Senator Wiener Announces Progress On Housing In San Francisco’s Coastal Zone

SACRAMENTO – After several months of productive dialogue with the California Coastal Commission and San Francisco Planning Department over housing construction in western San Francisco, Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) announced that he has removed provisions from SB 951 that would have redrawn the coastal zone boundary in San Francisco to the Great Highway. SB 951 will move forward with other provisions, including provisions that align local coastal planning with state housing element law.

“After some initial tensions between the City of San Francisco and the Coastal Commission, we are now in a much better place, and as a result, I’m comfortable removing the coastal zone boundary redrawing from SB 951,” said Senator Wiener. “I’m grateful to the Coastal Commission and its staff, as well as the San Francisco Planning Department, for working in earnest to ensure a positive working relationship to allow us to protect coastal resources while also meeting San Francisco’s housing needs. These two goals do not need to be mutually exclusive.

”The Coastal Commission plays a critical role in managing our precious coastal resources and is doing cutting edge work to help communities adapt to sea level rise. In the era of climate change, conservation must be accompanied by sustainable housing policy, which is one of our most powerful pro-climate tools. I believe we have struck a solid balance here, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Commission on our many shared goals.”

SB 951 is sponsored by Mayor London Breed.