Community Impacts of the SF Planning Dept. Rezoning Proposal
Download the Digital Flyer of REP-SF’s Educational Resource: bit.ly/REPrezonings
The Race & Equity in all Planning Coalition (REP-SF) foresees severe negative impacts of the San Francisco Planning Department’s proposed upzonings, also referred to as rezonings, on historically marginalized communities, small businesses, and neighborhoods.
By encouraging developers to demolish and rebuild these areas, the SF Planning Dept. is setting up the same destructive policies of urban renewal that have destroyed our communities, and caused mass displacement and job loss. As during the Redevelopment era, many areas targeted for rezonings now have significant populations of BIPOC and low-income families, seniors, merchants, and workers.
Areas Targeted for Upzoning
The areas that SF Planning is targeting for rezoning are in orange on this map.
View SF Planning Rezoning Interactive Map: bit.ly/SF_Rezoning_Map
Defining Key Terms
“Zoning” is the set of rules that tell developers what they can build and where they can build it.
“Rezoning” is the process of changing those rules – so developers can build something different tomorrow than they were allowed to build today. Instead of rezoning for 100% affordable, areas are being rezoned for more expensive market-rate housing.
“Upzoning” is a type of rezoning that allows developers to build taller buildings and more units, including smaller units. Upzoning automatically makes properties more valuable, which increases housing costs for both buyers and renters. Upzoning creates incentives for developers to tear down existing buildings to build newly allowed buildings that have higher profits.
“Redevelopment” or “Urban Renewal” was a set of federal policies (officially from 1949–73) that enabled cities around the U.S. to enact aggressive demolitions of inner-city neighborhoods in the name of “slum clearance,” despite – or because – they were vibrant, diverse communities.
In SF, Redevelopment targeted thriving BIPOC neighborhoods, especially of Black and Japanese residents, small businesses, and community networks in the Fillmore, Western Addition and Japantown, and Filipinos in the South of Market.
SF Proposed Rezonings Are Redevelopment 2.0: The rezonings will displace countless tenants and small businesses, destroying critical infrastructure, and neighborhood-serving businesses such as grocery stores, restaurants, retailers, medical offices, and rent-controlled housing. The rezonings will decimate the networks that low-income and communities of color rely on. SF Planning wants to erase us and replace us.
REP-SF Community Demands for Housing Affordability & Equity
The City Must Rezone for 100% Affordable Housing
We need the Planning Dept. to rezone for 100% affordable housing that is truly accessible to low-income families, seniors, and workers! We need the City to build affordable housing first!
This isn't planning. It's simply a plan for market deregulation to reach the enormous production goal of 82,000 units by 2031. The areas identified for rezoning are in so-called “well-resourced neighborhoods,” a state designation that was supposed to encourage affordable housing. Instead, the City is using it to encourage the development of expensive, market-rate housing.
The upzoning proposal provides nothing our communities need. Despite the developer giveaways, there is no additional requirement for below-market-rate housing or family-size units, even though that's what we need. Developers, with no oversight, will manage the tenant relocation and replacement of rent-control units.
We need development without displacement. We need investments in our communities to improve the livelihoods of existing residents. The Planning Dept. knows that there will be mass displacement, but has no plan to deal with this. They have not implemented the mandated increased investments in tenant protections, nor the assistance for small businesses.
We need true community-centered planning. The Mayor has arbitrarily rushed the rezonings years ahead of the state's deadline of January 2026, without input from our communities, and most residents and small businesses have no idea they are happening. Solutions based on our community expertise should be the priority.
Planning’s Upzoning map includes 170+ legacy businesses that have served the City for 30+ years, and several streets and businesses vital to our neighborhoods.
View the Interactive Map: LegacyBusiness.org/Registry
The Richmond: Clement, Geary, Fulton, Balboa (New May Wah grocery, Green Apple Books, Balboa Theater)
The Sunset: Irving, Judah, Noriega (Polly Ann ice cream shop, Thanh Long restaurant, Other Avenues grocery)
The Western Addition, Ingleside, Divisadero, Nob Hill, Cow Hollow, Presidio Heights, Duboce Triangle
REP-SF’s Calls-To-Action
Write to your District Supervisor to voice your concerns about the upzonings and their harmful impacts in your neighborhood! Tell our City leaders to reject SF Planning’s upzoning proposal because it will cause mass demolitions and displacement of our communities across the city.
Email Full Board: board.of.supervisors@sfgov.org
Email All Legislative Aides: bos-legislative_aides@sfgov.org
Community Demands:
1. Rezone for 100% affordable housing – not market-rate.
2. Build affordable, family-sized units – not tiny studios.
3. Increase tenant protections before rezonings.
4. Provide assistance for small businesses before rezonings.
