tv [untitled] March 28, 2014 12:00am-12:31am PDT
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>> good afternoon and welcome to the san francisco san francisco land use & economic development committee i'm supervisor scott wiener and malia cowen and joined by david chiu i want to thank sftv moimentd. >> yes. phones, devices are prohibited at this meeting. please be advised that the chair may order the removal from the meeting room plea of april 1st
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agenda unless otherwise stated. >> we will be calling the items a bit out of order items 1 and 5 will be lengthy and we're going to call 2, 3, 4 first. so madam clerk item 2 >> that's an ordinance for the rent board to adjusted the tenant household for less than 20 days according to the consumer price index and president chiu. >> this is pretty straightforward to adjust the low avoidance payments for the consumer price index and there's a flat cap on what tenants can receive this is legislation that will require the rent board to you adjust this using the
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formula cost inflation and is there any public comment i want to thank the rented board for bringing this to your attention. >> thank you. any public comment on item 2. >> i'd like to suggest you should do 60 percent d bye b i and it should be at 60 percent even if c pi not full c pi. >> thank you. >> thank you. any additional public comment? (clapping) >> if i could just remind folks we have a rule at the board of supervisors that we don't allow
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audib audible expressions you have if you want to for this or any other item if you want to do a thufrpdz up or down to express approval or disapproval it's okay. any thaeld public comment on item 2 seeing none, public comment is closed. >> mansion a motion to move forward this. >> there's a motion to forward this with recommendations to the board. any discussion colleagues and can we take those without objection? ? that will be the order. madam clerk, call item 3 >> item 3 is an ordinance for
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the plazas program and supervisor cowen is the thorough along with the mayor which i understand we will continue to may 12th so as noted the authors of the item want to continue the item to may 12th. any public comment on item 3 or the intended motion to continue? okay. seeing none, public comment is closed. and could i have a motion to continue item 3 to may 12th and moved and seconded and without objection >> madam clerk, call item 4. >> it's a resolution for the nomination on 3066 market street for landmark status. >> and the author of item 4 which is a resolution of intent
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to initiate a tree process this starts the laborer for a giant is a can i tree if the heights neighborhood. today's resolution only initials the process and allows the point of environment and the urban fort forestry to make a recommendation to the board of supervisors as to whether this tree should be landmark. whether or not landmark the tree would be a policy matter for the board of supervisors. the giant is a in question is estimated to be more than 77 decades old and exceptionally large for san francisco. the giant is a in question and the coastal redwood are cherished parts of this states
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history and identity there are few giant is a convoys and the neighborhood association encompassing the area including this tree is strongly supporting this process so colleagues if there's no comments i'll ask any public comment on item 4? seeing none, public comment is closed. colleagues could i have a motion to forward item 4 to the full board of supervisors. we'll took it without objection >> madam clerk item 1. >> item one is an ordinance amending the planning and building codes for the legal status for the existing dwelling units without a permit. >> okay president chiu is the
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author. >> i want to thank the public for this consideration of this legislation when i introduced in november to allow the existing in law units to apply for legal status within our city. i wanted to thank the collaboration of a difference coalition of housing organizations and city vice presidents ero e over the prior months including our planning staff and all city departments. i want to thank our co-sponsor supervisor wiener he has a legislation that will allow new in-laws and thank him for his sponsoring. this proposal creates a volunteer process to allow a property owner to legalize one dwelling unit constructed before january of 2013.
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in short the property owner needs to go to dbi to determine whether or not it will meet the building plans and then could submit an application and secure any permits needed for construction. i want to talk about why it is we're here. we all know we're in the midst of an affordable housing crisis we've had too many san franciscans pushed out of our city. for many decade are technical in law unit and after world war ii there were 090 percent of units unpermitted it's 12i789d 20 to thirty thousand units represents 10 percent off our city stocking unit we know they house our
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vulnerable san franciscans tenants immigrants and seniors and families with many children and some of our low income folks those are unit that are affordable but don't immediately evoke tenant rights 45 percent of those residents don't even have written leases with their landlords. for several decades been a call for the secondary units they're a simple and cost effective method to expand our housing supply. organizations from spur to asian law caucus have encouraged us to get that step. as a city we've had a don't ask don't tell our city turns a blind you eye but the department
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of building inspectors has eliminated unpermitted in-laws per year based on complaints. now it has a negative impact on tenants and owners the tenants may not have a lease or protective section. and despite earning income from renting the in-laws the owners face the losing of units as i said before there's no tracking of in law units we know green from a door to door study those units are overwhelmingly occupied by families with children and seniors and immigrants and low income folks who pay $250 per month of nearly 35 hundred per month in the
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city. this stock will be wrought in to preserve the housing and to reactivate vacant units kept off of the market pr this dovetails with the policy in which the mayor took action to preserve the cities protection including undergo a discretionary process. now let me take a moment to say the goal is not coming at the expense of building life safety. the in law must be compliant to make sure that the tenants live in safe areas in cases of emergencies like earthquakes or fires. this makes the units first, by
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lowering the obstacles and allowing the issues to initial the process without the fear of enforcement action actions and to allow the temporary restriction to be lowered. on the other hand, we have measures to protect tenants who have lived out protections in units that are not safe. first, this legislation protects rent controlled status and the legislation didn't allow for subdivision of condo conversion it will help with the disbursement during construction and reprohibit legalization if no fault progresses. they've been existing and it's
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my hope it will create a feasible pathway that balances prevention and building save code. we have a number of city staff and i want to ask the planning department if you want to say a few words and i want to appreciate our analysis and the feedback you gave to our legislation we adapted many of the measures you've introduced. >> thank you very much many rogers for the planning department. we've expressed many supports and the housing stock has been tripod and tried and tried and regretted e rejected so the planning department considered the law and it was in opposition. the commissioners were stunned that was a relatively quiet item
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i think that this speaks to the growing awareness of the san franciscan housing crisis not one step will reserve this but it is a meaningful step. currently, we have evictions up and we're in despite need of solutions. the illegal unit are a source even if affordable housing in the city and those are mostly subject to rent control as the supervisor said this will help to preserve the unsubsdz source of affordable housing. it will create a avenue to legalize unit that couldn't be legal listed and i would want to
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ask the director to discuss the specification of the recommendation. >> good afternoon. i'm with the planning department. as was mentioned our commission strongly supported this legislation and identified 4 public benefits. first, this legislation will relieve the tenant of risk of eviction without the constant threat of removal and that will help to up grad the life of the units that are at risk of fire and other city codes violation requirements and third this legislation will help to maintain this unit as a revenue source for the property owner and lastly it will help the city to receive the property taxes
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and will help to offset the costs that the city is occurring. we thank president chiu to accept and apply the modifications that the planning commission recommended. there was one modification that was not adapted it was to legalize more than one lot in which there is a building with more than 10 unit and that will help to add an additional unit in the castro neighborhood in san francisco. this is also the goal to preserve as much as affordable housing as possible. those units all right. exist and the change in sdpint remits won't effect the neighborhood
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for the infrastructure needs. we strongly suggest that the board consider this recommendation. and lastly we applaud the department for taking on that and to create a meaningful and effective process to bringing the unit up to life and safety codes and granting legal status for those dwellings >> thank you. i appreciate the planning commission we have a few folks here for comments. >> good afternoon, supervisors ron chief building inspector i'm in the plan issuance section of
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the planning code section. i'm going to make a few comments supervisor chiu started up clearly that life safety is not to be k340e789d and that's my department. we currently from time to time do have preapplication meetings for possession e potential leg e legitimization to consider things like egress and also emergency instruct windows for the safeties if you can get beyond the issues oftentimes we're able to draw a balance of measures that can be provided by the applicant. i'll be available to answer specific questions
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>> thank you, mr. tom finally from the rent board ms. would have any comments you'd like to make. >> i'm here to answer any questions but i have inform responsive comments. >> thank you with that unless there's any questions i want to thank the organizations this was a long process and certainly i don't think anyone got everything they wanted but appreciate this legislation tried to build the sxhoens thank you to the law caucus and channel and representing property owners and the participation from small property owners and realtors and the housing advocates including spur and the action coalition and thank the departments that have participated with the
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earthquake safety program and the city attorney's office and thank amy chang who put in most of the work and trying to find a common ground. colleagues unless any initial questions to public comment >> thank you president chiu. >> i'm willing to wait i want to insure with the folks who represent their departments will continue to be here. with that we'll move to public comment i know we have an overflow room that is 2350 the supervisors room whether you're here are there we have yellow public comment cards if you will fill one out that will help the clerk in particular. i'll read the names from the
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cards i have you don't have to speak in the same order i read and the public comment will be 3 minutes when you here two bells the second one your time is up. i'll start reading the names. i apologize in advance for mispronouncing names. i can't read the first name but dell brook (calling names) go ahead thank you >> okay. i'm dave i'm
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president of the westwood hinds association and i was the president of the muscular dystrophy park and improvement club and been a member. westwood it is like other single-family neighborhoods it's governed by legally binding contracts so there will be one residence per mothering lot this will create an impossible legal conflict between the city and the residents in westwood highlands. there are virtual no benefits to supervisor chiu's legislation no new housing and even less housing and electric plunging and other safety issues will have to be relaxed and maine i mainly very few people will
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apply because of the city fees and mostly have to pay income tax. the speculators are the ones who will benefit and they will try to get rid of the things that are taken into account when there's proper planning it's a blanket rezone according to two recent court decisions requires an eir notification, public input and the rest of it. if this legislation passes the wedding wood association will have to use all money to fight it. please protect our neighborhood and single families homes in san francisco >> thank you. next speaker.
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>> hi, i'm andrew long. i'm supporting this legislation. i think it's a good idea to legalize in law units. i don't think it's going to be quiet as much as you think in a single-family home they will realize the cost of hawkins if they have to rent out the house but if you want to legalize those units that will fall under rent control. i think it's a good idea to legalize the in law unit have a vacant in law unit hope to legalize. that said i do think you should allow and places you under your
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regular calendar. there are hardships in the rent ordinance so folks who can't afford to pay for this i think the upgrade of the unit to a whole new status is completely on the landlord so i think you should allow accident property owners to pass this >> thank you. next speaker. >> my name is gordon i'm an architect in the city. i've been working here mostly doing think residential work in the last year's. i've been placard with a lot of clients with notices of violations forlogically units.
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i fully support this legislation. i think it's first step. i don't understand how we can reconcile the fact that it doesn't allow for any new in law units and it's merely providing an amnesia for to people who have go forward legislation. i've yet to hear why they don't allow in law units they're loud in many jurisdictions across the country and there's a number of ways to be implemented here. i think we should expand this program and allow new units to be included at some point in the
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future because a lot of the existing illegal units are going to be very expensive to meet building code requirements and those people are not going to choose to participate in the program and those units will be unsafe it's not going to increase the number of housing in the city per say. merely legal listed the ones that exist and hopefully prevent existing ones from being removed from the market >> thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon, supervisors. my name is george i'm with the
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coalition for san francisco neighborhoods and the west twin peaks council. first somebody i'm going to give you an affordable housing definition that's a game bet that will do nothing to provide additional housing but will do plenty to confuse the complex and contradictory rh one and 2 housing and rental property. the legislation does not new you housing. due to the city's cost of hallway sins legislation city hall can't impart rent control for the projects built after 18995. this is a zoning changes for the
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rh d one housing throughout san francisco and the department states otherwise. david choosing legislation is in violation of prop m that was voted in 1986. and there it was based on the preservation on a citywide basis. to go to david choosing he keeps talking about this number and that number exams from the asian law caucus that was done by energy wing about 2 hundred and 50 people at bus stops the may not have been from the neighborhood they don't go into demographics and went through the neighborhoods and looked at it for - it was very tenuous that this report even this it
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could be accurate. i don't think - i think that the planning and david chiu should go back to the drawing board and look at what they are he trying to do with the legal units. thank you very much >> thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon. i'm john. for more than 40 years i've seen this legislation and each time there's the chronic complaint but with was it didn't do i'll tell you what it does as an architect i've found a boarder spectrum of people who need this housing it's not only the process between
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