Development and Permitting
Project approvals and permitting.
1 upcoming event · 62 stories · 15 meeting summaries · Aug 25, 2026 – Nov 6, 2026
Upcoming events
Stories
Friday, November 6, 20262 stories →
The new plan for San Francisco’s dead mall? Tear it all down
Seven Equity Group is in contract to buy the San Francisco Centre for $132.5 million. In a pitch to lenders, the firm said it plans to tear the downtown mall down and build a new mixed-use development on the site.
Like everyone in SF, AI data centers struggle to find a place to live
Technology companies building data centers for AI are running into the same problem as San Francisco renters: nowhere to put them. The search for new sites follows voter pushback on AI projects and a stock market selloff.
Thursday, November 5, 20261 story →
Sanctum Baths, the First Gay Bathhouse In SoMa In 40 Years, Headed for Approval
City planners have recommended approval of Sanctum Baths, a two-story bathhouse planned at 40 12th Street in SoMa, according to the Bay Area Reporter. The Planning Commission is expected to vote Thursday. Owner Kevin Born, a co-owner of The Midway nightclub, would open the first new gay bathhouse in the neighborhood since the AIDS crisis closed the city's bathhouses.
Wednesday, November 4, 20261 story →
San Francisco’s Waterfront Redesign Puts an Anti-Fascist Monument in Jeopardy
The city's plan to redevelop Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park could remove the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Monument, an artwork honoring Bay Area volunteers who fought fascists in the Spanish Civil War that has stood on the site since 2008. The Arts Commission approved the plaza plans on Monday on the condition that it meet again to discuss the monument, after Megan Bierman, daughter of former Supervisor Sue Bierman, objected.
Monday, November 2, 20261 story →
To fight the Marina Safeway project, NIMBYs reach for a law written to stop the Klan
Neighbors suing to stop a housing project at the Marina Safeway have built part of their case on a civil rights law written to target the Ku Klux Klan, and the developer wants that claim dismissed, the Standard reports. The neighbors lost an effort to steer the case to a judge who had handled PG&E pollution suits.
Sunday, November 1, 20261 story →
The real reason nothing gets built in San Francisco
New housing in San Francisco costs more to build than it can return in rent or sales, so projects do not get built, the Standard reports. A policy group is working on ways to change that math.
Monday, October 26, 20261 story →
Can SF’s Empty Offices Be Housing?
San Francisco's office vacancy rate is around 30% after the pandemic, and 150 Hayes Street in the Civic Center is one office building being converted to apartments. KQED speaks with two developers about what these conversions take.
Sunday, October 25, 20261 story →
San Jose's Gateway Tower, with 218 affordable units, closes financing
A 15-story apartment building planned for downtown San Jose's SoFA district has closed its financing and will start initial construction soon, with completion targeted for 2029, Sing Tao reports, citing the Bay Area News Group. Gateway Tower would have 220 units, 218 of them affordable, at an estimated cost of about $198 million.
Friday, October 23, 20261 story →
152-unit Mission District housing project to break ground with shrunken promises
A 152-unit housing project at 321 Florida Street in the Mission District is set to break ground. Before winning approval in 2021, the developer promised $2 million, a free gallery space and other community benefits, but those agreements have expired, Mission Local reports.
Thursday, October 22, 20261 story →
Are SF Homeowners Paying for Bogus Construction Permits Just to Reserve Parking Spots?
A Presidio Heights amateur historian is asking whether San Francisco's construction-parking permits are being used to hold curb space. In an Instagram video, Greg Long said a landscaping claim and a fee are enough to block a spot, and that Public Works told him it usually asks for no supporting documents. SFist reports he counted 14 of the permits on his block.
Wednesday, October 21, 20261 story →
Freedom West Redevelopment Project Moves Forward In Western Addition
Freedom West Homes has secured funding for an initial phase of affordable housing in its plan to redevelop four blocks bounded by Gough, Fulton, Golden Gate and Laguna streets. The co-op, completed in 1973, has 382 units and about 1,000 owner households, roughly half of them seniors. A 2020 proposal for the site called for 2,515 units, many of them market-rate highrises.
Tuesday, October 20, 20261 story →
Predictably, Someone Wants to Turn Part of SF’s Downtown Mall Into an AI Data Center
A Maryland company asked the Department of Building Inspection in June about permits for an AI data center in the former Bloomingdale's space at 845 Market Street, the Chronicle reports. No application has been filed for the 350,000-square-foot site. KG Growth Partners CEO Jared Krieger told the paper the plan would keep the ground floor open to the public and put technical operations upstairs and in back-of-house space.
Monday, October 19, 20262 stories →
West Portal Housing Project Now Projected at 13 Stories
A housing project planned on West Portal Avenue is now projected at 13 stories, the Richmond Sunset News reports. The avenue's buildings are mostly two or three floors, with one five-story building and a few at four stories.
Impacts of New Tree Legislation Approved by Supes
An ordinance from District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong and Mayor Daniel Lurie lets smaller property developers pay a fee instead of planting or replacing trees, the Richmond Sunset News reports. The Board of Supervisors passed it 7-4 in early September.
Wednesday, October 14, 20261 story →
Lurie trumpeted a major housing win. YIMBYs say it’s much ado about nothing
Mayor Daniel Lurie said the city would modify staircase requirements in new apartment buildings, ahead of any actual code or policy change. YIMBY groups told the Standard the announcement amounts to little while the change is not yet in writing.
Saturday, October 10, 20261 story →
Friday Morning Constitutional: Man Arrested In Guerneville Road Cyclist Death
The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection is issuing new rules that will allow single staircases in four-story buildings when there is a fire escape or secondary egress. Builders say the current rules force them to stick to three stories on small or oddly shaped lots. The roundup also covers the arrest of a Santa Rosa man in a cyclist's hit-and-run death and other news.
Thursday, October 8, 20262 stories →
Out of the shadows: S.F. limits when shade can be used to block new housing
San Francisco supervisors passed a law that limits when shadows can be used to challenge new housing. The change aims to cut red tape in the city's housing approval process.
San Francisco and Oakland Pass 45-Day Moratoriums on New Data Centers
According to Mission Local, San Francisco and Oakland became the first Bay Area cities to pass 45-day moratoriums on new data centers. San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to halt new development and expansion while the Planning Department studies environmental effects.
Wednesday, October 7, 20262 stories →
Out of the shadows: S.F. limits when shade can be used to block new housing
San Francisco supervisors passed a law that limits when shade cast by new buildings can be used to block housing. The measure is aimed at cutting some of the red tape in the city's housing approval process, which Mission Local calls notorious.
Planning Association Debates La Playa Safeway Development Plan
A neighborhood planning association debated a proposal to replace the Safeway on La Playa Street with a new store and 562 homes. Under state law and legislation by state Sen. Scott Wiener, the project has been streamlined, which limits neighborhood residents' input to city officials.
Tuesday, October 6, 20261 story →
Planning Association Debates La Playa Safeway Development Plan
The Planning Association took up a proposal to replace the Safeway on La Playa Street with a new store and 562 homes. The project was streamlined under state law and the work of state Sen. Scott Wiener, which limits neighbors' input to city officials.
Monday, October 5, 20261 story →
Rebirth on the waterfront: Tech campus pioneer brings Silicon Valley style to SF
The Sobrato Organization, which built its name on South Bay offices, has converted a century-old San Francisco building that Gap left behind. The project at One Harrison brings the developer's Silicon Valley campus style to the city's waterfront.
Saturday, October 3, 20261 story →
Empty offices, scarce housing: San Francisco eyes 12 downtown buildings for conversion
A study by the architecture firm Gensler reviewed 36 office buildings downtown and found 12 that are better suited to conversion into housing, World Journal reports. If all 12 were converted, they could hold about 2,775 homes, the study estimates. Turning empty offices into apartments is a main part of the city's effort to revive downtown.
Wednesday, September 30, 20261 story →
Long-Stalled 15-Story High-Rise at Fourth and Harrison Advances In SF’s SoMa
The developers of a long-stalled 15-story office project at 725 Harrison Street in SoMa received an 18-month extension from the Planning Commission, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The $1 billion project would include 770,000 square feet of office space, retail, childcare and public open space, but the developer still needs a major tenant before construction can be financed.
Monday, September 28, 20261 story →
Supervisor Mahmood proposes loosening chain store rules for supermarkets and pharmacies
Supervisor Bilal Mahmood has drafted legislation to make it easier for supermarkets and pharmacies to move into existing storefronts by dropping some conditional use permit requirements. The bill would let chain supermarkets use up to 49% of their floor area for attached food service under a single permit and would add supermarkets and pharmacies to the Planning Department's priority review program. Mahmood's office says permits now take six to nine months, and the Chronicle reports recent supermarket and pharmacy closures left residents with fewer places to buy food and medicine.
Sunday, September 27, 20263 stories →
At Richmond District town hall on Safeway housing project, neighbors see an assault on democracy
About 60 people came to a Richmond District town hall to hear and air views on an eight-story Safeway redevelopment proposed for the Outer Richmond. Neighbors at the meeting described the project's path as an assault on democracy.
Mahmood seeks to loosen chain retail rules to speed supermarket and pharmacy openings
Supervisor Bilal Mahmood has drafted legislation that would let chain supermarkets and pharmacies take over existing storefronts without a conditional use permit, and let an existing grocery or drugstore change operators without a new one. The bill would also allow supermarkets to run attached chain businesses such as banks, restaurants and pharmacies, and to use up to 49 percent of their floor area for food service. Supervisors Stephen Sherrill and Myrna Melgar co-sponsored it, and Mahmood's office expects to bring it to the Board of Supervisors within two weeks.
The Man Who Hated Victorians
Landmarking is part of San Francisco's zoning politics: Supervisor Rafael Mandelman demanded protection for more sites last year in exchange for his vote on the Family Zoning Plan, and Mayor Daniel Lurie expanded the landmarking effort this year to potentially thousands of sites. Mandelman tells The Frisc he does not weigh in on specific sites and wants preservation experts to have room to do so. The piece looks back at Newton J. Tharp, the city's official architect a century ago, who considered much of what San Francisco now protects an abomination.
Saturday, September 26, 20263 stories →
At Richmond District town hall on Safeway housing project, neighbors see an assault on democracy
About 60 people attended a town hall in the Outer Richmond to discuss a proposed eight-story redevelopment of the neighborhood's Safeway site, Mission Local reports. Some neighbors at the meeting described the planning process as an assault on democracy.
Despite angry merchants, S.F. approves Therapy Stores spot in the Richmond
San Francisco approved a permit for Therapy Stores to open a shop in the Richmond over objections from merchants there, Mission Local reports. Merchants argued the gift store is a chain that should fall under the city's formula retail rules, which require extra review for chain businesses.
The Man Who Hated Victorians
The Frisc examines how historic preservation has become part of San Francisco's zoning politics, including Supervisor Rafael Mandelman's demand last year for landmark protections in exchange for his vote on the Family Zoning Plan. Mandelman told The Frisc he leaves decisions about specific sites to preservation and architecture experts.
Friday, September 25, 20263 stories →
Why San Francisco developers keep building risky offices instead of stable housing
Everyone agrees the city needs more homes, yet private developers keep chasing new downtown office towers. The Standard looks at why offices stay the easier bet for builders and what that means for the city's housing shortage.
The Haight could get a new music hub. Small businesses say it will destroy them
A developer wants to turn a historic building at an iconic Haight intersection into a music hub. Nearby merchants say the project would destroy their businesses, and the two sides disagree about which future suits the corner.
Tchotchke-shop chain draws ire of Clement Street merchants
The Planning Commission will soon vote on whether Therapy Stores, a formula retail chain, can open on Clement Street. Merchants on the street oppose the plan.
Thursday, September 24, 20261 story →
Tchotchke shop chain draws ire of Clement Street merchants
The Planning Commission will soon vote on whether Therapy Stores, a chain retailer, can open on Clement Street. Merchants on the street oppose the chain store, according to Mission Local.
Tuesday, September 22, 20261 story →
East Bay real estate firm plans data center in San Francisco
Nestory Park Capital, a real estate firm founded in El Sobrante in 2024, met with Mayor Daniel Lurie's housing and economic development director, Ned Segal, about permits for a data center at 1215 Michigan St., the Chronicle reports. The 4-acre parcel in Dogpatch is one of the largest privately held industrial sites left on the city's waterfront. The talks come as city officials consider a pause on approvals for data center projects.
Monday, September 21, 20261 story →
Neighbors Respond to St. Ignatius College Preparatory Environmental Impact Report
Neighbors living around St. Ignatius College Preparatory on 37th Avenue have responded to a court-ordered draft environmental impact report for the school published by the San Francisco Planning Department. They point to what they describe as flaws and inconsistencies in the report.
Sunday, September 20, 20261 story →
Neighbors Respond to St. Ignatius College Preparatory Environmental Impact Report
Neighbors living around St. Ignatius College Preparatory on 37th Avenue responded to a draft environmental impact report that the San Francisco Planning Department published under court order. They listed what they call flaws and inconsistencies in the document.
Saturday, September 19, 20261 story →
Noe Valley couple's backyard meditation room draws a complaint, and a supervisor's fix
Sam Geffner and Mar Rodin built a Buddhist meditation space in the backyard of their Noe Valley home, and an anonymous complaint to the city Planning Department has put the structure at risk, according to World Journal. A supervisor has proposed legislation to try to save it.
Thursday, September 17, 20261 story →
San Francisco Housing Group Files Lawsuit Opposing Marina Safeway Project
The YesAND Foundation and four Marina District residents sued San Francisco in federal court last week over an 848-unit apartment and commercial project proposed for the Safeway site at 15 Marina Blvd. The suit alleges the city is wrongly using a streamlined approval process under a state housing law, Assembly Bill 2011, that the project does not qualify for, and that developer Align Real Estate was exempted from hazardous-waste assessments. YesAND member Lori Brooke said neighborhood groups followed the established process first and spent months asking for an environmental review.
Wednesday, September 16, 20262 stories →
New Renderings Revealed for Long-Stalled Tower on SF's First Street
New renderings show the latest design for the long-stalled tower project on First Street between Market and Mission streets, the site once known as Oceanwide Center. A local venture of SKS Partners and investor Jay Yang, working with developer BXP, is submitting new plans after buying the property and its completed foundation from the bank that owned it. Construction stopped after the pandemic hit and the original Chinese developer lost the project in foreclosure.
San Francisco supervisors dial back extension to mayor’s controversial OpenGov software
San Francisco supervisors cut a requested five-year, $33 million extension of the city's OpenGov permitting software to $22 million over three years. The software runs the city's PermitSF platform.
Tuesday, September 15, 20263 stories →
Are autonomous vehicles and San Francisco development on a collision course?
Robotaxi companies want to park their fleets close to their riders, and some of the lots they use are sites the city has designated for housing. As autonomous vehicle fleets grow, the two uses of the same land can collide.
Developer wants an office-only tower at 536 Mission Street, and the city has other ideas
Lincoln Properties approached Golden Gate University about buying 536 Mission Street for a high-rise and offered two options: a 650-foot tower with offices and apartments, or a slightly taller one with 1.2 million square feet of offices, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. City officials have raised concerns about an all-office building.
City official said OpenGov software was ‘exceeding’ goals. Data said otherwise
San Francisco's permit overhaul under Mayor Daniel Lurie runs on OpenGov software, and a city official said the system was exceeding its goals. The Standard's review of the data found otherwise, and supporters of the overhaul acknowledge delays while saying the new system beats the old one.
Monday, September 14, 20261 story →
There’s a sorta crazy plan to turn SF’s dead mall into a sports mecca
Urban Land Development and TMG Partners submitted a bid for the San Francisco Centre that would turn the largely empty downtown mall into a multilevel sports complex built around basketball. A high school with a sports focus is part of the plan.
Saturday, September 12, 20262 stories →
Led by Lurie and Wong, Supes Consider Cutting New Trees For Fees
Property owners developing lots smaller than 50,000 square feet could pay a fee instead of planting new trees on site under legislation before the Board of Supervisors. Mayor Daniel Lurie and Supervisor Wong are behind the measure.
SF Supervisor Plans Moratorium on New Data Centers, With Permanent Ban to Follow
District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton plans to introduce a 45-day moratorium on new data center construction as a first step toward a permanent citywide ban, as the Chronicle reports. Walton's district, which includes Bayview-Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley, Portola and Dogpatch, has two active data centers, one of which is planning a large expansion. According to Mission Local, the Board of Supervisors could extend the pause for up to 22 months and 15 days if the Planning Commission finds existing data centers threaten residents.
Friday, September 11, 20262 stories →
S.F. teacher housing at 18th and Mission is on ice, emails show
Emails show that a project to build 63 units of teacher housing at 18th and Mission streets has been paused for more than a year. It is unclear how the project will proceed.
Candlestick megaproject breaks ground after years of delay
The developer FivePoint broke ground on the redevelopment of the former Candlestick Park stadium site. The project had been delayed by the neighboring shipyard and by economic conditions.