San Francisco Nixes Housing Complex Over a Shadow

Apr 10, 2019

The sun will not shine on a 63-unit apartment complex in housing-hungry San Francisco because the proposed project would have cast an evening shadow over an adjacent park.

According to a San Francisco Chronicle report, the city’s Board of Supervisors unanimously rejected the development, which was to include 15 below-market-rate units, because it would cast an evening shadow on a portion of Victoria Manalo Draves Park. The shadow of the development would have covered the northeastern portion of the park, which features a basketball court, a children’s play area and grassy section favored by dog walkers.

Supervisor Matt Haney insisted that while San Francisco is in acute need for more housing, “this isn’t a meaningless shadow on someone’s backyard. This is a shadow that falls on the only multiuse public park in SoMa.”

However, Tim Colen of the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition questioned the city’s priorities. “This is yet more evidence of why local jurisdictions are failing so badly to deliver the housing that the city needs to help the housing crisis,” he said. “The city’s housing crisis will not abate unless and until we dramatically increase production of housing projects exactly like this one.”

The project will now return to the city's Planning Commission for further review.

About the author

Phil Hall

Link copied

Published

Apr 10, 2019

Analysis and Data

Mortgage Rates Surpass 7% For First Time This Year

Freddie Mac reported the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 7.10%.

Freddie Mac today released its Primary Mortgage Market Survey, revealing the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 7.10%, breaching the 7% threshold for the first time this year. “The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage surpassed 7% for the first time this year, jumping from...

Analysis and Data

Existing Home Sales Decline By 4.3% In March

Northeast the only region to see an uptick in sales over prior month, per a new report from the National Association of Realtors

Fewer people bought homes this March than the month before and during March 2023, a new report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reveals. Total existing-home sales receded 4.3% from February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.19 million in March. Year...