SFHAC's Endorsement Program brings a city-wide consciousness for more housing through broad-based support of development on a site-by-site basis. You can read our Housing Development Endorsement Guidelines below, or you may download them here (PDF).

ENDORSEMENT GUIDELINES

Adopted January 2010

The SFHAC will consider endorsing housing developments and mixed-use projects with a housing component. The following guidelines will be used to evaluate the project:

Land Use: Housing should be an appropriate use of the site given the context of the adjacent properties and the surrounding neighborhood and should enhance neighborhood livability.

Density: The project should take full advantage of the maximum unit density and/or building envelope, allowable under the zoning rules.

Affordability: The need for affordable housing, including middle income (120-150 of median) housing, is a critical problem and SFHAC gives special support to projects that propose creative ways to expand or improve unit affordability beyond the legally mandated requirements.

Parking and Alternative Transportation: SFHAC expects the projects it endorses to include creative strategies to reduce the need for parking, such as ample bicycle storage, provision of space for car-share vehicles on-site or nearby, un-bundling parking cost from residential unit cost, and measures to incentivize transit use.

Proximity to transit should result in less need for parking.

In districts with an as-of-right maximum and discretionary approval up to an absolute maximum, SFHAC will support parking exceeding the as-of-right maximum only to the extent the Code criteria for doing so are clearly met. In districts where the minimum parking requirement is one parking space per residential unit (1:1), the SFHAC will not, except in extraordinary circumstances, support a project with parking in excess of that amount.

Preservation: If there are structures of significant historic or cultural merit on the site, their retention and/ or incorporation into the project is encouraged. If such structures are to be demolished, there should be compelling reasons for doing so.

Urban Design: The project should promote principles of good urban design: Where appropriate, contextual design that is compatible with the adjacent streetscape and existing neighborhood character while at the same time utilizing allowable unit density: pleasant and functional private and/or common open space; pedestrian, bicycle and transit friendly site planning; and design treatments that protect and enhance the pedestrian realm, with curb cuts minimized and active ground floor uses provided.

Projects with a substantial number of multiple bedroom units should consider including features that will make the project friendly to families with children.

Environmental Features: SFHAC is particularly supportive of projects that employ substantial and/or innovative measures that will enhance their sustainability and reduce their carbon footprint.

Community Input: Projects for which the developer has made a good faith effort to communicate to the community and to address legitimate neighborhood concerns, without sacrificing SFHAC's objectives, will receive more SFHAC support.

ENDORSEMENT REVIEW PROCESS

The endorsement process is simple. Download a Project Endorsement Form here and sumbit it to the Housing Action Coalition. After receiving information about the project, a member of the Endorsements Committee will review the project according to our criteria and prepare a brief report and recommendation. The Endorsement Committee, made up of representatives from environmental and community-based groups and design and planning organizations, then makes a decision whether or not to endorse. In rare cases the Committee may elect to refer the final decision to SFHAC's full Steering Committee. Typically a project review can be completed in one month, in some cases more quickly. Developers are encouraged to request SFHAC's review early in the project planning process.

Outline of key steps:

1. Developer submits project profile and request for endorsement review
2. Reviewer looks at plans, makes site visit, talks with case planner at Dept. of City Planning or SF Redevelopment Agency, talks with project proponent, talks with any known opponents
3. Committee may request presentation by project developer/architect and/or organized opposition
4. Reviewer prepares and sends brief report and recommendation to Endorsements Committee
5. Committee makes decision on endorsement
6. Letter sent to developer
7. Further public support needs determined
8. Developers are encouraged to request SFHAC involvement in the early conceptual and design stages of projects. The SFHAC's final endorsement, however, will consider the community input process.

HOUSING COALITION ACTION ON REVIEWED PROJECTS

Depending on how closely the project meets the endorsement criteria, SFHAC can offer a range of support, including some or all of the following:

1. An official letter of endorsement that can be used to publicly promote the project
2. Media press announcement highlighting the benefits of the project and the Coalition's endorsement
3. Public testimony at hearings
4. Attendance and promotion at neighborhood meetings
5. Attending meetings with public officials
6. Publication of the endorsement on the SFHAC website.