residents and neighborhood-serving small businesses. Converting garages can also improve neighborhood livability by restoring features like front gardens, green backyards, front porches, storefronts, building lobbies, street trees, and even…
New Accessory Dwelling Units Could be Allowed in More SF Neighborhoods
Livable City has long championed legalizing the addition of new apartments, known as accessory dwelling units or in-law units, to existing buildings. As we explained back in December: Adding housing to existing buildings is great way to add housing to neighborhoods while preserving their character and history. Adding housing to existing buildings is greener – the energy…
Livable City’s Action Plan for Housing Marks a Year of Successes
Last December, Livable City put forward our Action Plan for Housing, a set of complementary strategies for making San Francisco a more livable, sustainable, and affordable city. We aimed to address San Francisco’s unprecedented housing crisis by putting forward a set of strategies for preserving existing housing and protecting tenants, while increasing the supply of housing that is…
Quartet of Housing Measures Will Preserve, Improve, and Increase SF Housing
In the past six months, four housing ordinances championed by Livable City were passed into law. Together, these ordinances will preserve tens of thousands of existing housing units, permitting improvements while strengthening tenant protections, and will permit new units in the Castro neighborhoods. Two ordinances went into effect last week – one creating a path to legalization…
Livable City Challenges Sunday Meter Rollback
Livable City and the San Francisco Transit Riders Union have appealed SFMTA’s decision to roll back San Francisco’s successful Sunday parking meter program. In January 2013, San Francisco finally started enforcing parking meters from 12-6 pm on Sundays on the City’s commercial streets. An evaluation [PDF] completed in December found the program to be successful – it increased…
