Everything You Need to Know About San Francisco’s Family Zoning Plan

What is the Family Zoning Plan?

The rezoning plan is a proposed set of changes to the city’s rules for building new housing in San Francisco. The plan aims to increase housing by legalizing the development of more and taller buildings, with a focus on the city’s western and northern neighborhoods that currently have restrictive development policies.

The new zoning rules would give housing developers more flexibility to build, but the plan itself does not include any housing developments or mandate new housing production.

Why is the city changing its zoning plan now?

California state law requires that San Francisco adopt an updated zoning plan by Jan. 31, 2026, in order to keep up with increasing population and demographic changes. The rezoning plan is also required under the city’s Housing Element, a set of policies aimed at guiding where and how the city’s future housing should be built.

How many new units does the city need to add, and by when, to meet state requirements?

San Francisco needs to allow for 82,062 additional housing units for different income levels by 2031. Some 43,000 units that the city has already approved, but that have yet to be developed, are included in the tally of total units. The city’s plan aims to create capacity for at least 36,000 units for various income levels.

When is the deadline to pass the new plan?

Under state law, San Francisco must adopt its new zoning plan by Jan. 31, 2026.

Further amendments to the plan could be adopted at its final review at the Land Use and Transportation Committee on Dec. 1, or when the plan goes before the full Board of Supervisors for a vote on Dec. 2.

What happens if the city doesn’t adopt a new zoning plan?

If San Francisco fails to adopt a new zoning plan by January 2026, the state could withhold millions of dollars in grant funding that the city relies on to build affordable housing projects, public transit and other city services.

The city also risks losing local control over development plans, meaning the state could force approval of so-called “builder’s remedy” projects, a legal mechanism that allows developers to bypass local zoning limits around building height and density.

How many of these new units must be affordable?

The Family Zoning Plan is consistent with state law requiring at least 15% of new homes to be affordable. The city’s Planning Department estimates that of the 82,062 units needed, 32,881 should be affordable for low-income households, which is a family of four earning less than $156,650 in San Francisco, according to income limits set by the state.

It requires 13,717 units for moderate-income households, meaning a family of four earning around $223,900 and 35,471 for above-moderate income households.

Which parts of the city are slated to be upzoned and by how much?

The state housing mandate requires that the city emphasize development of new housing in neighborhoods that have historically rejected or lacked new and affordable housing.

The Family Zoning Plan applies to nearly 96,000 parcels primarily along transit corridors in the city’s western and northern neighborhoods.

It does not upzone universally across the city, and avoids parts of the city’s eastern and southern neighborhoods that have been rezoned in the past.

The plan allows for increases of two to four additional stories in specific areas, primarily near transit lines or other commercial corridors.

It also allows for high rises between 12 and 65 stories on select major thoroughfares, such as on Van Ness Avenue, Market Street and Geary Boulevard.

An interactive map of the city’s proposed zoning changes can be viewed here.

Can rent-controlled units be demolished under this plan?

Yes. However, buildings with three or more rent-controlled units are exempt from upzoning in the current version of the plan after a recently adopted amendment. But supervisors have tabled other proposed amendments that could exempt additional rent-controlled buildings from the plan.

Under current city policy, the Planning Commission must approve the demolition of rent-controlled units. About 18 housing units were demolished per year from 2012–24.

How will small businesses be affected or protected?

The plan aims to give displaced small businesses priority for available commercial space and guidance for relocation. It also states small business owners will receive early notifications about projects, as well as financial resources such as grants, waived permit fees and relocation incentives for new developments.

How does the plan protect historic buildings or resources?

State and federal landmarks are prohibited from being demolished under the plan. Local landmarks are also exempt from the upzoning plan, after an amendment was adopted into the plan in November. The plan also offers developers incentives, such as additional square footage and code flexibility, for projects that reuse and preserve historic structures that cannot be demolished.

How long has this been in the works? How did the city collect feedback?

The target of 80,000+ units originated from the city’s housing element process, which started around 2019. The Association of Bay Area Governments, the regional planning agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area, determined the final allocation in 2021.

Since 2023, the city has gathered community feedback on the plan through public meetings, one-on-one interviews, online forums and surveys, focus groups and other in-person and remote workshops.

Will this plan ACTUALLY lead to more housing?

The ultimate aim of the rezoning plan is to make way for thousands of additional housing units. The plan, however, does not include any specific development plans or blueprints. By loosening height and density regulations, the plan’s authors assume that developers will have more flexibility to build in areas that currently restrict development.

Due to financial and economic uncertainty, estimates for how much housing might actually result from the zoning changes vary. The Planning Department estimates that the plan could realistically open up to 19,000 units; however, modeling from the city’s Chief Economist suggests that it could produce only around 14,600 units.

Who is backing the plan and who is opposing it?

The Family Zoning Plan is a key agenda item for Mayor Daniel Lurie, who has received support from several supervisors as well as Yes In My Backyard (YIMBY) advocates, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, San Francisco Apartment Association, the urban policy nonprofit SPUR, and the Bay Area Council, which argue the plan will be necessary to meet state requirements and build enough housing for future generations.

But some supervisors have said the plan doesn’t include enough protections for renters and small businesses who may have to relocate if future development plans are successful. Groups like Neighborhoods United SF have said the plan risks displacing lower-income residents and small businesses while lacking plans for financing affordable housing projects.

Tension over the plan has echoed in community meetings and public hearings where residents have shared their support and concerns. It’s also been a major factor in the recent recall of former District 4 supervisor Joel Engardio, who supported the rezoning plan, and Lurie’s appointment of his replacement.

Has the city ever done this before?

Redevelopment is continuously shaping the cityscape. One major example is the urban renewal push beginning in the 1950s after President Harry Truman signed the 1949 Housing Act, which authorized reconstruction and demolition of primarily low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, such as the Fillmore in San Francisco.

But the Family Zoning Plan is one of the largest efforts to focus specifically on height and density rules in San Francisco since the 1978 Residential Rezoning, which put strict limits on development in nearly half of the city to preserve low-rise residential neighborhoods and single-family homes.