U.S. San Francisco introduces legislation to remove barriers for new housing

SAN FRANCISCO, April 18 (Xinhua) -- San Francisco, U.S. state of California, introduced legislation on Tuesday to remove barriers in the San Francisco Planning Code to make it easier and faster to approve new housing.

The legislation, introduced by Mayor London Breed, will eliminate unnecessary processes and hearings, eliminate certain requirements and geographic restrictions, and expand housing incentive programs for new housing that fits within the city's existing zoning laws.

The legislation is a key piece of Breed's Housing For All Plan, which is the city's effort to allow for 82,000 new homes to be built over the next eight years, according to an announcement issued by the mayor's office.

The legislation was unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors in January and certified by the state of California, said the announcement.

"If we want to create housing for working people and families in this city, we can't just talk about wanting more housing, we have to take action to cut the rules and regulations to get more homes built," Breed said.

The proposed legislation would make significant changes to the Planning Code to remove constraints on new housing across three main categories to eliminate unnecessary processes, remove restrictive standards and geographic limitations, and expand incentives for housing.

"I'm excited to see the mayor's plan and the Housing Element come together in this cornerstone effort that will help deliver the housing and affordable housing that San Francisco needs," said the city's Planning Director Rich Hillis.